GeorgiaBaller

One thing to realize is that the core of the team should be in place starting the season, but today's winning ballclubs are actually evolving through the season, as well. Starting day rosters are not rosters after the All Star Break anymore. If you take a look at the playoff teams the last 3 years, they have all added multiple significant pieces during the season that made differences in the playoffs. Especially in an era when bullpens are utilized so much earlier, the accumulation of appearances for relievers take a toll on arms --and you have to bring in someone fresher to still have pop end of season and into the playoffs. Warming up fast and max velocity throwing takes a lot out of arms in the pen. Its less about innings and more about appearances per week. Front offices and scouts are more important now than ever. Re-tooling goes on all season every year now. If the Twins farm system can't start producing end of year callups that contribute, they will be in the cellar a long time----it can't be all trades that freshen up the end of season crew.

The Twins going from a # 8 to a # 16 rated farm system has more to do with their top prospects not panning out to be on the field major leaguers. You really saw 2 yrs worth of evaluation take place because of the Covid year not having minor league schedules---evaluation on these "great prospects" that don't pan out after a missed year and then a year when the major league club had every reason in the world to pull forward any bright spots.

2 good trades. Donaldson could not stay on the field and there were limited places to dump him because his salary was an albatross. So Twins get flexibility and Urshela is a comparison to less than league average backups. Still a hole at SS (and left field). Sanchez is something at catcher the Twins have not had in several years---a field leader. He will split time and can help develop leadership behind the plate with his co-starter---something we have not had since Mauer was behind the plate. Mauer was not a vocal leader---but ran the game from the back side of the dish supremely and that needs to come back. Twins traded away a PROSPECT for a PROVEN-- Gray is at a good salary with 3 yrs of control. In case nobody has noticed, the Twins are not great at drafting or developing pitching---the chances of the #1 becoming what Sonny Gray currently is are less than 15%. I'll take that any day. Now--please find a place to dump Sano , work Gordon in Left and get a SS.

Garver is an average to bottom half defensive catcher. He had one spectacular season at the plate. Garver has the injury bug and once that starts with a catcher. its hard to reverse. Garver is a DH and backup catcher. Jeffers is unproven at he plate. He is not more than an average defensive catcher over a whole season. Also, Buster Posey and Joe Mauer are exceptional athletes to play behind the dish at their height. Its a big impediment. I'm not sure Jeffers is exceptional. Why the love for these two? Because we have them? Move on, you need a great defensive catcher that can handle your pitchers and batting above .230 and more than 15 HR's is a plus.

Wow--Eddie Rosario wasn't a whiff for what $$'s they could have re-signed him instead of the clown show out in LF they still do not have an answer for? The Rays and the A's have shown you can construct a contending ballclub on a budget---you just need good coaching and talent evaluators. Let's be honest here. There are some organizations that develop arm talent regularly (Indians, Mets, Rays, Braves, Giants) and those that don't---Twins among them. It is a top down problem in the organization. The final polish to a pitcher is the major league pitching coach who helps the [player understand what to throw more of, less of, and in what situations. That was the gripe against Berrios was that he looked like a #2 pitcher and not an ACE----not his stuff (that is spectacular!) or execution---but his pitch selection situationally that got him in trouble. That is not a player issue---that is a COACHING issue. This is why twins pitchers go other places and do well. How long has the same pitching coach and staff been in place? How long has it been since the Twins have had an Ace? How many high quality arms have Cleveland, TB, Etc traded away in that period? It doesn't take a genius to figure that out. The game now also demands that you retool your bullpen mid season for strength in the playoffs and the stretch run. That demands you have excellent pitching evaluators. Until that Twins make the organizational changes to support pitching, you can throw all the money you want at FA's and will continue to come up short. C'mon--Buxton is a generational talent--you can't replace him. Especially not with some 25 yr old that hasn't forced his way into the bigs yet. Talent like his is in the bigs between 20-22. Sign him. period..

Do not let go of Buxton---you cannot replace his skillset without paying more than he will get. Maybe he has finally figured out the wall is an immovable object thing. I don't see a catcher anywhere on the rebuild list. Look at the playoff teams. They all have very solid defensive catchers who are DEPENDABLE WORKHORSES. Most have also been leaders/field generals. Up the middle defense is only satisfied with CF when Buxton is healthy. IMO, we have to obtain a solid catcher that does not have injury history. There are not too many Joe Mauers who are batting champs and top rate catchers (batting champ is not top criteria). Would love to contract him to assist in a search for another catcher, but Garvin is too injury riddled to be dependable now and Jeffers is not a high level defensive presence.

Good Trades are good trades. Non tenders to good players are not. doesn't take long to look around the playoffs this year and see players that are doing well with other teams. Pitchers and position players. We are great at criticizing......the wrong players. our players do not seem to get better once they reach the big show, especially infielders and pitchers. Numerous examples of that happening in other successful orgs.

Still treating Sano like a development piece. Sad. Arms on the mound that only decide to throw well 30-40% of the season don't get the same deference. Give me his season stats, not what he did in one month. He is not a prospect and should not be treated like one. There is an inability to stay engaged here---you referenced you might have to keep him playing first to keep him tuned in. 20 HR and 20 2B is is no major threshold with the style of baseball being played now. Rosario did it 3 yrs in a row 2017-2019, Dozier 2014-2018. They are not hard to find--and those players were contributors year round and on the defensive side of the ball. Use your statistics to figure out how many HRs Sano needs to even out his partial season contribution and being a defensive liability at 1st. I say that number is close to 35. Kiriloff and or Larnach are not athletic enough to play the OF and are less than average fielders there. Logjam at first. Twins still have no LF'r. Mr Kepler is very frustrating at the dish. James Rowson helped him open up and make contact deeper in his stance, thereby using the opposite field much more in 2018/19, but he is gone now. There is something to be said for having the league's best RF sweeper, who can also play center. If you let Kepler go, you have to be positive you are upgrading the position. With more left handed batters than ever, RF is responsible for a lot of assists every game. The fact that you have a defensive hole in LF and a CF'r that is not consistently available to play makes the position more important.

Maybe I am misguided, but lots of Twins arms do not pan out here and go on to have more success somewhere else. Even stopovers like Lynn. I thought for years it was poor scouting, but development in the minors and even pitching coaches at the big club seem to not improve anyone they bring in. Maybe time for some changes.

If Gordon can play outfield, the Twins need a left Fielder. Larnach can play right and streaky Kepler goes on the block. Kiriloff plays first and he can rotate to the outfield for some days off. Larnach doesn’t have enough range to play right—this is a lefty league now so stronger fielder is needed in right. These young guys need to stay up, keep Arraez and thinK multi position players. This team is always hurt

With the cobbled together lineups every day where even your utility players get hurt, it’s a tough slog. Have never seen a franchise get injured at a higher rate than this club. However, managing becomes more important than ever, it’s lazy to depend on home runs with this club. Now more than ever, it’s necessary to manufacture runs. Once runners are on base in early innings, the MGR has to call for hit and runs, sacrifice flies and slap singles to move and score runners. BUNT. Rocco is keeping his hands in his pockets too much. It will help for Arraez to return to spray the ball, but contact is necessary to score runs——so Miggy stays on the pine

Sano is a write-off to cut. Why is everyone so patient he will revive to be productive for what, 1/3 of the season? A player that is a 1 tool guy who is only mature enough to be professional for part of the year is called a washout and a drain on the team from a leadership and morale standpoint when he plays. Show some leadership and expectations of professionalism, front office!! Kepler had a great 2019 because he quite trying to pull everything and used the opposite field. He cannot be successful with a power hitter approach. He must open up and take the singles and doubles to the opposite field he is now choked off from. He is a plus right fielder and far too streaky at the plate---but not nearly a full scale disappointment. Why are there no questions about the complete lack of a plan the Twins had for Left Field? Complete joke to walk into a season with one of two retreads to maybe pan out in left---when we have been hearing for years now how deep the farm system is with outfielders.

@chpettit19 is on target---Eddie R was not an average bat. He is not an avg replacement. Alex K may end up being great, but we haven't seen a great prospect pan out in quite some time. The road to success is not paved with potential. I do hate to see in the article that "first base is currently taken". When in the world are the TC Ballers going to quit being haunted by the ghost of Big Papi and move on from the failed experiment that is M Sano? He is a liability at first and---lets be real here--does not put the ball in play enough to cater to his bat in the lineup. Please, let's take our past lumps an move on! Polanco and Kepler are streaky enough to alternate killing innings, we don't need a player who might as well take his glove with him when he comes to the plate with two outs!