YourHouseIsMyHouse

This is great news!! I've long been awaiting his promotion this season. He has great Triple A numbers, size, and velocity. I knew he had to be next in line as far as relievers go and it was only a matter of time until a spot opened up. I'm curious as to who will be sent down/released when Thielbar is back, however. Duensing and Roenicke are probably the most expendable. While Duensing is worse than Roenicke, Tonkin is not left handed. Unless Gardy finally feels comfortable giving Dunce's innings to Thielbar, it may be Roenicke. Or this could just be a cup of coffee for Michael. I'm not at all sure.

I will say that he's been a pleasant surprise this season, especially when you consider this is his first year starting there. He's been healthy, hitting well, and defending at an elite level. Eddie Rosario is a great prospect (and my favorite), but are the chances of him being an upgrade reasonable? As a former outfielder (and with a struggling outfield), it seems like more and more that playing Eddie in the field would fit well with the team needs. He's hitting well in New Britain and if given a September call-up, I'd like to see him in the Outfield quite a bit. A position change doesn't become detrimental to player development (at least to the Twins) when you consider how they've handled Parmelee. Now to back up what I've said about Dozier. It's true he was a terrible rookie (happens to a lot of people), but it looks like he deserves his playing time and opportunities for a while. Could he fail? Sure. Could he provide value long-term? Possibly. I really hated him last season, but Brian has grown on me. He's 2nd on the Twins in WAR with his 1.8 dwarfed only by Joe Mauer. It's also #11 in the MLB for 2B. His OPS is above .700, his OPS+ 94, and he's on pace for 15HRs. There is a good case to be made for gold glove consideration and I would say he's been the best fielding 2B in the league. The Fielding % is .995, his range factor is #1, and he's on pace to be 14 runs above average for the season. This has been a small sample size with only 72 games under his belt, but last year was too (84). On the other hand, maybe there's not much room for growth as a 26 year old. What do you think? Does Brian Dozier have starting capabilities for the Twins beyond the next few years?

Yeah, like the Twins would trade him to a division rival, let alone some team in the AL.

I really can't say there were any Twins that were snubbed this year. Both well-picked players and two gems on a poor team.

Hope that Thorpe blooms in a good prospect.

While I sort of like Ricky Nolasco, acquiring him is by no means a good investment. His career 4.44ERA has been justified the past three years and I don't know if that's even acceptable for a #5 starter. His K/9 is falling and he's becoming more hittable as he ages. I really don't know if he is capable of performing like he is this season in the long run. Good for Miami on trading him at peak value.

This series was probably the worst I've seen this year. The 10 game slump was bad too, but this was just pitiful.

This Fernando Romero interests me. Hot start for him in the GCL.

I full on agree with that. The Twins essentially gift-wrapped the Yankees the first three games. The wheels fell off for the bullpen and the lineup could not get hits when they needed them most. I could not believe all the fortune New York got when I watched. The Yankees capped off the last game with a solid win though. The Yankees minus well be the Indians this season. Their roster is a joke and I don't believe they will last.

Yeah, I think 2014 will be more of the same. The reason if it did get better, would be because of some of the trades/acquisitions Terry Ryan has made between now and then; not because of our prospects. I don't expect any of them to go Trout/Machado-mode right away. I do, however, expect Aaron Hicks to be an above average player next year. The lineup should be an asset for us next year or at least average. Mauer, Hicks, Arcia, Plouffe will give us something to build off of there. 2015 will probably be the year we pick up our game and contend for the division. Until Terry signs some quality starters, we won't be able to make a push.

C: Mauer 1B: Davis 2B: Pedroia 3B: Cabrera SS: Peralta OF: Trout, Bautista, Ellsbury DH: Ortiz BE: Machado, Cano, Kipnis, Donaldson, Gardner, Crisp, S. Perez, Encarnacion, A. Jackson, N. Cruz Note: 4 out of the top 8 in WAR are 3B and 3 are 2B. Iglesias, Seager, and Donaldson have all been exceptional at 3B this year in addition to the high profile names.

I'd also highly contest that he's "struggling".

He's given up 1ER in his past 14 Innings Pitched.

The offer would have to be worthwhile. If we expect to compete in the next two years, we definitely need some bullpen guys to hang on to. Fien has quite a bit a value for the Twins that I'm not sure other teams would match with a trade. He's been a very good pitcher, is under team control until 2019, and is under 30. If there's any reliever I'd like them to trade, it's Swarzak. He's built a successful season so far and probably has reached peak value. All the bullpen should be up for sale, but Fien and Perkins both must yield very high value in return.

I don't see much that is wrong with this either. Although, Gomes should have cleared for more room. This could have been avoided if Doumit: A. Slid B. Trucked him

6'3 195? Same size Sano is LISTED at. And he's a power hitter? Hmmm.. Granted his signing bonus was half of what Sano's was and there's probably zero chance he'd ever be near the prospect, but I see what the Twins are doing here. Even a poor man's Sano is a good thing.

The thing is, players get a position they are projected for based on their visible skills (coordination, size, quickness, etc.) by scouts. I trust their judgement on this and generally they're correct about this. Sano likely didn't have the ability or ideal size from what they saw. Sano can't play shortstop for the same reasons Mauer can't. They're too big and not fast enough.

Maybe it's just me, but I never hear much about international pitchers being signed for good money. Or it could be that the Twins never get a pitcher as the centerpiece of these signings. I don't think foreign pitchers make up a good pool of the MLB though, so I'm not really complaining. Felix Hernandez and Ubaldo Jimenez (for a time) are a few I'm familiar with, but not many other names come to mind.

Thielbar should be getting Duensing's innings.

Buxton is a better prospect than Trout was all across the board. Will he be a better MLB player though? I don't know. He has the talent and we know baseball is his passion, so I think he can. He was born to play and he wants to play.

I hate to be that guy, but I think you mean Kyle Davies. I heard about him a little while ago and he's got quite a bit of MLB experience, but has been a terrible major leaguer for 7 years. I hope he's just a filler.

Given his history, lack of stuff, and struggles in Rochester, I have a strong feeling his career as a Twin is dead. He was a great story and I enjoyed rooting for him (still am), but I believe he's done.

I really don't think tanking exists in the majors. Obviously, you could argue that selling at the deadline is, but really, teams want to win whatever they can get. Every player will try their best and do what it takes to win. I think the whole "tanking" is a fan perception and that's okay. Do you really want your team to lose for it to pay off larger dividends later? Or do you want to win despite the nearly non-existent chances of competing for a pennant now? Personally, I like tWINs and in baseball the incentives for "tanking" aren't substantial. Even at the end of an unsuccessful season (when they're eliminated), I want to win as much as they possibly can.

I don't see why we'd keep Walters up. He's not a MLB caliber player. I'm really low on Scott Diamond and I wouldn't rule him out by any means. Deduno, Correia, and Gibson will probably be the only 3 whose spots have solid footing. Pelfrey should have an advantage over these other guys. It seems likely he'd get a spot when he's healthy. Between Worley, Diamond, Walters, Hernandez, and Albers, it's probably Diamond in the last spot. Although, Worley could fight his way back in if he looks better in AAA.

Obviously yes