LastOnePicked

Good stuff as always, Tom. The Hicks trade was embarrassingly bad, and rightfully helped to end Ryan's second run as GM. The Yankees saw us coming on that one, as they say. Yuck. Trading Buxton will likely be the defining moment for this FO, and it may take years to assess the outcome. Will it make the team stronger, exchanging an injury-prone CF for hot prospects and durable MLB-ready talent. Or will we watch Buxton finally set the league on fire for a new team while our meager returns fizzle away, Murphy-style? For the record, I don't want to see Buxton traded. I'd much rather look back on an interesting Kepler, Arraez, Rooker or Sano trade. But this FO has already totally fumbled the contract extension talks, so once the new CBA is set, I fully expect Buxton to be moved. If so, they better get it right - their legacy here absolutely depends on it.

Yup. Buxton now and Berrios next year should be our big $$ upcoming free agent priorities. I have no problem with bringing Simmons back for 2022 and have him platoon with Gordon and maybe even Lewis or an under-the-radar prospect in September. Cost effective and maybe even solid. I mean, if we can sign a bigger name FA SS, so be it. I don't want to break payroll or trade prospects for one. Maybe trade if we can get some kind of amazing steal for any combination of Kepler/Arraez/Rooker.

Sure, we fans can handle another PtC pitcher - we just can't handle another PtC drafting and coaching philosophy. But, you raise a good point. If we put $$ into a PtC starter, we better shore up our infield defense.

If this were 2021, I think I could better see the argument. However, the 2022 Twins are not anywhere close to contention and we need our solid prospects to develop for the future here. Plus, we have payroll flexibility - why trade for a SS when you can sign one without losing future impact players?

I agree with the takes here already. I see the allure of having a Jack Morris-like veteran anchor the staff in the hopes of a surprise playoff run, but Morris had hometown ties that these veteran aces don't. They won't sign here. Would you, if you were looking to join a winner? However, the Twins can see how things play out and maybe make a trade for a veteran ace if they're in contention down the stretch. By that point, it should be clear as to who remained healthy and durable as well. I say all this, but I also remember that the Twins have never made this kind of high-impact ace trade before, not even with this FO staff, so not sure why that would change in 2022.

Fifteen years ago. Good gosh. I was a HUGE Twins fan 1986-1995. Went with my dad to a lot of Metrodome games. We saw the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Then I moved away, got married, started a career and mostly ignored the Twins until getting sucked back in around 2006. I told my Dad that it seemed the Twins now had two(!) aces after years of having none, and that we had to go see this young guy named Liriano. It was a new era for our team. The glory days of World Series runs were coming back. Liriano blew out his elbow that game, and the Twins lost 1-0. My Dad essentially told me to wake him up the next time I thought the Twins might have an actual shot at contending. He was out. Funny, but in 2019 I did sit down with him to watch the Twins take on the Marlins on TV. I thought it would be an easy victory for the Twins and he'd enjoy watching Buxton and a dominant Twins team. Of course, Buxton separated his shoulder and Dyson blew the game in the 9th. Ah, memories. Baseball is a funny game, and the Twins provide more than their share of odd memories and heartbreak. But I still consider myself lucky that my fandom started in that golden little span of twin titles.

I'm disappointed too, but don't let it ruin today. Just put that feeling on hold if/when the team seems poorly coached in April-May. I mean, I try to be generally fair. Tingler paid his dues and impressed people along the way. Even up until June he was well-respected in San Diego. I'm pulling for redemption, and some fire in him to prove he's worth an MLB coaching or managerial spot. He wouldn't have been my pick, but I'm at least happy to hear that he was known for an emphasis on baseball fundamentals.

Again, hard to know anything for certain from a fan's perspective, but it seemed San Diego was very displeased over Tingler's inability to inspire his players when they were in a fight for a playoff spot. He's seems soft-spoken, sharp and unsure of himself in a leadership role. I was really hoping the Twins would hire a counterweight character to Baldelli, who appears to have a similar approach to coaching ... and maybe even similar weaknesses.

They are not going to sign a top SS free agent when SS candidates are nearing the bigs, and a top SS free agent isn't going to want to sign with a last place club with no starting staff. And if the FO cared about fan response, they wouldn't have traded Cruz and Berrios. All signs point to a Simmons reunion. And I'm fine with that. He's solid at SS, and perhaps due for a little bounceback at the plate.

Sweet swing. I was sorry to see what the wrist injury did to him, and I'll hold out hope that it won't be a lingering issue moving forward. Does anyone know if other players have come back strong the next year from this specific surgery?

I just can't see a need for JD on the 2022 Twins. We have no established starting rotation and one of the league's worst bullpens for much of 2021. The only path to contention in 2022 is a string of incredibly-smart trades and brilliant free agent signings, and those players then having career years here in MN. In short, keeping JD is banking on something that just doesn't have a precedent here. What does have a championship precedent here is letting talented young players and a few home-grown vets get hungry and develop as a core. Miranda has more than earned the opportunity to join this core. He'll take his lumps in 2022, sure, but that's as it should be. Gotta admit, I'm surprised by the number of folks who seem to think this team can compete next year. I expect that hope will cool a bit after the free agent signing period ends and we head into late February.

I favor the second option. A space needs to be cleared for Miranda, and the Twins desperately need a full year to get a better assessment of their prospects at the big league level. There's likely no need for Donaldson here in 2022. I like him, and I wish this was 2019 again so he could have played a role on an up-and-coming contender in MN, but it's not. Brewers would be a good fit.

Great work, Tom. Though I do wonder a bit about this: "Houston Astros have made rebuilds work in the not-so-distant past" Yes, it seems like in many ways the sustainable success the Rays and Astros have had recently was built off of the prospect capital that they amassed during their many down years. Essentially, build the infrastructure for development, draft high year after year, and then as your team improves trade the home-grown stars as they near free-agency for other teams' top prospects. This is the route the Orioles are taking, I think. They know it'll be a very long haul. I'm not saying that this is the route I want the Twins to take, but I don't think we have anywhere near the superstar prospect capital that the Astros and Rays had as the foundation for their successful seasons. And our FO just isn't yet very good at assessing, trading for or keeping impact talent. So, we might end up taking the Orioles route after all.

I think I initially misread this as an "in 2022" article, but I like that it wasn't. This all seems a bit more plausible to me over the longer haul, though with the exception of Jax matching Duffey's prime success (that seems downright impossible to me). 2022 is going to be very bad for the Twins - way too many rookies who are going to take their lumps - but a good year in terms of development and growth could set the table for success for 2023.

That 9th inning against Chapman. That beautiful, beautiful inning. Dip it in gold and put it on a shelf. And ... it ended the Yankees season early. One more win, and the Yanks would have hosted the WC game. Different outcome, I'm sure (just don't look up the Yankees home/road splits in 2021 ... it doesn't help my argument here.) So there. Hey Yankees - DON'T MESS WITH THE TWINS!

Ahh, fun. Kinda amazed that the doubleheader loss in Detroit - where Gordon missed a fly ball in CF that had a 0.0% chance of being a hit - didn't make the cut. But to me, the most embarrassing experiences of 2021 where when Akil Baddoo tore the Twins apart at the plate and in the field. Salt in the wound on a huge roster error that just should not have been made.

That could be, but in this particular case, the Astros seem to have a pretty well-oiled organizational machine for prepping for playoff matchups. The White Sox are hitting the Astros pitching (18 hits in two games ain't bad), but ALL have been singles. That, and the Astros solid situational hitting seems like the result of some careful scouting. Of course, the Astros have been known to look for other kinds of angles for winning, too. But overall, I think you're right. It pains me to say it, but I would prefer to see the Twins play the Yankees and Rays more often in the regular season, just to see how it might elevate their play over time.

This is an excellent point. I think Miranda deserves a chance to make that spot his own at the big league level. I even like Donaldson, but the biggest impact he was going to have here was in '20 or '21. Sadly, it just didn't come together.

Oh man, what a fun way to review the cases and the evidence. Good stuff, Nick. And a solid conclusion.

I'm asking this genuinely and not at all combatively: what should fans be asking for from a Twins manager in this era, and how do we know if we're getting it? I keep hearing the idea that the Twins struggled in the playoffs under Baldelli because their offensive stars "underperformed." I've heard that this year was terrible because young players "underperformed" or "weren't ready." If the issue isn't the players' overall talent or ability, then isn't underperformance a managerial issue? If that's not the issue, then it's roster construction. And if after 5 years this FO can't construct a roster with the talent to win, why would we want them to stay? I know I'm cranky, but the buck has to stop somewhere at some point, doesn't it?

Agreed. Plus, they had devastating months-long injuries to multiple stars - any one of those injuries could have derailed the season. Have to give credit where credit is due to LaRussa. Now we'll see what impact he may have on their postseason run.

True, but when Rocco's Twins can play a postseason series the way Gardy's Twins did against the A's in 2002, then I'm inclined to give him more slack. And at least Gardy's teams claimed a few postseason victories from the Yankees - and in NYC, no less. Again, I wanted Gardy gone even a year before he was fired. I'm just saying that Rocco's teams haven't even hit Gardy's low level of postseason success. In fact, they're not even remotely close.

I'm confused. Why would we be spending this kind of money on an aging starter who just had multiple injuries, whose fastball is down to a career-low 90.9 mph, and whose strikeout rate was 5% below league average? MLB Trade Rumors also points out that he allowed "more hard contact than ever before, both in terms of average exit velocity (91.2 mph) and hard-hit rate (46.1 percent)." If we're really going to compete in 2022, we need FA starters who are A LOT better than Pineda. If we're not going to compete in 2022, then it's time to see what the prospects can do. I don't see a roster spot for Pineda either way. The article says that Baldelli considers him a "pillar" in the clubhouse, but after a dismal 2021, I can't see a reason not to build a new clubhouse culture.

Baldelli's work is hard for me to assess from where I sit as a fan. On one hand, he always seems respectful and talks in supportive ways of his players in postgame conferences. By all accounts, he seems like a decent and sharp guy, and I have to admit that I genuinely like what I see of him as a person. But I do wonder why he only started to emphasize fundamentals drills after Cruz was traded. Did he defer to the established veterans too often? Did he let them set the agenda and tone? Is he too afraid to rock the boat or to take the reins? Morneau's Twins HOF induction speech included a few comments made about Ron Gardenhire that I thought might be vague critiques of Baldelli. He talked about the importance of Gardy pulling him aside as a young player and telling him that much more was expected of him, that he needed to be more professional and accountable to his teammates and to the fans. He then highlighted the way Gardy would show emotion on the field in order to relieve the tension his players faced: "I have a vivid memory off you tossing your hat up in the air, kicking dirt on home plate, because you always had our back." Can anyone imagine Baldelli doing this? Do I want Gardy back? Nope - there were facets of the modern game that Gardy couldn't incorporate. But do I think that some of the things Gardy did had an impact on the emotional component of the game. And however .500-ish the team may have played after this year's trade deadline, there was no pressure on them whatsoever. When the pressure is on a Baldelli team, they simply do not play well at all. They choke. They choked at the end of 2019 when something was expected. They choked again down the stretch in 2020 and also against Houston. And when the team was expected to come back strong at the start of 2021, they fell flat on their faces. I'm not upset that he'll be back, but I'm hoping that he's learning. And quickly. I'd give him a D+ in 2021 ... and tell him that much more is expected of him as the skipper.

No, the key September moment was the 6-5 loss to the Yankees on the 13th. Perfectly encapsulated that no matter how surprisingly bad 2021 was, some things never change. And, fittingly, our dismal play against the Yankees is just the buffer they needed to win a WC playoff spot.