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Everything posted by ashbury
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The Last Two Moves The Twins Should Make
ashbury replied to DocBauer's topic in Minnesota Twins Talk
I did check. Against lefty starters b-r.com show a .760 OPS for his career. That counts everything in that game including the righty relievers who then come in. It's a problem with the short-side of a platoon. -
Former Twins, Where are they now? 2024 edition
ashbury replied to stringer bell's topic in Minnesota Twins Talk
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I'm not Seth and he hasn't asked me to play him on TV 😀 but MLBTR answered this question in the affirmative today (first paragraph): https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/02/twins-sign-jeff-brigham-brian-okeefe-to-minor-league-deals.html
- 39 replies
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- david festa
- dashawn keirsey jr
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The Twins preferred Carlos Santana to Bubba. The Reds preferred Bubba to Balazovic. That's gotta sting a little, to our pitcher.
- 64 replies
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- jordan balazovic
- zack weiss
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The Twins Chose This Payroll Path
ashbury replied to Ted Schwerzler 's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
No need to guess; they pay someone to keep track of these things. 😀 Polanco started 54 games at 2B in 2023. Which of course only strengthens your point. https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/MIN/2023-fielding.shtml#all_players_standard_fielding_2b- 69 replies
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- pohlad
- anthony desclafani
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These thoughts pertain more to FalVine than to Nick Gordon himself, so I'm separating this from the trade discussion involving Okert. The front office plays hardball regarding salary arbitration. Once the player didn't see the wisdom of coming to terms before the arbitrator's decision, win or lose, Gordon was probably gone with a tentative deal with Miami in place, and the timing was only to determine what Miami would return in trade (or whether the Twins would include a bit of cash to cover Gordon's salary if he won arbitration). I know I'm reading more between the lines than some here will stand for, but I look at this as a move the FO finds necessary once in a while, to send a message for later years. Or, maybe they felt Gordon was a bit disgruntled after losing, and might be a clubhouse distraction. Either way, message delivered, if you ask me. If it were roster-balance alone, the trade could have happened long ago or later on. Somehow, bridges got burned. The 40-man roster is now 22 pitchers and 18 position players, if I counted correctly. Some view this as a signal a new batter is going to be acquired, such as a right-handed hitting outfielder. I think the numbers are actually what the FO is comfortable with. If anything, since we're now a bit heavy on relief arms there is still room for an additional starting pitcher, with recent waiver-wire pickup Zack Weiss as the final roster casualty.
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Great trade! Who'd we get? 😀 Wait, we got someone who might be useful? Even better. Lefty in the pen with 3 years of control, I'll take it. That's in exchange for someone we would not use. Fine trade. I hold no ill will to Nick Gordon. But his skills never developed the way a first-rounder should have, and maybe Miami will unlock something. As things stood, a left fielder with only a so-so bat, or an infielder without elite defensive skills, doesn't have a place on most major league rosters. Good luck, Nick, you may need it.
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You're saying he might learn to switch hit, for his next team? 😀
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Not surprised. While the dollar difference is minor in absolute terms, speaking of folks at the MLB level of course, it still seemed to me his agent had given him bad advice when the figures came out a few weeks ago. The inability to even split the difference (which teams often do when they think the player's submitted value is at least arguable), and then to lose in arbitration, would suggest to me that a change in representation is called for.
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Will The Twins Get Their Postseason SP?
ashbury commented on Doctor Gast's blog entry in Doctor Gast's Blog
Bauer has been given "second chances" over and over. I refreshed my memory on his Wikipedia page, and even when he does something nice like set up a charitable donation program, he feels compelled to include some jackassery about it. That's the word that keeps coming to mind, jackass, and from a distance maybe he seems cute and eccentric*, but I can imagine his act wearing thin in a clubhouse quickly. Hard pass, as they say. * Up until his legal troubles, which were not cute and beyond eccentric to vast numbers of people -
Zack Weiss. How quickly we forget. 😀
- 64 replies
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- jordan balazovic
- zack weiss
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In the interest of snark* I would like to point out that Balazovic was drafted in 2016 and thus under the prior, Total System Failure, regime. Our current FO held onto him for longer than I might have expected.** * Just one of the many fine services I offer ** And no, I don't know of a real pattern of FalVine playing favorites with "their own" prospects. Which part of "snark" did you not understand?
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Yeah, I was about to say that "luck" is the operative word there. A guy puts up good stats based on a lower BABIP than his career norm, and next year he mysteriously reverts to form. Almost as if the magic pixie dust causing the ball to fly straight to fielders' gloves has a short shelf life and can't easily be replenished. Or, as you say, luck.
- 19 replies
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- outright assignment
- off 40-man roster
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No doubt there will be an actual/official article to come concerning our latest waiver claim. I had expected Bubba and Duarte to be DFA in favor of the newly signed Santana and Jackson. So that breakdown of the moves means that our FO prefers 31-year old minor league journeyman-with-control-problems Zack Weiss to Jordy Blaze. SMH.
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That's the Secret Sauce we've all been waiting to hear about!
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- outright assignment
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Not exactly sure what parallel you are drawing, but Willi wasn't a waiver-wire claim, he was signed as a free agent. Unless I'm forgetting, we never had to expose him to waivers after acquiring him.
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- outright assignment
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The Sport of the Future.™ Always has been, always will be. They've been telling me this* since I was a kid. * Outside the US, it's certainly a different story. And even in the US there is a following. The Tottenham winter scarf my son got me a few years ago for Christmas is a good conversation starter in crowds. Go Spurs, I guess.
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Do the Twins Have Baseball’s Best Bullpen?
ashbury replied to Ted Schwerzler 's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
Evaluation is evaluation. It's a continual and/or repeated process for each player, and for players collectively. I'm not even sure I'm willing to specify where the mis-evaluation was on Wisler, merely that in the end it was pretty much wasted effort for the team because they said goodbye when they didn't have to. His career ERA matches pretty closely with his FIP, and his times of success with regard to ERA have been in relatively smaller samples than in the other seasons when he was mediocre. For his career his Wins Above Average closely matches his Win Probability Added, namely a negative number. His one season with Minnesota ultimately didn't change his career arc.- 39 replies
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- justin topa
- brock stewart
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I was going to reply to the question you replied to, but you laid out a framework first so I'll go off of that. Strictly as an investment, you can't go wrong with most of these. Some are a little better than others. But all are properties that rich people have chosen to invest in, and (mostly) not share with the hoi polloi. So, if I'm offered, I'm in. Any financial success I've had has come from throwing in my lot with people wealthier than me. I saw a negative opinion for the Red Sox, above. Me, I would snap up that opportunity, much as you described for the Dodgers. Buy Quality. If there's a severe economic downturn, the Red Sox shares I hold will still find takers. That might be less true of Marlins and Rockies and A's.
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Do the Twins Have Baseball’s Best Bullpen?
ashbury replied to Ted Schwerzler 's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
And then they released him. He met whatever expectations they could possibly have had, and then they said, "um, well, never mind. That guy we thought we could turn into something? Smoke and mirrors. Next?" I really lost confidence in them as having something special they could bottle and reuse.- 39 replies
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- justin topa
- brock stewart
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Do the Twins Have Baseball’s Best Bullpen?
ashbury replied to Ted Schwerzler 's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
They've brought in a bunch of new names with possibly interesting stories. If I had more confidence in the FO's talent assessment, I'd be more excited. But names like Jorge Lopez, Hansel Robles, Alex Colomé, and Matt Wisler temper my enthusiasm for new names. I'm not saying our FO is bad at this. They're average; they don't have any special sauce compared to other FOs.- 39 replies
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- justin topa
- brock stewart
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To my knowledge there is only one MLB team you can directly buy stock in, the Braves. NASDAQ : BATRA. A quick look says that their stock has gone up approximately 3X in 8 years. That's an annualized 15% ROI give or take, if I did my math right. I would like to own stock in the Twins. No further research on my part needed. Why? Because the Pohalds aren't selling any. That's how I know it's a great investment.

