stringer bell

Who wants Kyle Farmer for $2M for the rest of the year, much less getting something back for him?

All right, so in the six games José Miranda has played first base, he is errorless and according to BBRef, he has two runs saved which projects to 36 runs saved over a full season. I guess Santana is no longer the best choice to play first base. Another example is Brooks Lee. He looked very good, made several nice plays, but made a throwing error at second base, according to your figuring, I guess it means we should never put Lee at second again.

According to what? Fielding percentage? Have you been watching Julien play at St. Paul (I haven't). I'll say this one more time, basing someone's defense on small sample sizes and fielding percentages is a fool's errand.

I enjoyed watching the pros struggling like I struggle--unable to reach par 4s in regulation with a driver and fairway wood, hitting into bunkers , missing greens and missing relatively short putts. I played one round in Scotland seven years ago and the weather was similar--rain and wind and cold in July--it's different from playing on the manicured US courses the tour usually plays on.

Nit pick here. Julien hit the skids in May, his first month was pretty good (.830 OPS). Julien had only one extra base hit after May 1 (a double).

Quite a bit of value in a #3-5 starter. He wasn't very impressive against the Twins, but outside of those two starts he has been serviceable. He's not young, but he has four years of team control after this season. If he could be acquired without losing a top ten prospect, I think it is worth it.

Randy Dobnak is creeping up the charts. He would be on regular rest plus one day and he's done pretty well (especially lately) pitching for the Saints.

It looks like Willi will get the most reps as SS in Correa's absence. Nobody is saying for sure, but I think Miranda will be back tomorrow.

Per the mlbtradesrumors.com report, Rocco says it is a muscle strain and the team doesn't see it it as a long-term disabling injury. Of course, that may or may not be full story.

More transactions to come, I presume. Miranda could be activated tomorrow and Stewart could be brought back as soon as tomorrow. It would seem that Castillo and Camargo would be logical choices to be sent back to St. Paul (I don’t know if Castillo has an option) and as noted, a starter will be needed to face the Phils on Wednesday.

Did we clone him? j/k. You mean Lewis and Correa, I presume.

Julien didn’t exactly force his way back, but it figures that he is back and he’ll play quite a bit.

Julien is back, as is Austin Martin. Correa and Paddack to the IL.

I presume you mean the starting pitchers. Both teams have pretty much performed to expectations. It would seem today will be a big news day on the injury front. Buxton and Correa were nicked and basically missed the last two games, Miranda could be off the IL as soon as tomorrow, Martin and Farmer could come off IL this weekend and we’re due for updates on Stewart (rehab) and Topa and Kirilloff.

The asking price for Taylor, Kiermaier and Hoskins was out of the Twins’ self-imposed budget restrictions. For the dollars spent, the Twins got good value for Santana and probably have done okay so far with Margot. The front office also decided to keep Farmer for $6M+, which made further or more expensive additions impossible. I’m not overly critical of the decisions, but it hasn’t been a clear win.

Zack Weiss has been moved off the 60-day IL and outrighted to St. Paul. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/07/twins-outright-zack-weiss.html

Good for Matthews and (I think) good for the organization. I will believe he is ready to help the Twins if he has continued success with the Saints. I'm not sold on Varland in the bullpen either. The sample size is too small to guarantee he can come up and dominate major league hitters.

Boushley accepted outright assignment to St. Paul. He stays in the organization as depth. Adding Zebby to the Saints rotation might cause someone to lose their job, but I guess it won't be Boushley. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/07/caleb-boushley-accepts-outright-assignment-with-twins.html

I think the head-to-head games between the Twins and Guardians will determine the Central champ. The Twins would have to win seven of eight against Cleveland to get the tiebreaker, but six of eight would make up almost all the ground between the two clubs. Health and pitching will determine if they can overtake Cleveland.

Oh, I think it does. Football fans all except for the really terrible teams, are convinced this year is their year.

The other topic in this thread has to do with diminished attendance. It probably deserves its own thread, but since others have commented, I guess I'll weigh in as well: 1) Fear of going to the ballpark in Minneapolis. While I admit, I haven't gone to many night games in the last couple of years, it has more to do with driving a substantial distance late at night with aging eyes. I don't think going to Target Field is particularly dangerous and I've seen plenty of law enforcement around before and after games. It seems that perception becomes reality, especially when there are votes to be had by portraying urban areas as blighted by crime. 2) Public relations. The TV situation has been an epic fail. To promise only one thing (no blackouts) and then not deliver on that is feeble and weak. Taking the higher dollars (and then not spending it) from Bally is a PR nightmare in and of itself. Combine that with the Comcast snafu and it is a toxic mess for fan interest. Proclaiming that payroll will be cut and following that up with comments about "right sizing" future payrolls is plenty to suck optimism from a fan base looking for a big winner. 3) Baseball itself is losing popularity. Compared to the early 2000s, attendance is down quite a bit. Maybe it has to do with COVID, maybe with popularity of other sports. I thought the "speed up" adjustments of the past couple of years would help, but growth (if any) has been slow. 4) Minnesota isn't a baseball hotbed. Well, there are other things to do and follow. This remains an area that is more Vikings than Twins and both the Wild and Timberwolves get good interest. 1991 is a long time ago and people want to support a champion, or at least a team they think can get there.

I'll add that if somehow the Twins could get rid of Kyle Farmer's contract, they'd probably acquire someone who makes about the same amount of money. An even more remote possibility would be trading Max Kepler and then spending what the Twins had remaining of his contract.

As they did at the end of the off season, the Twins won’t spend much, if any, money on acquisitions. Perhaps they can find a rental reliever for less than $1M, but don’t expect any player with significant salary to be added.

DFA for Keuchel, release waivers for Sanó. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/07/brewers-designate-dallas-keuchel-for-assignment.htmlhttps://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/07/angels-release-miguel-sano.html

Injuries come in bunches and the infield is being hit hard now. Key guys Correa, Buxton, Miranda and Lewis injuries are all concerning. It is a good thing to have Brooks Lee available and also have Castro available to help in the infield.