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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    He’s on the border of Super 2. I think he’ll qualify for arbitration.
  2. stringer bell
    Coaching changes are like putting a Band-aid on a large open wound. It might cover up the worst, but it doesn’t cure or heal. The Twins didn’t have enough talent to deal with late-season injuries and ineffectiveness They finished fourth in their division and need to get better without increasing payroll, according to reports. I don’t think any new coach will be a miracle worker.
  3. stringer bell
    Those of you looking back can say you were right to trade Julien, but what does that prove and what does that say about Julien's future? I guess I get sick of "I told you so" IRL and more so on the interwebs. It doesn't make sense to let a guy go for minimum value after he demonstrated well above average to elite numbers in 2023. This is true for Julien and it is true for Kirilloff. It was true for Larnach and Miranda going into this year. All indications are that the club will keep payroll down next year and most of their savings from expiring free-agent contracts will be eaten up by pay raises to existing players. Having Julien, Kirilloff and Lee all starting in St. Paul next year to fill in when injuries occur or when players struggle. It likely will be the last shot for Edouard with the Twins.
  4. stringer bell
    To extend on my previous comment, this was a way to keep payroll down for 2024 and presumably 2025, since the Twins would be able to keep all five guys on arbitration salaries in 2025, if they performed well. I suppose they didn't think all five would succeed, but going 0-fer with those five guys made the bullpen a weakness most of the season. Every team deals with injuries for their pitching staff. The Twins took chances on guys with substantial injury histories and crapped out. Topa was coming off a healthy season with excellent results, so he was probably the surest bet and he missed 157 games.
  5. stringer bell
    In 2024 Twins bet on acquiring older (over 30) pitchers who were under team control and therefore didn’t have big salaries. This included Topa, Steven Okert, Josh Staumont and Jay Jackson, along with the returning Brock Stewart. Injuries got Stewart and Topa and the other three guys were ineffective.
  6. stringer bell
    Eight games to go and Lee is on the active major league roster despite a pretty bad slump since returning from injury. I think he would have been better served by staying in St. Paul all summer, but injuries necessitated his recall. He's made plenty of defensive mistakes, but I think he has the skill set to be an acceptable shortstop and a really good third baseman and probably a good second baseman as well. Figuring out the defensive placement of the Twins' best hitters will be a next-year's problem I guess. It wouldn't surprise me if Lee doesn't make the team out of ST next season, but he'll get his chances and I would expect far better results in 2025.
  7. stringer bell
    I would say that middle-of-the-diamond defense is highly regarded by the Twins (and everyone in MLB). Much less so for the corners. Absence due to injuries to Buxton and Correa have shown how valuable their defense is to the current team. Personally, I don't have a problem with several players moving around if they are able to do that. I would say that Willi has shown he is capable in a few spots and acceptable in a couple more. IMHO, Lee needed all season in St. Paul not only to hone his hitting, but improve his defense and the same is true for Austin Martin defensively--with work he could/should be a decent left fielder and acceptable in center, but I don't think he got the reps to be comfortable and it showed this year. Another defensive disappointment has been Margot, who hasn't been able to adjust to being much less speedy and athletic than he was prior to his leg injuries. If ever someone was an "old 29" it is Margot. Primary third basemen Lewis and Miranda left something to be desired. I think Miranda has worked hard at third and is adequate, but he doesn't have first rate defensive tools and Lewis needs time at third (or whatever position he ends up at) and specific work on footwork and throwing if he continues to be a third baseman.
  8. stringer bell
    Logging that MLB service time one day at a time.
  9. stringer bell
    Tigers won in extras, Royals got trounced. The Twins control their own destiny against the Royals. Mariners up early as well. The postponement means López will start tomorrow and then Friday, but wouldn’t be available to pitch Game 1 of a first round series. If they move Ober to Tuesday, he would pitch the finale against the Orioles and if they have a playoff spot locked up, he could pitch Game 1. If Ober has to pitch regular season Game 162, I guess SWR would start the opener if they make the playoffs.
  10. stringer bell
    I think that every team in baseball will lament their lack of situational hitting. The Twins have been bad, but most teams are. The Red Sox performance last night with seemingly infinite chances to win the game would be Exhibit A. The personnel on this team is not suited to a running game--full stop. The leader in steals is again Castro, but he's 14 for 23, not a winning percentage. They have made huge progress in making contact and last night was a prime example. However, in the end making soft contact doesn't pay off and currently many Twins are not making hard contact. The list of hitters that are struggling is long--Miranda, Lewis, Lee, Julien, Jeffers, Vázquez, Santana, The list that is doing well is pretty short. That is similar to the first twenty games of the year, but the problem now is exacerbated by a rookie-laden starting rotation in uncharted territory and an overworked and suspect bullpen.
  11. stringer bell
    mlbtraderumors.com has an item that Devers might be done for the year. It appeared last night that he couldn't get the ball across the infield and he didn't look good at the plate, so I am not surprised.
  12. stringer bell
    Pablo just about has to go seven innings today. The Red Sox and Twins should be equally worn down, but the Twins have played three straight extra-inning games.
  13. stringer bell
    Another former Twin gets a late-season shot for a non-contending team: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/09/reds-select-alan-busenitz-2.html
  14. stringer bell
    That Ober was a middle-round selection who has thrived as a pro makes his breakthrough even sweeter for the Twins. Also, he's already 29 years old, so the Twins will have team control until he's 32. Can they repeat this success with Festa and Matthews? If so, it bodes well for the future of the franchise.
  15. stringer bell
    It seems that the cap on spending for the Twins has been pretty firm going all the way back to the off season. They couldn't sign Santana until they got the salary proceeds from the Polanco deal, they got Margot when other teams paid for most of his salary and they haven't added much more than minimum salaries since. The relief pitchers they did acquire shared the attribute that their salaries were low for their age and experience, mostly due to injury history. Trading for relief pitchers is a risky business and as noted above, the Twins haven't done well in many of those transactions. The anticipated depth has vanished and we're looking at Ronny Henriquez, Scott Blewett, Caleb Thielbar and Michael Tonkin in the bullpen.
  16. stringer bell
    Winder was on the IL for the Saints. Two rehabbing pitchers threw for the Saints last night (both with poor results)--Topa and Funderburk.
  17. stringer bell
    Given how the Twins are now fighting for their playoff lives and all of the chances that the Red Sox had to win the game at historic Fenway Park and how they managed to fan so many Red Sox hitters, it was a really good win. No, they weren't dominating, but a beaten down team was resilient enough to get the job done. It looks to me that the Red Sox are equally beaten down, which is a break for the Twins. Hopefully, they will win another game or two in Fenway. Also, the Twins are less than a game behind the Royals. Another chance to advance to the #2 wild card.
  18. stringer bell
    Willi Castro has now played 25 or more games at second, short, third, left and center. I believe he’s the first ever to do that.
  19. stringer bell
    Shaun Anderson, who had a minute with the Twins in 2021, gets another major league chance, this time with the Marlins. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/09/marlins-select-shaun-anderson.html Danny Coulombe activated from the IL. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/09/orioles-activate-danny-coulombe-from-injured-list.html
  20. stringer bell
    I’d nitpick that Solano has followed up his nice year with the Twins with an equally nice year with the Padres, but I agree with your point.
  21. stringer bell
    I like Lee or Lewis at second base and if Julien can find his hitting mojo, he could figure in at first base. Miranda has to be a consideration, especially with his good splits against right handed pitching. It also will be AK's last chance to establish himself. Santana is the epitome of a low ceiling, high floor guy with exceptional durability and he's a switch hitter, although his splits against right handers don't merit a starting role. The defense has been very good, but he''ll be 39 next April. The Twins should do better than a 39-year old Carlos Santana.
  22. stringer bell
    No big contracts this off-season. The Twins will try to draw from within the organization to stay relevant in the Central. I think both Irvin and Paddack will be in the rotation to start the season, but both could be in the bullpen by the All-Star break. Zebby, Cory Lewis, Festa and Morris will be auditioning in St. Paul. I don't know what Varland's role will be. I have never been sold that he will automatically be great in the bullpen. I think he will have to earn a job with the Twins. Alcalá, Jax, Sands, Durán and maybe Topa make the start of a decent bullpen. Maybe Funderburk or Moran can find the command to go with their funky left handed deliveries.
  23. stringer bell
    Alcalá hasn't been good lately with the exception of his two innings with a big lead on Sunday. I have been skeptical of his overall value, but the stuff is very good, so he is tough to give up on. He's shown enough that I'm sure the Twins will exercise Jorge's option for next year at a team-friendly price. In this playoff run, with the starters frequently being pulled early, the Twins need innings that Alcalá recently hasn't been able to provide. I suspect that he'll be recalled earlier than the ten-day limit as someone will be placed on the IL and a rested Alcalá will be recalled.
  24. stringer bell
    Rocco used Irvin in a LOOGy role yesterday. I don't know what the rest of the season holds, but given his low salary and ability to start games, I would expect the Twins offer his arbitration and have a spot for him either in the rotation or bullpen. His resume and stuff bring me back the Dylan Bundy type, but having a cheap experienced left hander who might yet adapt to the bullpen isn't a bad idea.
  25. stringer bell
    Reading elsewhere, I see there has been a couple of Justin Topa sightings. The Twins' bullpen might have been considerably better with 2023 Topa in it all season, but that didn't happen. Would he be a better option than Henriquez, Varland, Blewett or Tonkin? Possibly, but he has sat out an entire season with only a handful of rehab innings. With 13 games to go, I can see Buxton and Correa each getting three or four games off, particularly Buxton. That would mean games and innings are available for Lee at shortstop and somebody in center field (Castro?). Would I rather see and gimpy-legged Larnach at DH with Wallner and Kepler in the corners or would I rather see Willi Castro in left with Kepler in right and Wallner the DH? I dunno, but they need to hit because the pitching is on a razor's edge.
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