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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    Yes, the Twins do need two catchers. According to MLBTraderumos.com, they're looking for a job share with Jeffers and somebody else. I'd like to see someone that compliments Jeffers--LH hiiter, above average throwing out base stealers--but I think other parts of the defensive picture will be important. It is far too soon to give up on Jeffers' offense IMHO, but having someone with offensive upside as an alternative would be prudent. I think there are plenty of options for catcher #3. The Twins had two of them (Godoy and Leon) and had a third banged up with injuries in St. Paul (Sisco). Ideally, such a player should only spend a couple weeks in the majors, but it might be wise to shoot a little higher and have a guy who could step in and provide league average offense.
  2. stringer bell
    Since Larnach has 1.101 years of service, I’d say “no chance”, but you do know that don’t you?
  3. stringer bell
    Adding someone to the 40-man roster would fill it before the Rule V draft. There still needs to be several additions to that roster with only one obvious DFA/release (Contreras). I do expect the Twins will be talking to free agent catchers and Narváez looks like a good fit.
  4. stringer bell
    120 games would be ideal, Production something like his 2020 season would be fantastic.
  5. stringer bell
    The reason I've liked Correa long-term is that he is still under 30. Paying a Josh Donaldson, Miguel Cabrera or even Albert Pujols superstar dollars for their declining years is something I don't want to see. Correa should be a great ballplayer for the proposed highest salary years. If he was still at the top of his game after four years and wanted a bigger deal, more power to him. Thank you and goodbye. Regarding Lewis, he is an "if" for 2023. If he returns in full health coupled with a Correa signing, he is a huge trade chip or a future fixture in the outfield or third base.
  6. stringer bell
    I would include Luis Arraez winning a batting title and Silver Slugger.
  7. stringer bell
    I honestly think the time to trade him is now. Arraez won hardware, but he was barely an average hitter after the All-Star break. Settling him at either 1B or DH means there won’t easily be room for a bat-first type in the future. He isn’t going to get faster and it is questionable that he will stay healthy long-term. His walk rate plummeted in the second half and he’s always had pretty dramatic platoon splits. Arraez brings elite bat-to-ball skills and excellent OBP. Lee and/or Martin may be able to supply those elements as soon as next year. Circling back to the OP, the Twins might be wise to extend him, but only (IMHO) if the extension makes him more tradable.
  8. stringer bell
    Urshela, Correa, (healthy) Polanco and either Kirilloff or Arraez at first would be fine. The main reasons for the woeful scores this year were 1) Polanco playing at much less than 100% and 2) replacements (Miranda and Gordon) being poor defenders. We don't know who the principal 2023 SS will be, but if it is a strong defender (Correa), then Farmer could get plenty of reps at third, where he figures to be better than Miranda and be a strong backup for the shortstop. A healthy Polanco or healthy Arraez will be fine at second. I think the best defender at first would be a healthy Kirilloff, but he hasn't logged consistent innings there. Gordon, despite limited experience in the OF, looks to be a much better option in the outfield than the infield.
  9. stringer bell
    Many on this site have disparaged RBI as a key stat. There has been some pushback the other way, as well. I would like to point out that last year had 78 RBI, twelve more RBI than any player on the Twins, and even if measured on an RBI per plate appearance, he would have been one of the top run producers on the Twins in 2022.
  10. stringer bell
    Elvis made more than $14M last year on the last guaranteed year of an 8-year contract. His OPS+ numbers since he signed the mega-deal are 110, 105, 78, 78, 60, 73 and 103 (in 2022). Texas paid half of Andrus' salary for the years he was in Oakland. This is a case where someone was vastly overpaid. Elvis had a pretty good year this year, really his first decent year since 2017. If he had put up another sub-80 OPS+ I don't think he would even be considered for a major league contract. That said, I have been of the opinion that he would be a decent gamble to acquire for one year to bridge the gap for Twins' prospects, but only if the price was right (I would guess $5-8M).
  11. stringer bell
    Regardless if it is Option A, B or C, Kyle Farmer should be in the lineup versus left handed pitching. He has superior splits against left handers than any left handed hitter the Twins have on their roster and also better than Polanco. Option A: I think is most likely and I am not opposed to it if the Twins spend money to fortify their pitching staff and perhaps add a slugging outfielder or first baseman. As a starting shortstop, I'd probably project Farmer to be below average, but not among the worst. Option B: With Farmer in a job share with Miranda and each playing other positions on occasion makes sense. Injuries will happen and there is plenty of positional flexibility with Twins' infielders. Option C: Utility, but ultimately short side of a platoon makes sense and emphasizes Farmer's two greatest strengths--positional flexibility and strong splits against left handed pitching.
  12. stringer bell
    If I’m not mistaken, Wallner has almost exclusively played RF. If Larnach and Wallner man the corners, Wallner will be in right.
  13. stringer bell
    Excellent comments on Pagan's performance last year and also in the immediate past. I'll add this....all season Pagan didn't show sufficient command with any pitch and too many fastballs and off-speed pitches ended up in the cheap seats.
  14. stringer bell
    Well thought out and certainly plausible. Nit pick—it isn’t really a platoon when both guys hit right (or left) handed. More accurately a job share.
  15. stringer bell
    One healthy season since 2018. Unfortunately, the Twins can't really gamble on a guy who has such an injury history.
  16. stringer bell
    This brings the total to 40. I would think the Twins would be tempted to claim a player or two that was removed from other team's 40-man. Also, they'll most likely claim someone during the Rule V Draft.
  17. stringer bell
    I couldn't find an ideal place to post this thought. Given the prospects the Twins have who are near ready, and their skills, it may be an ideal time to trade Luis Arraez. There are still three years of service time remaining, he's coming off a batting champion and Silver Slugger season and he's young (25 all of next season). I don't think his value will get much higher. Two prospects (Martin and Julien) are close to being ready. Both supply speed and Julien has power potential. Both guys look like OBP will be part of their game and will need a place to play. In addition to Martin and Julien, the top two position player prospects (Lewis and Lee) are also infielders. Luis Arraez is elite at what he does. He takes great at-bats, seldom strikes out and will probably be a .300 hitter for the rest of the decade. He also showed he is reliable in the field. His defensive numbers at both second and first were good last year. I believe if he played regularly at third, he'd be fine there. There are things Arraez is not--he's not going to hit for much power and he will never be speedy. In addition, he's dealt with a lot of leg injuries for a 24-year old. Finally, his second half last year was pedestrian. His walk rate was only about half of the rate in the first half. He also had an OPS of only .685 versus left handed pitching. An Arraez trade would have to net the Twins quite a bit--proven MLB talent or elite prospects. It also would be a hard sell to the fan base, so I don't know if it will happen, but if I'm the Twins' brass I'd certainly consider it.
  18. stringer bell
    I believe it was the first time they have a Silver Slugger for a utility player.
  19. stringer bell
    I think JD might be toast. I'd be hesitant about signing Haniger, given his injury history and the Twins recent history with acquiring soon-to-be injured players. Drury is intriguing, given his versatility, and success last year.
  20. stringer bell
    The stuff is there. That is probably true for a great number of pitchers. And he had a great half season to keep his confidence up. Some of his struggles were regression to the mean--he was extraordinarily successful with the Orioles.
  21. stringer bell
    IIRC, Ober didn’t hit the IL until the tail end of 2021, then only so someone else got a shot to start a late September game. The Twins limited his innings, mostly because due to injury and COVID, he hadn’t thrown many innings in the preceding years. I do agree that future acquisitions should prioritize pitchers who project as durable.
  22. stringer bell
    It seems most clubs are reducing their 40-man roster to the low 30s to make room to protect minor leaguers from Rule V and sign free agents.
  23. stringer bell
    Not sure if commenting on a blog entry bumps it, but I do want to again say that Martin's skill set is a fit for the Twins needs, as supported by his performance in the AFL. He's hit, stolen bases and played multiple positions, including center field. I hope he gets plenty of run in Spring Training and puts himself in the conversation for promotion to the majors early in 2023.
  24. stringer bell
    Not sure I agree. If their OBP is "pretty similar" as you state, Julien certainly profiles as a superior power threat and thus would project to have a much higher OPS. Personally, I'm not sure if Julien can sustain such high walk rates and maintain his elite OBP, but if he does, he's going to be a good offensive MLB player.
  25. stringer bell
    There is a lot more talent available for ‘23 than there was for ‘22. I think that one more proven arm needs to be added and it would be good if he was a lefty (Cleveland continues to show more vulnerability to lefties than righties). In addition, the Twins would be well-served to have a guy or two who can go multiple innings.
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