Doctor Gast

I'm happy Gasper is off the active list, How can a player who was projected not to play any MLB games for BOS in '25, be on the opening-day roster for the Twins (only Falvey's weird analytics)? The league has figured out Julien & he's terrible defensively. Send him down to AAA until he figures it out, if he figures it out, Better yet trade him while his trade value is still up there. Twins addressed our LHRP need, let's see if it's enough. 2 MLB catchers & 3 fringe catchers that aren't MLB-ready is roster mismanagement. Just ask LAD if roster spots are very valuable. A 3rd catcher rotating in & out is needed to help keep Jeffers fresh & effective, is a great idea. But we don't have a 3rd MLB catcher; I'd trade these three fringe catchers for one promising young MLB-ready catcher (figuratively speaking, because nobody would be that stupid to do it & someone would take me literally). We are very fortunate that Jeffers & Vazquez have been so healthy these past 2 years. This 3rd catcher would help relieve the tandem & gain valuable MLB experience. Trading Vazquez, we'd need two more catchers which pushes to 3 MLB catchers & 3 non MLB catchers. 6 catchers on the roster, that's even more ridiculous. I don't get being afraid that MLB will discover Keirsey's faults, what faults? & how much playing time will he get subbing Buxton? I imagine very little in the beginning by that time Emma will be ready to make his debut. (RH) Bader & his $6.5M salary does very little except blocking valuable MLB playing time for our inhouse players that we know for a player we don't know (he could easily be another Margot at the plate). I also don't get how MN was so eager to push Miranda to important 3B & yet so reluctant to commit to him at less important 1B? Miranda will mash at 1B, commit to him. We don't need to sign another expensive FA to drive Miranda off 1B. If you want a RH bat, here at 1B is where we could use a RH power bat to sub Miranda & maybe RF. Not a wimpy Margot to sub Buck. I was excited to see how some of our capable inhouse players would produce. Acquiring Bader has put a damper on that. There are too many ?s on the roster. Some MLB-ready players like Helman are easy, if they don't produce send them down to AAA. Castellano is a bit trickier if PHI doesn't want to trade. he'll have to produce or be sent back. I lean towards Julien not being able to transform himself offensively & besides not being able to play at 2B, he wouldn't be able to profile at 1B if he does. I highly doubt any of the 3 fringe catchers can contribute this season. So far I'd grade the Twins a C this offseason because they got Coulumbe (a slight +) & Bader (a slight -). If they trade Vazquez or Castro which would seriously affect the core & acquire a replacement for Miranda, I'd give them another F, again not addressing the real needs properly, acquiring expensive players we don't need & trading away players we need to pay for it.

People complained that the Twins' MVP (BH) Castro was making $6.5M, so we have to dump his salary. Then they turn around & sign a platoon (RH) that doesn't move the needle for $6.5M & we have to jump & down? Where do all these things come from?

A LH CFer that has been MLB-developed is very valuable. But thanks to the Twins, he'll be almost worthless. But I still hope they trade him so he can develop into someone special. & rub the Twins nose in how bad they screwed up again.

We were bad last season. But w/o Margot, we'll be much better in the OF, even w/o Kepler, with or without Bader. We can be much better in the INF w/o Julien and without needing Correa & Santana to cover for him. Now, w/o Santana, it makes it more important. and have someone who can mash at 1B. Julien will be the key at the keystone, the less he plays there, the better we'll be.

This move does nothing to make us better. We don't have a money problem we have a management problem. Throwing big money at a nonissue position is wasting that money! Why didn't they just get a cheap big RH platoon bat (if that's what they want) via trade to help fill in at RF & 1B? That would have helped more & cheaper.

Last offseason, what we really needed was at least an inning-eater SP. But Twins said no we need a broken SP, a bunch of fringe RPs, a different primary 2Bman, an outhouse Buxton sub instead of a cheap, capable inhouse player & a FA 1Bman that can cover for the 2Bman but can't hit instead of a cheap inhouse options that can really hit & needed to play to play 1B to help in their recovery. (For a team that's always crying about money why are they so quick to waste it?) How did that work out? Did those moves take us to the next level? No they got us a 4th place in the AL Central. How did those moves make us better for '25? How did that help us to develop our inhouse players that CLE does so well at? How did that help Keirsey? How did that help Miranda? How did that help Kiriloff? All very capable players. The Twins have drastically hindered their MLB development. Twins must have a very low opinion of how they have developed these players. Since these priorities didn't work out, you'd think they'd ditch them. Nope, all offseason, I hear the same talk: priority is to get someone in the OF. Like Margot, Bader will block several Twins prospects, especially Emma. But most of all, my heart goes out to Keirsey, who has put in the time to prove himself defensively & offensively. worthy & faithful only to be slapped in the face for the second time. Twins need to reward inhouse players not stab them in the back. With an opportunity in '24 & '25, Keirsey could have catapulted his MLB career, but now Keirsey will have to deal with betrayal. Bader might be an upgrade in defense (like Margot was) but Keirsey has more potential offensively, cheaper & won't block Emma. Next FO priority backstab Miranda. This move does not move the needle, not worth the extra money & doesn't excite me, it makes me sad. These transactions just reinforce my disdain for this FO.

The big fuss over budget restrictions the past 2 yrs. is an inconvenience, but it's not the problem. There is a thing called trade. We can't let budget restrictions keep us from filling our holes. Crying we can't do anything because of the budget restrictions is a bunch of baloney. Stop waiting around for discount FAs, from the get-go, find our holes & fill them with reasonable trades. We have players that can be & should (not counting Vazquez & Castro) be traded go out there & make those happen. We have an opportunity to have a 1Bman that can really mash, Miranda. Finally having time at 1B will keep him healthy & productive. IMO we have our 1Bman, we don't need to look for someone to replace him. Maybe support but not replace. I have a lot of doubts about Julien playing anywhere & hitting but not Miranda.

Splits on Canha last year OPS, vs RHP .658, vs LHP .774. Canha as a bench player is fine, but not used as Margot; I'd take Canha over Gasper. If we can pick him up for $2M, ok, Although I'd like to keep Paddack, I'd be ok trading him if we need to. But not any further than that.

I'm a fan of Wallner & I think he has the potential to be a good RFer. Instinct comes from plenty of playing time & coaching. He has had a lot of playing time but I question the coaching. I saw some improvement returning from AAA in the 2nd half.

Twins should have gone to gain top-end pitching last season when there was more need. That could have been done by trading off replaceable players. This season, it doesn't make sense, especially trading off needed players, which makes us much weaker.

There are a few options, I wouldn't mind any of them even Gasper.

BOS fans like Casas, but IMO he's overrated & at the same time Miranda is underrated & needs time at 1B. Get someone who can support him not take over. Keep Ryan, Ober & Miranda, we'd be a better team.

Not what I hoped for but it's an improvement. As long as they don't do anything stupid I'm fine.

I did answer your question, but not the way you wanted. If you want to protect a player who is physically susceptible, you put him on 1B, that is common sense. Now, when Keaschal comes back from his surgery, do you think they'll put him in RF or 3B even though normally he can play there? No, they'll play him at 1B, because they want him to recover properly. That is common sense, what proof do I need? If Falvey tells you to put your hand over a burner and I tell you don't, you'll burn yourself. You say where's the proof? You put your hand over the burner & you burn yourself. I say I told you, so. You say where's your proof? You shouldn't need proof you need common sense.

Cavaco is a good example, he ended up at 1B & was later released. I admit that they have started to veer away from the bat & no-glove type the last couple of years. But that's no reason to excuse them from ignoring catchers in the draft & failing to use prospects to trade for them, which is the main point of my text, even though I didn't mention catching specifically.

You left out my exclusion of no-brainers: Lewis, Lee & Jenkins. Let me rephrase that to bat 1st players. That'd include Rooker, Larnach, Cavaco, Wallner & Sabato, that's not including 2nd round or foreign draft. Where they were drafted doesn't mean that's where they'll stick. Sano was drafted as a SS.

When you want to protect someone's arm, what level does it matter? The only difference is that Falvey made the decision to go with Santana at 1B & yet wanted Miranda & Kiriloff's bat in the line-up, so he did what he does so often, overlook Miranda & Kiriloff susceptibility & hope nothing would happen. Why are you protecting Falvey? Everyone knew that Paddack's arm was ready fall off but Falvey traded for him. Mahle was having arm problems but he overlooked them when he signed him. He does them hoping.

You have no idea what you're talking about. Where is your stupid proof, I just use common sense. When Keaschal had a poor arm did they put in RF or 3B? No they put him at 1B. I said I was concerned about Lee's back, & I didn't mean that he was on his own when I said he needed to manage his chronic back problems.

Twins had a pretty good team in '23. In '24 we still have pretty much the same team, especially on paper. Last year we were projected to win the AL Central, afterward, they made some changes but still looks good on paper but the difference is in the intangible of chemistry & unity. '25 we are projected to win the AL Central, we still look good on paper, but what'll boil down to is how much chemistry, leadership & unity from the core are maintained & health.

I guess we have to agree on most but disagree on the rest. Unlike you, I look at underlying conditions & how the players respond to them. Which I deem very important & that's how I formed my groupings. I hope if we increase Jeffers's playing time to 2/3 & expect him to perform the same as when he's backup. But hope doesn't cut it. Click on his name, his 5yr. career proves out that when in a supporting role '20 & '23 he performs well. When given a slight advantage in innings '21 & '24 he starts off well but flounders in the 2nd half, And when he's given primary catching duties '22, he quickly craters & lands on the IL. If you dismiss the underlying conditions you miss the boat. Stats don't tell you everything. Looking at stats only you think oh, he's in a slump. When Polanco started not to hit in '22, Miranda & Kirloff in '24, I knew they were playing hurt. I agree that Lee's problem could go beyond his back injury. That's why I suggested in a different thread that if Lee doesn't prove himself during spring training. He'd need more time in AAA. Again I deem recognizing underlying conditions & how the team & players'll deal with them the most important to gauge how players'll perform.

In-house subs- Martin, Keirsey, Helman, Keaschal & Eeles, All deserve to serve as quality depth & a chance to show what have. New fringe acquirees, Gasper & Ford- They are break glass options. Cartaya's progress since upper minors has been slow, you can't just flip a switch & recapture his low minors success. His progress will remain slow going into MLB. Not a factor in '25. I'd rather Twins develop their own MLB catching but Vazquez is all we have. He'll give us the most defensive innings. After his adapting to a new team & pitching staff, his hitting is trending the right way. Hopefully '25 his hitting will resemble more like what he did in BOS.

Adjusting to the league's adjustment to Twin's hitting approach. Larnach has done it, and Wallner has kind of but still needs to cut down on his SO's. It's not Julien rediscovering his edge because the league has taken away that edge. It's a matter of reinventing himself & adapting. I have my doubts that he can & if he does it'd be w/o his past edge. I put Camargo & Severino in the same boat who have had past success in AAA but now have dipped. My hope is Emma can continue to hit in the upper MiLB & make the necessary adjustments to contribute to MLB club,

Speaking about 1B, Lewis could benefit from having time at 1B, where he could be still wrestling with soft-tissue issues & keep him on the field more. Lewis 2nd half "slump" was due to running out of gas. Hopefully this year he'll find more gas. I predict Castro will have a better year. Castro was depended upon too much to play CF & SS overextending him there over the entire season overspent him where his production dropped off. Having Keirsey to sub Buck in CF & hopefully Correa & Lee will play more often at SS, taking the burden off of Castro. Jeffers is a great hitter, especially for a hitter. But catching beyond weak-side tandem is too much for Jeffers where his production on both sides of the plate takes a beating. Dial Jeffers back to weak-side tandem & his #s will be better.

Large subject matter so I'll break it up in sections. 1st injury-plagued players. IMO Buxton & Correa are getting over the hump. Miranda's problem isn't mechanical, he can really hit. The problem was how they managed his health. Instead of keeping him at 1B/ DH where he could recover 100% from his shoulder injury & stay on the field & mash. They put him at 3B where he really had to work his shoulder, overcompensating he hurt his back thus the decline in production. Hopefully, the Twins wake up & avoid this unnecessary mishap by keeping him at 1B/ DH. Lee's interview mentioned that his back problem is chronic & that he'll have to live with the pain. This concerns me. My hope is that he can manage it because we really depend on him.

Gasper was not projected to have any playing time for catching hungry BOS. At this time he's a AAAA player & break glass option at 1B. But leave it up to Falvey to try to qualify this transaction by giving Gasper every opportunity to prove himself on the MLB level while short-changing our more qualified inhouse players. Much what happened with Margot.