LastOnePicked

I have a very strange feeling. It's like the opposite of pessimism. I can't remember what it's called, but it's good. It's very, very good. Win the series, boys. Go get at least one more in Cleveland. Don't let up.

I'd hold off a bit before making that last statement. Otherwise, I agree.

Leaving Kirilloff at AAA for this upcoming series is ... hard to understand. This organization just seems to lack urgency or a killer instinct.

After spending much of the summer with medical staff telling a family member that things will "only get progressively worse from this point on," I've seen how unhelpful that idea can be to someone's self of well-being. So, I don't know. I hope Buxton can heal and recover and have a very healthy and productive baseball career. As a fan, I simply don't expect it at this point. In fact, I have no expectations for him. Well past time to let go of any trajectories we had in mind for a storied career here.

I don't feel bad for the Twins one bit. More competition - especially in the Central - is a very good thing. Twins have been absolutely gifted this division lead so far. I do, however, feel for the players involved. Gleeman and Bonnes had some good thoughts on that today - give the system a tweak so that more veteran players can choose to reject waiver claims.

No excuses. It's just time to win every series and shrink the magic number to zero. If they can't clinch with a lead that was as large as 7 games in the last week of August (and in the weakest division in baseball), they have no business being in the playoffs anyways. So, like we've all known since April, we'll just have to wait and see what this odd up-and-down ballclub is made of.

You're right, I agree. It's mostly my trigger when I see the Twins and "luck" come up in posts. If the Twins played in any other division in baseball, they'd already be out of the playoff picture and probably have just half of their playoff banners flying over Target Field. The Twins certainly don't have a "luck" problem. Yes, this year's odd waiver anomaly didn't bounce their way. But, stronger competition is a good thing, I think.

Playing it cheap, protecting prospects, selling high on certain players and taking advantage of weak competition and a unique waiver claim situation. They have half our payroll, better prospects in the pipeline and still a somewhat decent shot at winning this division. Personally, I'm still more confused about what exactly our FO is doing this season.

Yeah, it seems pretty unlucky at ground level. A look at the full season shows plenty of opportunities to have gained a double-digit AL Central lead by this point. This could easily have been a moot point, but the Twins simply haven't capitalized on their chances. So, in a week, this could be a very tight race with a rejuvenated Guardians team. Cause meets effect, as it tends to in baseball.

Good for Cleveland. The last two games proved that there's still a little blood in the water left by the self-injuring Twins. Still a chance to sneak away with the division. Twins will have to step it up a bit.

I've seen first-hand the kind of memories a WS title makes for a state, a city, for families, for kids. Absolutely, I'd take that deal.

The other frustration is that, for all the talk of Cleveland being weak competition ...well, head-to-head games indicate that they're still the better team in 2023. We'll see if that can change next week.

This team has turned the regular season hope-to-despair cycles into an artform. I mean, it's just masterful at this point. Wow. No, not time to panic with a 5 game lead. But this team is doing all it can to ensure that panic stays on the menu.

"Mr. Ohtani, there's a message from a Derek Falvey. He says he's got a few thoughts about a rehab contract he'd like to discuss with you in November."

This is factually correct, but kinda "spiritually" wrong, for lack of a better word. Buxton carried the hopes of fans who suffered through the Twins rough stretch. He made us remember Puckett, made us dream about having our own Trout, made us think about the next window of contention. We watched him be resilient on the field and loyal to the club and the state. We hoped, wished, prayed it would all work out, despite all of the setbacks - that he'd get a chance to show that HOF potential, and that the Twins would ride on his shoulders to a title. All that hope and good will went into that contract. It's a contract I wanted to see happen, too. Yup, it was probably foolish. I think you're objectively correct in your assessment. But unlike most mistakes this FO makes, this one I heartily and thoroughly understand.

Only, here's the thing: those moves last year have led directly to this year's problems. What did Lopez cost us this year? What could Cano have meant to this bullpen? Wouldn't Steer and CES have made for either A) upgrade bats over Gallo or B) very strong trade chips for this year's deadline? So, sitting on their hands last year would have been a far better deadline strategy. Last years moves caused this year's deficits.

Isn't it entirely possible that grading trades right when they happen is actually the flawed approach, and not the other way around? I think this is a philosophical difference I have with many baseball writers. The Twins 2022 trade deadline was a disaster of epic proportions. There's no need to sugarcoat it. I understand Nick's point - "better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all" - but it's possible that sellers were asking way too much for too little return. If we want to get mad about the construction of this bullpen (and we should, I agree), that focus should go squarely on last offseason.

I am very, very disappointed. In myself. After Kuechel's last start - I SWEAR - I was going to post in the recap "Well, if this season has taught me anything, Kuechel will probably throw 6 perfect innings in his next outing." I would have looked like a genius. Now I just look like the town drunk telling everyone he once had the lotto jackpot numbers in his hand. Thanks a lot, Dallas. Go Twins.

I loved this article. Beautiful article. I loved it. though, to my core, I disagree with a large part of its premise. No fans are storming Target Field with pitchforks. Players aren't being harassed. Even the comment boards here are pretty tame, pretty reasonable by the standards of most fandoms. But you're right - many of us have higher expectations than we did in 2017, and a lower tolerance for continued failures. And do you know what? We should. It's been an ungodly stretch since the Twins have had playoff success. Teams that we used to comfort ourselves with have won playoff games, World Series titles and have bright futures ahead. What's worse is that the competition in this division is absolutely tepid, meaning that's there's almost no reason why this team shouldn't set its sights a bit higher than AL Central also-ran. Winning isn't just a W in a sports column. Winning inspires stories. It brings families together. It makes life a little more dramatic and exciting. My father is fading away. My time with him in 1987 and 1991 was precious and priceless. No, I didn't grow up to expect World Series titles every few years, and I still don't fault the organization for failing to win it all. I do, however, fault them for winning nothing. And worse, for instilling what seems to be a culture where losing isn't all that bothersome. There is an entire generation of children and parents who love baseball in MN who deserve a chance to get behind a juggernaut, and they deserve vibrant postseason memories, too. All that said, here's where I agree. I loved the 2017 team. I loved the promise of the farm system, and the resilience on the field. They were, to put it in Peanuts terms, a very sincere pumpkin patch. And I'm okay with the Twins becoming that again. I've said multiple times here that if we're only going to languish with costly veterans and mid-range prospects, then deal me in for a rebuild. I'd happily watch a very sincere team gel around shared adversity and a few rising superstars. Yes, it would push the playoff success clock hands back a bit, but could increase the chance of a better brand of baseball and a better chance at building a legitimate contender. But we are where we are - fans of an odd team that on some days seem so sharp and on others make you wonder how they ever got above .500. I get mad a lot at this team. I get disappointed a lot, too. But if it helps, I do like them. I like Castro and Jeffers very much. I love seeing Lewis and Kirilloff and Wallner. I like having Kepler and Pagan prove me wrong. I love that Thielbar is still playing baseball for the Twins. I admire Pablo Lopez and I'm pulling for Gray to find that dominant streak again. I like this team, and I like this organization. Always have, and maybe always will. But I do expect more from them, and I do hope for better for us.

What a weird season. We keep getting articles about how this team is "made for the postseason. " Meanwhile, they're routinely getting beat by teams like the Pirates, Royals and Tigers in the regular season.

Oh yes, there's no group of fans as entitled as Twins fans, right? I mean, right? Riiiiiight? I swear, I wish just half as much energy spent critiquing the lack of "positivity" of the fanbase was spent on critiquing this organization's ongoing and historic playoff ineptitude. This organization has a strong number of positives and also a whole lotta faults. None of those faults have anything whatsoever to do with the fans here. None.

The plus: This team can reliably be counted on to play .500 baseball over any long stretch, regardless of the competition. The minus: This team cannot be counted on to play over .500 baseball over any long stretch, regardless of the competition. So ... if Cleveland can do what they haven't been able to do all season - go on a tear - they have a very solid shot at the division. Stuff all that. Let's just go win this thing outright.

Yes, but in that situation of the ballgame. I can see why Philly fans got riled up. I know I would have if the situation was reversed. That said, it was a fun moment. I enjoyed the Provus call as well.

Show me everything that's gone wrong with this club this week in just one sentence.