Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

stringer bell

Verified Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    21,410

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    95

 Content Type 

Profiles

News

Minnesota Twins Videos

2026 Minnesota Twins Top Prospects Ranking

2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

Minnesota Twins Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

Guides & Resources

2023 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

The Minnesota Twins Players Project

2024 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

2025 Minnesota Twins Draft Pick Tracker

2026 Minnesota Twins Draft Pick Tracker

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    The Twins have two open spots on their 40-man roster and I suspect Ryan Jensen isn't long for that list, meaning they can add three players without making a meaningful subtraction. I think the situation is ideal for taking a flyer on a guy with an elite tool. At worst, he could be an excellent pinch-runner/defensive replacement for a September stretch run or playoff roster.
  2. stringer bell
    Agree with the OP. Ober is pretty good right now and could improve. I don't see his risk for injury as any higher than any #3 starter that logged in excess of 160 innings (majors and minors) last year. I also agree that another major league quality starter is needed. The Twins got a lot of innings out of their eventual 1-5 starters (Ober for Mahle) and aren't guaranteed to do the same in 2024. Adding another guy is really necessary.
  3. stringer bell
    Yes, I chose Gebhard and Morin for their comparatively better stints with the Twins, but Giel and Mason were both MN born and played for the Twins, along with the aforementioned Walters and Bruckbauer. Also, Mike Poepping made the majors with the Twins.
  4. stringer bell
    Which is why they shouldn't re-sign him. If they aren't serious Super Bowl contenders with Cousins, why pay that monumental salary?
  5. stringer bell
    Here is a lineup of ex-Twins or current Twins: Molitor 3b, Mauer c, Winfield rf, Hrbek 1b, Steinbach dh, Eisenreich cf, Wallner lf, Terrell ss and Kindall 2b, Morris p. The lineup features three Hall of Fame players (with Mauer likely #4), another Twins player who had his number retired along with a couple of jouneymen in the middle infield. Jack Morris leads a rotation which features three guys who won 20 games and a bullpen with an All-Star closer. Here's the pitching staff: Jack Morris, Jerry Koosman, Dave Goltz, Dick Stigman, and Louie Varland for the rotation. Bullpen: Bob Gebhard, Mike Morin, Tom Johnson, Caleb Thielbar, Tom Burgmeier and Glen Perkins. Bench players: Greg Olson (c), Brian Raabe (if), Tom Kelly (1b-of), Michael Restovich (of) and maybe Tom Quinlan (3b). As most of you have noted by now, this is a team of Twins all born in Minnesota. There are more native born Minnesotans who have worn the TC, including sports writer Charlie Walters and the immortal Fred Bruckbauer (infinity ERA), but this is a plausible all-time all Minnesota Minnesota Twins team. Edit to add: George Thomas played briefly for the Twins in 1971. His career was far superior to Tom Quinlan. Add him to the roster. Thanks @Paul D.
  6. stringer bell
    The Yankees DFAed Bubba Thompson, who they claimed earlier from Texas. Bubba has some MLB experience and his calling card is elite speed. Thompson has options remaining and is center field capable. Should the Twins claim Bubba?
  7. stringer bell
    He'll make it next year.
  8. stringer bell
    Sounds to me like he is pretty likely to be a Twin sometime this summer. He's recovered from TJ surgery and has a more reliable than not track record prior to that. I wouldn't be surprised if Bowman has an opt-out in his contract and he will make more than league minimum.
  9. stringer bell
    I think Balazovic has an advantage to stick in that he is out of options. Also, I've seen reports that Jordy Blaze was a disappointment/failure in the bullpen. My recollection is that he was quite effective in his few five or so outings and was being used in higher leverage situations. That tumbled down in his last outings. Maybe the league figured him out, maybe he fatigued, but I wonder if the Twins don't think there's some quality innings in his arm.
  10. stringer bell
    I would venture a guess that a free agent signing or two will happen. The most glaring spots to add are 1) rotation 2) bullpen 3) center field capable outfielder and 4) RH bat capable of playing either/or first base or corner outfield. That said, I don't think any of their moves will be page 1 type moves, unfortunately including adding to the starting rotation. The latest piece in mlbtraderumors.com states that Diamond/Bally's is making an offer to televise Twins games in 2024. I expect the price tag would be considerably lower than last year's $54M. I am in the camp that would like resolution on a TV deal sooner rather than later. It seems likely that whatever deal is made will only be for 2024 and much like player contracts, it can't be a bad deal if it's only for one year.
  11. stringer bell
    32-year-old relief pitcher Matt Bowman was signed to a minor league deal by the Twins. Bowman had been out of MLB since 2019 until getting four innings worth of worth with the Yankees last year. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/01/twins-matt-bowman-agree-to-minor-league-deal.html
  12. stringer bell
    The total vote is revealed next Tuesday IIRC. Mauer needs about 67.6% of the remaining vote after holding in the low 80s% so far. I wouldn’t call him a lock, but I’d guess he’ll get the second most votes.
  13. stringer bell
    I may have miscounted. With no injuries, Gordon and Miranda would be competing for the last position player spot with Martin on his way to St. Paul. I'd prefer Miranda to Gordon, but I'm sure the Twins don't want to lose him with no compensation.
  14. stringer bell
    I actually see room for both Miranda and Martin to break camp with the Twins. It would mean that someone is injured or that they use Larnach's last option. Larnach really doesn't have a place to play with the current position player mix, not even as a DH. Miranda could fill the Solano role and Martin and Gordon would compete for the last spot. Martin has the advantage of hitting righty, while Gordon is out of options.
  15. stringer bell
    I don't know how it will take shape, but I do expect that the Twins will add another starting pitcher, but probably not one that has been talked about on these forums this off season. I also believe there is much room for optimism with the current cast of players. Not one key position player should be a regression candidate on the basis of their age, and only Caleb Thielbar among the pitchers. As noted above, their two highest paid players are a good bet to far exceed their production of 2023. Buxton turned 30 this off season and Correa turned 29 at the end of September. Injuries will happen. The Twins were well prepared for that in 2023 and I fear a little bit that they are counting on unproven players more this year. Regression is also probably among the players who broke through last year, but that is probably true of most players who had a good year last year.
  16. stringer bell
    Ryan does need more than two pitches to succeed, but he showed on several occasions that he does have three (fastball, sweeper, change). He was inconsistent with his secondary pitches and not as consistent with his fastball in the second half of the season, possibly related to injury. As is, he is a solid #3.
  17. stringer bell
    Given the high price attached to pitching, I have a hard time seeing the Twins thread the needle of getting a #2 or #3 starter by trade. Getting a "good" starter with at least an additional year of team control means that the pitcher would be making more than the salary of one of the Twins' prime trade chips (Polanco, Kepler). The cost in prospects and players would be higher than that prime trade chip and given the apparent ceiling of about $120M for payroll, the Twins would have to shed as much as they obtain. Also, the universe of available good starters is pretty small. For a team to take on Kepler or Polanco's contract, they need to believe they can win this year and they can afford to trade a "good" starter. I am of the opinion that if the Twins get a starter, it will be someone with some negatives attached to their resumé that the Twins think they can fix.
  18. stringer bell
    Interesting article. I think the unknowns will determine Martin's success. Can he be a plus outfielder? Will the stolen base numbers translate to MLB? Can he avoid further injuries? Martin has a skill set that fits quite well with the Twins. Getting a versatile defender capable of high OBP and being a force on the base paths would check quite a few boxes. I hope he gets his chance early and runs with it.
  19. stringer bell
    Two more former Twins inked minor league deals--Steven Gonsalves with the Dodgers and Jordan Luplow with the Braves. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/01/royals-sign-sandy-leon-to-minor-league-deal.html https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/01/dodgers-sign-jesse-hahn-stephen-gonsalves-to-minor-league-deals.html
  20. stringer bell
    Like many other defense-first catchers, Sandy León always seems to find a job. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/01/royals-sign-sandy-leon-to-minor-league-deal.html
  21. stringer bell
    Probably I'm basing this more on pedigree, but I think Alex Kirilloff is the Twins future at first base for the rest of the decade. I think he will hit as well as Julien and be a better defender. We've only seen glimpses of a healthy AK, but it is pretty good. The injury history is concerning, for sure, and having an adequate backup/platoon partner is prudent. With the current roster, that guy is Miranda, with Julien a possibility if Kirilloff is injured and out for a longish period of time. It is not optimum to slate Miranda as the RH platoon partner because he's coming off his own injury and poor performance season. Kyle Farmer absolutely should be getting the majority of his at-bats against left handed pitching, but he's not a first baseman. He's probably the Twins best defensive option at second base and he has both career and recent success against lefties. Fitting him in at second against left handed pitching makes perfect sense as long as he's on the team, however, he can move around and give other players a day off or a chance to DH. I would hope that the manager finds a way to avoid strictly platooning Farmer and Julien.
  22. stringer bell
    Well, I think there could be some second guessing of the timeouts used by McVay in the second half. He also decided to kick a field goal that didn't give him the lead and then punted and didn't get the ball back. Hindsight says he should have gone another way. That said, both coaches did a great job getting ready for the game. The Rams didn't take a motion or false start penalty and they certainly moved the ball. They held the Lions to three points in the second half, but they couldn't get the ball back in the last four plus minutes. Detroit's defense is leaky, but they didn't allow a second half TD and ended up only allowing 23 points. Neither team had a turnover.
  23. stringer bell
    I really thought this was a team that could win it all. I was probably the most disappointed in that playoff result.
  24. stringer bell
    I think so too. Injuries and better luck could get the Vikings in the playoffs next year, but I don't think they have the framework of a champion, and all things being equal, they are the third best team in their division.
  25. stringer bell
    Credit Detroit (and Goff) for completing those two first down passes. Gutsy calls and good passes.
×
×
  • Create New...