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In that case it looks like Falvey's gearing up for contention in 2028 and beyond. Problem is, they can't be alone in this POV.

I had put the threat of a lockout/strike out of my mind. During the recent trading flurry, it was reminded to us. If 2027 is a faint likelihood, it puts into better perspective the trading away of important players with 2 years of control remaining - perhaps in reality it's only 1 year. If the FO judged that serious pennant contention wasn't possible for 2026, then my preference to use the 2025 trade deadline to "sell and reload for 2026-27" wasn't so good. In a lockout, are the minor leagues shut down too?

Funny. But Louis's usage had evolved even during the 2025 season. In his 22 appearances during June and July, 16 of them began in the 7th inning or later, and 4 of those other ones bridged into the 7th. The leverage index found on baseball-reference.com showed an uptick in the importance of his appearances, as well.

For what it's worth, the video game OOTP dislikes every single one of these trades, after I let it run a couple of seasons. The guys we traded away mostly maintained value; not one of the prospects has retained their full luster - Rojas still seems promising by 2027 but hasn't established himself yet. Interestingly, the game does like the core of players we have. Brooks Lee has blossomed by 2027, Royce Lewis likewise., ditto Emmanuel Rodriguez and Walker Jenkins.. Buxton, Wallner, and Jeffers have maintained their value. Gabriel Gonzalez is starting to look like a player. Only Luke Keaschall has fizzled surprisingly, unless you are also surprised that Kody Clemens turned back into a pumpkin. On the pitching side, Zebby has come into his own, Canterino has overcome injuries to be effective, Ryan has continued to be good but not quite as stellar, Lopez similarly (and has a worrisome injury by 2027), and Ober has become simply a physical wreck. Humorously, after I turned the GM controls over to the internal AI bot, dear departed Ty France was signed again by the Twins to a one-year contract. It's just a game. And there are randomizing factors within it; if I went through the effort again the results could differ widely. I just wanted to see what would happen. I was especially curious since our FO has a reputation for being guided by analytics, same as OOTP is.

I suppose it can't hurt, but I don't put the odds high that a winter coach will teach soft hands and good footwork at 1B when prior coaches couldn't do similar things in an outfield context. Most of all I'm reminded of Robert Heinlein's dictum: Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

A pair of attributes you'd never want in a first baseman. 😜

Came here to make the same analogy with Jeremy Peña. You don't miss out on what's not on offer.

For this fan-at-a-distance, these are some interesting angles. For the fan at the ballpark paying full prices for tickets and concessions? Not so much.

Hush. We can't have nice things.

I think we all understand that, and the term is being applied to a higher standard than I was held to when I played.

The Twins paid $33M for the Astros to take the contract off their hands, and you still believe Correa had actual trade value to some other team?

Cherry pick away 13 wins, and the Twins record is still far better than Colorado's. (And yes, the Twins did lose to them.) It's difficult to absorb just how truly awful the Rockies are. Whenever people say, "it can't get any worse," I just point southwestward from Target Field.

Anthony Slama's old number. Free Noah Davis! 😀

Noah Davis should have never been born.

Players earn too much money. Tell them to stop it. ??? Profit! (We all get lower ticket prices.)

Front offices have to make the hard decisions. Baseball is a business - that's been the lament since pretty much the inception of professionalism in the sport 150 years ago - "those modern players, they don't play for the love of the game like my generation did." It's good once in a while to look at the human side of it, as this article does.

We're sure good at locking in our 12th and 13th man on the position-player roster. Willi Castro was another one. It would be nice if we could have similar success finding year-to-year stability at most of the starting positions. 😀

I also liked Kirilloff being both a starting pitcher and a catcher. Maybe he can do like Bugs Bunny and race back and forth. That's the old peppah!

That abominable short porch in left field will be an inviting target.

I hate when fiction writers pick character names that are just a little too on-the-nose. Wait, this is a sports-news item? 😀

Hope you haven't invested in any crypto currency, because my sources tell me that bitcoin mining dwarfs AI in terms of energy consumption. Of course my source is ChatGPT, so take it for what it's worth. 😀 Back to the topic: how much water and electricity does Derek Falvey waste?

That's a fair point. Especially when I waste further resources correcting its errors trying to get to the actual bottom of something.

I got a thumbs-down for this post for some reason, so you're really not going to like this. I asked ChatGPT and got this (really! 😀) Great question! With all the recent moves and the Twins’ current situation, here’s a strong look at who should be on their 26-man roster for the rest of the 2025 season — balancing competitiveness, player development, and flexibility: Minnesota Twins 2025 Roster (Projected) Starting Rotation (5) Glen Otto (RHP) — Reliable mid-rotation starter Joe Ryan (RHP) — Ace-level starter when healthy Brayan Buelvas (RHP) — Young, promising arm with upside Alex Kirilloff (LHP) — Versatile starter/outfielder option (if fully healthy) Dane Dunning (LHP) — Provides depth and experience Bullpen (7) Taylor Rogers (LHP) — Closer candidate / late-inning specialist Danny Coulombe (LHP) — Lefty specialist acquired via trade A.J. Alexy (RHP) — Emerging middle reliever Trevor Megill (RHP) — Setup and high-leverage innings Mitch Garver (RHP) — Long relief / mop-up role Tyler Duffey (RHP) — Versatile bullpen arm Alec Bobadilla (RHP) — Fresh arm with good upside Catchers (2) Ben Rortvedt — Defensive strength and developing bat Alex Kirilloff — (If not in rotation, serving as backup/outfield utility) Infielders (7) Jose Miranda (3B) — Everyday starter, solid hitter Nick Gordon (SS) — Versatile defender, consistent bat Trevor Larnach (2B/OF) — Flexibility and power potential Luis Arraez (1B) — High contact hitter and table-setter Jorge Polanco (IF) — Veteran leadership and solid production Kyle Garlick (IF/OF) — Bench bat and utility depth Johan Rojas (IF/OF) — Young speedster for pinch-running and defense Outfielders (5) Byron Buxton — Elite defensive centerfielder with power Rocco Peppi — Promising rookie with speed and contact ability Jorge Polanco — If used in a super-utility role (IF/OF) Kyle Garlick — Depth bat Brent Rooker — Power bat off the bench Well, they say that AI can sometimes hallucinate. This seems to be such an instance.

Haha, I just asked ChatGPT whether one should trade Taj Bradley for Griffin Jax. After first sorting out that I didn't mean in a Fantasy league, Chat was unambiguous that the Rays should not make this trade. Paraphrasing, perhaps unfairly, "no front office would [give up Bradley for Jax] straight up." Similar for the Louis Varland deal - unambiguously against it from the Jays' standpoint. Falvey IS ChatGPT, it seems. He is confident we got a pair of steals. 😀 (In other news: ChatGPT is prepared to talk trades. I didn't know that.)

Keep him, DFA him - either way same difference. He's not pitching in the playoffs this season.