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stringer bell

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Everything posted by stringer bell

  1. stringer bell
    Agree to disagree. I do think there is a difference between Chourio and Merrill and Rodriguez and I think Rodriguez' problem with making contact, especially with off-speed, is a bigger deficiency than either Merrill or Chourio was facing, enough so that a hundred or two hundred plate appearances at AAA would be beneficial. We shall see.
  2. stringer bell
    That's a factor as well. Team control is a big deal.
  3. stringer bell
    I want to comment about outfield defense first. With Buxton in center, the Twins are fine with Larnach and Wallner in the corners IMHO. Larnach has always been an okay outfielder but without great tools--speed and arm--but if healthy he's average to a little above average. Wallner has improved and with a chance to be full-time in right field, I think he'll be better than okay. He has better than average speed and a plus-plus throwing arm. Wallner has improved markedly on defense in the year plus he's been a major league player. With a guy like Buxton between them, their relative lack of range is diminished. I do think Rodriguez will improve the D when he is promoted, but I would expect some mistakes due to inexperience in his first year. I brought up platooning and I am hoping for at least the Kepler model, where Max wasn't pinch-hit for but often (almost always in 2024) he didn't start against left handed starters. Part of that was because of Kepler's superior defense compared to his right handed platoon mate, which should be the case for Rodriguez and Jenkins when he arrives. As to comparisons with Chourio and Merrill, I don't know if Emma's pedigree is in that range. IMHO, Rodriguez has more deficiencies in his game to handle (if not master) and so does need more seasoning. As I said, if he blows everyone away in the spring, I think the Twins could take him north, but I don't think that is the plan at this time.
  4. stringer bell
    Don’t want to put too much of a damper on a high prospect, but I remember several posters asserting Lee’s readiness. Rodriguez is younger and doesn’t have even a half season’s worth of PAs above Class A. Unless he’s absolutely blows the doors off this spring he probably will (and should) go to the minors. I think performance will dictate how soon he’s promoted and I hope he gets it right on his first try in the majors.
  5. stringer bell
    Rodriguez is supposed to be a big-time prospect, the kind you insert and and expect to thrive like Royce Lewis. Can Baldelli resist the urge to strictly platoon him when he arrives with the big club? I'm not a Rocco hater, but if the Twins are going to bring up their best hitting prospects, I don't think they should be protected to the extreme. The #1 prospect is also a left handed hitter with even a better pedigree than Emma. It would be a shame to have both become platoon options.
  6. stringer bell
    Good article. Johan deserves a long look for sure. I hope he makes it. Nathan is my all-time favorite Twins pitcher. He was great in the regular season for a long time. I think the anti-reliever bias will doom his hopes for the Hall unfortunately. I'll add that the Hall of Fame has been extraordinarily kind to Twins players recently. Jack Morris (only a Twin for one year, I know), Tony-O and Kaat all have gotten in with less than slam dunk cases to be admitted and Mauer getting in on the first try was also a stretch.
  7. stringer bell
    Personally, I'm resigned to the reality that trading Vázquez will not improve the club in 2025. I expect the Twins to roll with Jeffers/Vázquez for a third straight season. It is quite apparent that there is a dearth of talent in the catching position in the Twins system and acquiring someone who would project to contribute in 2026 and beyond should be a high priority. Maybe it is Rushing, maybe it is someone else.
  8. stringer bell
    I think front offices are caught up in the "high floor" stuff. Taking players like Margot and Farmer as examples of this in that they know "he can't be really bad" because the player is an experienced veteran. Then comes the first half of the 2024 for both of these players--near total disaster. Both rallied enough that they weren't DFA'd but either season could have been replaced by a minimum salary rookie with some potential to be better.
  9. stringer bell
    Anyone remember last season? Just before Opening Day, Thielbar, Durán and Topa all went on the IL. Expecting everyone to be healthy on Opening Day is a stretch IMHO. They'll need all of the guys on the 40-man roster and probably more. I can't imagine a healthy Topa will be sent to St. Paul. He's experienced success for a whole season, much in high leverage, and none of the other guys have beyond Jax and Durán. Varland is probably a lock to convert to the BP and might be a late-inning option. The team is definitely lacking from the left side, both in the rotation and the bullpen. Trading or adding a lefty to the staff to add a bit more balance makes sense.
  10. stringer bell
    This is what payroll restrictions are doing. Shopping at the Dollar Store stinks, but the payroll of the 37 on the roster eats all of the budget.
  11. stringer bell
    Dozier is one of my all-time favorites. He made the absolute most of his talents and became a slugger. Dozier didn't hit many tape-measure shots, but was able to learn how to pull the ball and get it in the lower deck in left field. He wasn't blessed with a strong arm, so the move to second was needed. He had enough range to be good at second and enough speed to take extra bases and steal a few bags. He contributed in all facets of the game. I met Brian in the spring when he had converted to second base and he was polite and humble. He became a favorite of mine from that point.
  12. stringer bell
    I think I saw that Topa is getting $1.225M this season with a buyout of $515K on a $2M club option. Much like the Alcalá contract of '24, he is a very affordable option for 2026 if he is healthy for the majority of the season. The signings of Stewart and Topa for a little over $2M is good business and if between the two they are healthy for 160 to 180 games that is a win over all. Given their injury histories, expecting either one to be healthy for the whole season is wishful thinking, but expecting a season or so out of the combination is more realistic.
  13. stringer bell
    Two non-tenders that might be "better than Margot"--Connor Joe (affordable and can play first base) and Ramon Laureano, who had a nice finish with Atlanta after disappointing for years with the A's and Guardians.
  14. stringer bell
    He’s non-tendered so he’s a free agent. I would expect he’ll sign for something less than the projected arbitration amount.
  15. stringer bell
    I would add Conner Joe as a "better than Margot" option. Among starting pitchers, Patrick Sandoval and Cal Quantrill might be interesting. I believe Sandoval is recovering from TJ surgery and wouldn't be an option until at least midseason.
  16. stringer bell
    Kyle Farmer wasn't unemployed for long. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/11/rockies-to-sign-kyle-farmer.html
  17. stringer bell
    Another non-tender that piques my interest is Dylan Carlson. He hasn’t been good for a while, but he’s young and a pretty good defender, plus he’s a switch hitter.
  18. stringer bell
    Josh Rojas was non-tendered by the M’s. If the Twins want improved defense, adding him should be a priority.
  19. stringer bell
    The Twins have tendered contracts to all eligible players on the 40-man roster. Some teams are non-tendering players. So far, the two most noteworthy players to be non-tendered are Gavin Sheets of the White Sox and Austin Hays of the Phillies. Should the Twins try to swoop in this “scratch and dent” category and try to find a usable player. This is how they acquired Willi Castro BTW.
  20. stringer bell
    Gleeman is reporting all Twins contracts will be tendered. Topa was signed for an undisclosed amount.
  21. stringer bell
    He was a good player until last season, which was ruined by injuries. He's been a good defender in left field who has hit lefties well, while holding his own against right handers. He was slated to get Willi Castro money in arb ($6M+) so he supposedly could be had for something less ($4-5M).
  22. stringer bell
    Surprised that Tonkin was tendered. I definitely think all of the others should be tendered. Castro's utility is not normal utility--he is the first ever to play 25 games at five different defensive positions and he was a regular--the most games and plate appearances of any player on the Twins team. Finding someone to replicate that performance isn't likely to happen at any price. I will maintain that it would be best to use Willi less but with so many players with extensive injury histories, it only makes sense to have a "Swiss army knife" in the drawer, capable of starting at so many positions and who offers some speed on a team lacking in that commodity.
  23. stringer bell
    Agree that someone needs to let the lefties stay in the game. Sure, don't start them versus Skubal and the like, but pulling them as soon as a lefty takes the mound doesn't allow any development.
  24. stringer bell
    Castro was very playable against lefties early in the season. For whatever reason he slumped horribly against LH pitching from midseason on.
  25. stringer bell
    Caleb Boushley signed a minor league deal with the Rangers. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/11/rangers-sign-caleb-boushley-to-minor-league-deal.html Earlier this week JT Chargois was DFA'd by Seattle despite pretty decent numbers. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/11/mariners-trade-for-austin-shenton-dfa-jt-chargois.html
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