Doctor Gast

Social media is full of people trying to force their agenda on all who'd listen. It's not a place to get unbiased information but yet here is where fans go & w/o questioning believe everything they read. My mission is to get people to be open, question sources, observe & make reasonable conclusions. Polanco was properly treated in '23 & had a normal '24 offseason FACT odds are that he's 100% for '24 banning any unforeseen accidents that all players are subject to. By an evaluator who is unbiased, does not follow the herd & I respect, evaluated Gonzalez much lower because of the reasons I priorly stated FACT. Odds are he won't impact the Twins in '24 or ever. DeSclafani a pitcher SEA was eager to flip to free up the 40-man. Bowan is a low-lotto ticket that does not impact the '24 Twins if ever. Topa is not a sure thing. He could help the Twins a little or not at all. To me Topa is not enough to tip the needle to trade Polanco. Social media HOPES that the Twins can work their magic on DeSclafani & Bowan, magically Gonzalez is the player ranked by some & can be traded to a team that desperately needs a RH cOF, 2 or 3 years from now (good luck). That Topa will adapt to MN & sustain his success from SEA.

Verify what? No one is contesting that Polanco didn't play a lot in '23 that's the point of hiring Paparesta to fix players that were broken & have them ready to play if it takes half the season to undo the physical abuse from '22 so be it. Tons of injuries isn't most of the time bad luck it's bad management.

Missed half the season but now Polanco is 100%. Absolutely bad trade for the Twins

Unless that shoe is a front-line SP it's all in vain. What are the odds for that to happen? Very slim, if they were serious for that to happen they wouldn't have made the DeSclafani trade in the 1st place.

We entered the '24 offseason with only one need & that's another postseason SP. That's where all our attention should be to finalize a deal for an ace type. Not being distracted by adding depth to already deep positions. Before DeSclafani we had a good rotation. Most of this article is about DeSclafani, he's not critical for us to win the division. Hope that Maki can do his magic will do nothing for us any more than Johnson could work magic on Happ, Shoemaker or Colume'. We already have a lot of 5th starters in Varland, Fiesta & SWR. 5th starter are "a dime a dozen". If we get another postseason starter that'll push everybody yet further down. For a postseason SP, I'm not talking about SEA's young arms type because that's like getting a version of Ryan/Ober. We needed to have a feasible Plan A maybe Plan B & go all in to make it happen with no pussy-footing around. That was not done. W/o another postseason SP, we won't win more than 1 postseason game.

Managed properly is when a player gets hurt you treat it, mismanaged is when you play that player until he no longer can take the field, (some teams do that). That's common sense if that's novel then baseball is in bad shape. Because of Paparesta, Polanco was managed properly healthwise last season. This novel idea has & will continue to revolutionize the Twins. Instead of always limping into the postseason every year.

I'm willing to trade Polanco tomorrow if that would be our best move & besides I don't see Polanco in the '25 Twins future but not now under these terms. How fast do they forget it's Jorge Lopez, my mistake. It's easy, by observing researching, & looking at the odds, Polanco should be healthy for the most part in '24 if managed properly. Gonzalez will not help our club now or ever, Topa (32) is a shot in the dark, he might contribute or like Jorge Lopez he might not.

Listening to the Mariners podcast the team & the fans were overjoyed by the trade. That Polanco had been a target for a long time & they really liked his #s though social media tried to put him down because of his injuries. That the pieces they gave up were not that necessary for their bigger plans. But we have to see there are 2 Polancos, The long-time untreated injured Polanco & the healthy Polanco. Most like to focus on the long-time untreated injured Polanco but with last year of taking it easy on him plus a normal offseason I'm betting on a healthy Polanco with corresponding stats Year Age Tm Lg G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB Pos Awards 3.3 WAR 2019 25 MIN AL 153 704 631 107 186 40 7 22 79 4 3 60 116 .295 .356 .485 .841 121 306 11 4 2 7 2 *6D/H AS,MVP-13 4.2 WAR 2021 27 MIN AL 152 644 588 97 158 35 2 33 98 11 6 45 118 .269 .323 .503 .826 125 296 4 5 0 6 0 *46/DH Polanco had a great debut with ,333/.500/.833/1.333 & a 268 OPS+, he had a very good BA & OBA early in his career with few ABs. '19 was his big opportunity & had a great 1st half & became an All-Star but because of extended time at SS he played at least the last half with bad ankles & his #s dropped considerably yet he got MVP votes. He ended the season with ankle surgery. '20 he played all season with bad ankles & had another ankle surgery at the end of the season. '21 he was moved off SS & never had ankle problems again & had his only truly healthy season his OAA was 13. '22 he had a good 1st half, in June he hurt his back, they gave him time off, he bounced back & hasn't had back problems after that. Then he hurt his knee sliding, He played the rest of the season with a bad knee until he could no longer take the field. His stats are good even when playing hurt but they are phenomenal when 100% Gonzalez is an overrated prospect. He's not a great fielder but has a good arm, so he's projected in RF. He's young so some think he'll add extra power but the truth is his structure is 5'10 so he's pretty much filled out & true evaluators believe he won't hit close to the HRs that he needs to profile to play RF together with his lack of plate discipline his stock will plummet. SEA got rid of him at the right time. Twins have no present or future need for Gonzalez. DeSclafani, SEA was dying to flip. FO thinks that they can fix his pitch mix (they thought the same about Shoemaker). We don't need another 5th starter, we have plenty of in-house pitchers that need that opportunity more than a washed-up veteran. Bowan, a low lotto ticket that this FO likes his weird stats Topa, a 32 yrs. old flash in the pan, which like Jose Lopez we don't know how he going to react in MN & if that success is sustainable. We also have in-house pitchers we can go with, that need experience & we know. Money, free up money so they can sign a 1yr. Gallo-type hitting 1B or OF. Here they signed Carlos Santana at 1B, a potential HR hitter that SO less than an average Twin but can he come up with the big hit when we need it? & Miranda is better served as a 1B/DH to raise his stock I'd rather have a healthy Polanco as a full-time 2B that frees up time for Farmer to be better used elsewhere & his great clutch bat for '24. than all these pieces we really don't need. We weren't over-budget so why trade Polanco? Our only real need is a post-season SP if they can't swing that then it's better to do nothing. The '24 offseason feels a lot like the '21 offseason. It's good to acknowledge our mistakes so we can learn from them if not we keep on doing them & that can be a big problem

I don't buy the smoke & mirrors with Nellie Cruz. I'd rather give the job to Miranda to improve his stock. When Santana doesn't perform they keep doubling down on him like they do to every failed project. Hindering the Twins progress.

Gonzalez is an overrated prospect. He's not a great fielder but has a good arm, so he's projected in RF. He's young so some think he'll add extra power but the truth is his structure is 5'10 so he's pretty much filled out & true evaluators believe he won't hit close to the HRs that he needs to profile to play RF together with his lack of plate discipline his stock will plummet. SEA got rid of him at the right time. Twins have no present or future need for Gonzalez.

A great hitter is one who adapts. If a pitcher gives a hitter a ball to drive, he drives it. If a pitcher gives a hitter a ball to lift, he lifts it. If he gives him a ball to pull, he pulls it. If he gives him a pitch to go the other way, he goes the other way. If gets 2 strikes he shortens his swing & fouls off any pitch he doesn't like & comes up with a clutch hit when needed & doesn't strike out. That is Polanco, a switch-hitter we need more of, not trade away. I'd trade away Polanco next year when Lee would be established not this year. I was for keeping all the questionable salary players. But now after rethinking if I had to choose, I'd choose Kepler to be the one to trade. #1 because it's his last year. #2 LH OFers are in demand which he could be traded for a very good MLB RH OFer to help balance out our OF. #3 which is more important is looking back at '19 Kepler was in a great groove & hit a lot of HRs. but in '20, pitchers adjusted to him while Kepler could not readjust & floundered. '23 Kepler found his groove FO fell in love with but '24 pitchers have taken notes on Kepler & they are making adjustments. So is Kepler going to make the necessary readjustments? Odds are, he will not and will contribute to the Twins hitters' SO machine.

There are several out there that are blocked by one or more other catchers on their teams, that can be had.. Just do the homework.

BAL has great prospects overflowing everywhere, with new ownership. They can easily make this kind of trade. For us, it makes no sense for 1 yr. of Burns. It was a pretty good deal on both sides, it met each other needs.

OK Sixel, I don't have a thing about Jeffers or Julien, I have a thing about the team getting better & contending for the WS. If that means trading an Arraez for a Lopez then I'd do that in a heartbeat. Or a Jeffers & Julien for a Luzardo. & yes I hated the Polanco trade that sparked that remark.

Yes, Twins catching depth is a shambles & shameful, that has been neglected for years. But that can be easily rectified by Twins picking a top MLB-ready catching prospect who can hit. Together with 2 yrs. Vazquez mentoring can quickly transform that prospect into a better defensive catcher than Jeffers. We have a great offensive line-up depth that can absorb the loss of Jeffers & Julien but we won't get beyond the 1st game in the postseason w/o another bonafide postseason starter,

Brook Lee is part of the future INF with Correa & Lewis. He should not be rush to benefit everyone concerned.so he shouldn't be planned to impact the '24 club. Due to Polanco's absence, there's a big hole left at 2B which nobody can fill for '24. Julien lacks the range & DP smoothness to be a primary 2Bman, if overstretched there, it'd affect his overall performance plus he hasn't been able to hit LHPs. Farmer will be overstretched subbing the other INF positions including 1B if Miranda doesn't work out as the 1B RH platoon. But because of need, Farmer's main duty will be the RH platoon at 2B. Heaven forbid to continue the Gordon's INF experiment which was a total failure, Keep him in the OF. Castro will be busy in the OF but at times could be lent to the INF. Julien profiles much better at 1B so that's where he should be rotating there & DH with Kiriloff plus Kiriloff can play RF, and Miranda hopefully will become the main RH 1B platoon.

I just watched Polanco's '23 highlights video on Youtube. '23 was supposedly to be a down year for Polanco but the video was jammed packed with big hits & references to Polanco as the heart & soul of the Twins & Mr. Clutch. Made me sad & miss him already.

Thanks Greggory. Polanco had the makeup to be the Twins' best clutch hitter throughout the years. Which makes it difficult & confusing to see him go. Who had great difficulty saying no when asked to play hurt that greatly hurt him in his performance & make people question his overall health. And to play a difficult position that he never played before, making him look incompetent on a national level while yielding his position to Julien. While being taken advantage of with his salary. The only reason why I can see to let him go is that all that abuse on his body has become a chronic injury that shouldn't be on him anyway. We weren't over budget so why trade him now? To free up some money so they sign a short-term Gallo-type bat/ 1Bman or OFer they are enamored with? I'd much rather have Polanco's bat & glove instead of the unneeded prospects & players (that SEA were willing, & more than willing to give up) with a lot of red flags. I'm not against trading Polanco but this was not the time. What is done is done, but Polanco will be greatly missed especially in a clutch situation during the postseason when most everybody are striking out.

My point has been most of his problems are related to continuously playing him hurt which never gets a chance to heal & quite often aggravates something else. His back injury they took seriously & gave him some time off & he bounced back very quickly & never had any more problems with his back. But his knee injury they never took seriously & ran him to the ground. I hope to God that this abuse on his knees would not result into something chronic. Even if it is, it's not on him & it can be managed

If we sign Solano as a stop gap for Lee & trade Julien & Jeffers for Luzardo, I'll be all in for that. That'd be the only thing that'd save this FO's ?#%*@!

We have a great line-up we don't need another big bat. We need a postseason SP, let's take care of that 1st & forget about the frivolous BS. Because w/o a postseason SP, it will be a very long season for the Twins & very short postseason.

Of course, there's a cost for a premium SP. Luzardo is the best out there & I gave the 2 that I'm fine to let go that fit MIA's needs & requirements. IMO Lee is our top prospect, and there's no rush to bring Lee up & I think it's to everyone's advantage if we wait to bring him up, that's why I'd like to hold onto Polanco a little longer. I'm much more hesitant to put Lee on the block. Trading Lee will downgrade our INF for the next 6+ years & Lee + Jeffers is an overpay for Luzardo. I'd probably turn it down & lower my standard to Rogers or Cabrera for Jeffers. Mahle was a deadline trade, they tend not to turn out well That's what they said about Happ & Shoemaker, Desclafani reminds me of Shoemaker.

The problem with Alex as with Arraez & Polanco is that they don't fit the Twins-hitting type. They don't strike out enough. '23 was a good sign for Kiriloff that didn't have any wrist problems, that's what we need to focus on. It took Kiriloff much longer to get back to MLB shape. Thrown into RF right away after a long absence with very little ramp-up time explains his shoulder problems that shouldn't be an issue this season if he gets plenty of ramp-up time. '23 is a terrible season to get a real picture of what kind of hitter Kiriloff is. So I don't agree with your assessment of Kiriloff using '23 stats. Kiriloff still has the tools to be a great hitter & 1Bman. Julien is a 1Bman hopefully Lee will come up sooner than expected to take over 2B, so that Julien can rotate with Kiriloff at 1B/DH/ & Kiriloff to RF. Together with the platoon of Miranda & Farmer, 1B will be probably our best-covered position which absolutely doesn't need to waste money or trade bait for a Gallo-type player.

Thanks, Hawkeye. MIA has (LHP) Luzardo that they are actively putting out there for trades. MIA wants a catcher, SS & move Arraez's contract that they can't afford. Luzardo is a potential ace (maybe more so than Lopez) who fits very well alongside fellow Venezuelan & friend Lopez. MIL has a need at 2B, they love Arraez and they have Adames (SS) they could move. We could have traded our over-stretched 2Bman Julien who doesn't have range or can turn a smooth DP & Jeffers who swoons when given sole primary catching duties & doesn't have an arm, both are at peak trade value. We trade both straight up for Luzardo. I'd then pick a high MLB-ready catching prospect which are a few, but my favorite is Romo (CO) Luzardo is a type of pitcher that can elevate the rest of the rotation. Every great performance would challenge the next SP to do better. Alas w/o our best 2Bman & having only Julien as our sole 2Bman we cannot trade him.

Of course, it depends if the deal is loaded with unneeded prospects & players like in the Polanco trade. But if SEA was really interested why not further pursue a Polanco/ Kepler trade that actually included a player we needed like a viable SP. It'd make me feel better to fill a need & have Polanco & Kepler together at the same time.