stringer bell

This conversation has taken place on these pages before. Putting Gallo in center likely changes a good defensive outfield to one of the poorer ones in the league.

Gallo has played a few innings in CF since 2019, including one this year for the Twins. He hasn't started a game in CF since 2019.

And another ex-Twins catcher will be back in the majors. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/05/mets-to-select-gary-sanchez.html

It's four days until Kepler is back. There simply aren't any at-bats for another left handed corner outfielder.

The Twins didn't "just let him go". There was a clause in his minor league contract that allowed him to take a major league contract from another team and the Orioles offered that contract. Secondly, since he was on a minor league contract and in order to put him on the Opening Day roster, they would have to take someone off the 40-man roster. It isn't as simple as "they should have kept Coulombe".

Miranda, Julien, Contreras and Wallner all are in the starting lineup for the Saints. I’d put a couple of virtual dollars on Kyle Garlick being recalled for tomorrow’s game against the Angels. Lewis is playing third, hitting third incidentally.

Ben Rortvedt will make his Yankee debut in the near future. Maybe the Yankees will win that trade. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/05/yankees-place-jose-trevino-on-il-with-hamstring-strain-recall-ben-rortvedt.html

Yes, there is extreme volatility in relief pitchers. Megill didn't pan out, Alcala and Moran have disappointed and then there is Pagan. The Twins haven't rolled sevens, except possibly Stewart. Given their history--Lopez 2022, Sam Dyson, Alex Colome, and Addison Reed, I think the current front office would be skeptical about spending too much in money or prospects to land a good bullpen piece. Developing relievers has been a bit of a crap shoot as well, with Taylor Rogers probably being their biggest success. The rotation's flip to throwing among the most innings this year probably has saved the bullpen from really being exposed. I do believe, if they want to compete for more than surviving the AL Central, the Twins need to find or add at least one and probably two more arms. Funny, I think I was saying the exact same thing a year ago.

Yes, we will. I think giving Polanco days off against left handed pitchers makes sense and giving Lewis a day here and there against a left might work. There's really no one other than Solano to put on a first baseman's mitt to sit Kirilloff. Like everyone else, moving Buxton off the DH role seems to make finding good matchups easier, but I sincerely doubt we'll see him in the field for quite a while.

I'm wondering who is on a plane to LAX right now. Someone on the Saints roster must be on their way and people know, but so far, I haven't seen anything to indicate who Gordon's immediate replacement will be.

There are lots of comments about no one having a bullpen full of shutdown relievers. Probably true, but it seems many teams have guys who come in and mow hitters down. IMHO, the clubs that employ such guys believe their pitchers have the ability to be shutdown relievers. Having 3-4 who should never face high leverage is going to cost games. A lot of us have soured on Moran, for example, but I think he might manage to become quite serviceable. I thought Alcala also had a chance to fill that second tier and maybe when (and if) his arm is 100% that might be true. Stewart does look like a find, although the non-intentional walks are a concern.

I'm not a huge fan of Emilio Pagan. I have thought his spot on the active and 40-man rosters should have been taken by someone with more upside all year. His recent performance (until yesterday) lowered my full-throated complaints. I'm not going to rip the front office if they do nothing, but I just have to believe there are better alternatives. Yesterday was just too much his history. Come into a manageable situation, lose command of the strike zone and yield a big extra base hit. He doesn't have good enough command to get hitters to go after his out pitches and he doesn't have enough stuff to get away with middle-middle fastballs or cutters. Nobody is perfect (except somehow Yennier Cano) but the blowups are too frequent with Pagan and he's at a point where it is doubtful he will ever get better. There has to be a better answer.

I don't think there's much difference going forward between Taylor's offense and Farmer's. They are the same age and both have lifetime OPS+ numbers in the 80s. Farmer is an okay gloveman, but certainly not a candidate for a gold glove, Taylor did win an gold glove and looks to be well above average at a key position. Right now, Taylor's backup is......Willi Castro? Farmer's backup is......Willi Castro. Lewis has played some in the outfield (I think he got a few games in when he was in the AFL), but the bulk of his time has come in the infield (almost all at shortstop). He'll probably get about a half dozen games at third in his rehab, and I think third will be the better fit for this season. Farmer definitely should be getting short end of platoon at-bats against left handed pitching. His OPS against left handed pitching is very good in his career and was even better in 2022. He's hit very well since returning from the IL, but unless he sustains that until when Lewis can be activated, I would guess it is a small sample size phenomenon. Play Lewis at third base if all goes well during his rehab.

Just to summarize, I see Gordon's injury as a certain two-month absence and perhaps a season-ender. If I am way off, I would hope someone corrects me. It would make sense to put Nick on the 60-day list when Lewis comes off, but they might do it immediately if they want to promote someone not on the current 40-man roster. Going forward with the rest of the season, Royce Lewis would then have a place to call his own--third base. Certainly, Jose Miranda could get flaming hot and force his way back in the lineup, but he'd have to get past one of the two highest regarded prospects the Twins have had since the Falvey/Levine era started (Kirilloff or Lewis). In the very short term, the Twins will need to fill Gordon's spot on the active roster, but probably for just four days since Max Kepler can come off the IL this coming Tuesday. The Twins face two left handers in Anaheim and they may be short more than Nick Gordon. Jorge Polanco and Joey Gallo both left yesterday's game with injuries. I sincerely doubt Gallo will miss much time, but he might get a day off with a left hander starting on Friday. Polanco has a hamstring issue and I think it is possible he could miss games or even be placed on the IL. In the event of a Polanco IL stint, the obvious choice is Edouard Julien.

Yeah, the recovery time for a fractured shin is 4-6 months, so Nick could be done for the season.

SWR seems to be having a frustrating year. The results don't match the stuff. It happened last year to Jordy Blaze, but Woods Richardson is younger. I have had high hopes for SWR and some disappointments aren't going to immediately change my mind, but it would be good if he could string together a few good outings.

I guess I see Lewis as more of an outfielder than Lee (better speed), but their eventual big league positions just aren't set. I think either Lee or Lewis could be a long-term solution at second base, as well as third. IMHO, Julien might be able to stick at second, but is more likely to be a 1B/DH. Miranda is a 3B/1B/DH. Depending on recovering from his injury, Austin Martin looks like the player most likely to be converted to full-time outfield. Salas has struggled in the minors so far, but also looks like a player. All young players. The Twins are deep enough that one or two of these guys to fail to live up to their potential and still have quality talent. It is hard to be patient as things play out, but I guess it is the right move.

What I saw from Cano last year was quality stuff, but great inconsistency. He would throw three or four great pitches, maybe get a strikeout and then lose command of the strike zone and groove it. He's older (29?), but the breakout is incredible.

Yes, I'd like to see Lewis back in the outfield, too. But we might have a Manny Machado situation here. Machado was ballyhooed as a shortstop when he came up to the Orioles, but the vacancy was at third base. Manny went there and except for a few fill-ins has stayed a third baseman. Royce could be the same and I think his bat would play anywhere.

Castro isn't better than a healthy Royce Lewis, but I would say he's a better and more versatile utility player than a healthy Nick Gordon. Gordon is likely headed for the 60-day IL, either today or when Lewis is activated and I would anticipate that Castro sticks on the major league team. I do agree that Willi Castro shouldn't be playing close to every day given his hitting stats in over three years of big league play, but he has filled in at second, short, third, left, center and right and to my knowledge he's done a decent job at each position. Gordon was shaky enough last year at second and short that the team brought in a backup shortstop and he has those decided left-right splits. Lewis would seem to have an opportunity to play every day at third base and cement his position there. Castro can hang on as the 13th position player filling in everywhere. Perhaps Jose Miranda can hit enough to force his way back on the active roster and get Castro sent down or maybe the same could happen for Julien.

Not really a nit pick, but the 60-man IL goes into effect on Opening Day, correct? Opening Day was March 30 and 60 days from then would be May 29. Yeah, it is only a couple of days, but if we want to look at it from what is possible, shouldn't we be saying May 29?

Farmer is versatile, but he's played outfield about as much as Mitch Garver or Joe Mauer. His positions are second, third and short and emergency catcher. I suppose in a break glass situation, he could play first or in the outfield, but he's not really an option.

Short term move for the trip to Anaheim. They will face two left handed starters against the Angels and return home and then can activate Kepler. If Polanco and Gallo are good to go, that is the cleanest and easiest move to make. If Polanco is going to be out, adding Julien makes the most sense. As Squirrel notes, Helman is on the Saints IL. When he’s off, this may be his shot.

Castro is a pretty good outfielder with a much better arm than Gordon. I don't know if <shudder> is the right response. I doubt we'll see Buxton in the outfield anytime soon. He's playing and the management team is convinced this is the way to go.

Here are some thumbnails of ex-Twins that have flourished this year: Brent Rooker--Absolutely tearing it up as an OF/DH for the A's. In previous trials with the Twins, Royals and Padres, he had 260 plate appearances with a .208 batting average, 10 homers and 23 RBI. In barely half the plate appearances with the A's, he's hit over .300, 11 homers and 30 RBIs. His OPS this year is 1.042 Luis Arraez--Last year's AL batting champion is well on his way to winning another one in the NL. He's playing second base and leading everyone by 40 percentage points. He's hitting .389 with a .930 OPS. Michael Tonkin--He hasn't pitched in the major leagues since 2017 with the Twins. I recall being in Fort Myers in March of 2015 when the Twins sent him down, he sat next to me watching a minor league game. He wasn't talkative, but shook my hand and I wished him well. Anyway, he made the Braves staff out of spring training and has been outstanding . He's 3-1 with a 2.01 ERA and a .627 WHIP. Tonkin is 33 years old now. It's a really good story. Ian Gibault--He had a cup of coffee with the Twins (3 appearances) in 2021. He hooked on with Cincinnati in 2022 and has done very well for the Reds this year. He's 3-0 with a 2.84 ERA and a 1.105 WHIP. Yennier Cano--The Twins brought him up 2022. He would make several outstanding pitches and then groove one and also really had trouble throwing strikes. He gave 14 runs in 13.2 innings. The Twins included him in the Jorge Lopez trade. For the Orioles, he gave up nine runs in 4.1 innings to finish off the season. Cano made the Orioles bullpen out of spring training and he's been near unhittable. In 21.2 innings, he's allowed four(!!!) hits and struck out 25. The ERA is 0.00 and his WHIP is a microscopic .18. Cano is now 29 years old. Ian Hamilton--The Twins had him last year and he made one appearance (I believe as a COVID replacement). The Yankees signed him as a minor league free agent and he's been outstanding. He's 1-1 with a save and a 1.23 ERA. His WHIP is 1.091. Hamilton is 28 years old and prior to this year had made 15 big league appearances.