MackMan

1. The eventual lockout, I think, will impact smaller market or more homegrown teams than others that have built up their teams through Free-Agency. I'm not saying it's going to affect all teams equally, but I just feel as if our team is going to be a little more hampered with our top prospects starting to graduate to the 40-man roster and being unable to get organizational meetings, training, and Rehabbing. 2. I wouldn't say he is Untradeable, just he'd get less of a return for him now. Especially now that he has just 1 season left until FA AND his proven history of falling off after the AS break. Now, I don't know how much of that is due to the fact he has dealt with injuries after the AS break that he refused to tell anyone about or refused to come out of the games. But he is tradeable, I just don't think we'd get the return we would like for him. 3. The team is going to need to have a very serious conversation with him about expectation moving forward. He not our everyday CF anymore. Jenkins and Emma have proven that. They are ready. The biggest thing we need to address, is he willing to change positions, willing to DH a little more, or is he willing to waive that no-trade clause. I doubt he'll waive his clause. Which leads me to thinking he is going to be playing either RF or LF more often than CF. Now how does that hinder our other players? Quite a bit I think. Keaschall is starting to find himself and needs the offseason to learn the OF positions. Especially if they want to keep his bat in the lineup. He is going to need regular playing time to learn them and utilize what he's been working to better himself and the team. 4. He cannot be part of our long-term planning. His bat is not what we need for a 1st baseman. I am okay with his defense, but if he want's to stick around this team, he needs to figure that bat out. He just looks like to squirrely up there. There is way to much movement from his upper half and his lower half. Every single swing his back foot is moving away from his body (closer to the outer part of the batters box). He has 0 foundation for his swing. But sadly, when he is being consistent and his mechanics all come together, he is able to shoot the ball the other way, up the middle and even tap into his power a little bit. So going to back #1, he needs to be able to work with some hitting coaches to refine what he has to better himself and the team in the long run. 5. Our long-term rotation plans are hard to see. We don't really have any promising pitching coming thru the pipeline as their all graduating to the Big Leagues. Personally, I think we keep the development train where its at, and see who separates themselves from the pack. Those that show they are taking the next step get the rotation spot and those that don't either get AAA or BP time. Ober looked good during his small sample size, and Kremer has been more consistent since coming over to MN. Now, we might those 2 to start the season as starters and potentially transition to the BP once Lopez, Festa, and Abel show they're ready to get back into game. Taj, Ryan, Zebby, and Prielipp have shown they have the stuff for the rotation, but we need to figure out who is going to be best served in what spots moving forward. As it stands, Lopez, Ryan, Kremer, and Ober are our veterans who need to be able to help the younger players see and make changes based on their experience. 6. The BP is on the cusp of being average. If we can tighten a few things and maybe trim the fat just a bit, I think we might have a place for everyone. It is definitely going to be a change if we have to transition some players. 7. Catcher is going to be difficult. We have to 2 young prospect catchers coming through the minor league system in Lackey and Tait. Now we are blessed that one is RH hitting and the other is LH hitting so they could potentially platoon each other if need be. The issue is going to be do we sign a FA long term, resign Jeffers long term, or play our hands they way they are now. Personally, I think we give a QO to Jeffers, hoping he signs, and then split our attention between a few different stop gap options for our catchers. I don't have a particular catcher in mind as I am unfamiliar with who will be on the market this winter, but we are in a weird place for catching. 8. I think we'll end up spending about the same as previous years unless we can find a SP or 1st baseman that is willing to come to a team that may be a year or 2 away from really being able to compete regularly. 9. I don't much of what is changing up there is going to make a huge different either way for the organization. The Pohlad's have shown they'd rather stay the course and hope for the best than be aggressive and make changes. Their most aggressive move(s) in the last 6 years have been the big contract to Donaldson, whom they ended up trading just to shed that contract, and the 2 big contracts to Correa who opted out after year 1 the first time, and then traded and are now eating some of the contract the 2nd time around. So I doubt anything huge is gonna happen. 10. I think he is actually doing a pretty good job with what has had to work with this season and how things have shaken up. I'm sure losing Pablo wasn't on his bingo card when he took the reigns. He knew what he was coming into. A team that was in the process of small rebuild/retool right before a huge CBA, changing managers, and a lack of support from the fans. I think if we can avoid a lockout, he is setting the team up for a long-term build up to success. We've got the tools, we just need to results.

I mean, the way the playoff picture ended up, they pretty much did take the best 12 teams as only 13 teams finished above .500. The only swap would be that Arizona would be in and Houston would be out if the took the top 12. Now what I would change is that the #2 or #3 could potentially be a Wildcard team. For example the Yankees could technically be the #2 based on record which would in turn give them 1st round bye and homefield advantage until the Championship series. It should honestly change to top 4 seeds are the division winners AND Wildcard with the Wildcard getting the opportunity for a 1st round bye and potentially some homefield advantage. For example #1=Division winner and League's best record, #2=Division winner and 2nd best record, #3 WC 1, #4=Last division winner. Could really alter the playoffs and make that 1st WC spot worth more than just a playoff appearance.

Just running through Baseball Reference, I was able to confirm the first 81 and the 2nd 81. I agree that there was no collapse. A collapse would have to be something akin to the 2024 season when the wagon fell off a cliff come September. A few things that need to be addressed: 1. Lewis, Wallner, and Larnach The reason these players need to be addressed is that they are on the 40 man, not producing as they should, and creating a log jam at their respective positions. As for Larnach, I would be more inclined to keep him as he was showing flashes of success this past season prior to cooling down and then getting the injury bug. I would say he had is best season offensively and defensively for the Twins. Wallner: Needs to be non-tendered or signed to a Minor league contract with a spring training invite. He showed who he was the past 2 seasons. There wasn't a team that feared him. They knew to through the baseball up above the zone because he was a chaser. Lewis: Has to figure it out at the plate. Otherwise he needs to be non-tendered. I know. The Twins are afraid of a Big Papi thing happening again where they let a player go and he turns in a HOF career with another team. But ultimately Lewis has shown who he is and what he's capable of. Sporadic success mixed with season long ineptitude. 2. Levine and Falvey missed on their 1st round draft picks ultimately hamstinging our organization. I know in baseball that there is never a "sure thing" when it comes to drafting. But as a organization that doesn't want to spend money, they need to hit on a lot of their picks. Of their 8 first round picks that they did, only 1 (Can't count Jenkins or Culpepper as its way to early) have really done anything. Now I know Lewis is part of that but he hasn't really done anything outside of a very strong 2023 year when the Twins needed his electricity and ability to hit in the clutch. But this list of draft picks that include Lewis, Larnach, Cavaco, Sabato, Petty, Lee, Jenkins, Culpepper, and DeBarge, 3 of them are still green, 4 have shown who they are, 1 was traded almost immediately, and the other is playing Indy ball. The only solid player ATM is Lee. 3. We need to acknowledge that some of our starters may end up being better out of the bullpen. We need to look at potentially moving a few of our rotation guys to the bullpen because their services might better suited for that. For example, I personally thought Ober looks decent out their coming out of the 'pen. It was definitely different seeing a soft-tossing righty coming out of the pen to deliver a 3 inning save. Kind of reminded me of when we had Sergio Romo with his slow, slower, and REALLY slow pitches. Also, not to mention, these pitchers could make spot starts or opener starts if need be. Kind of creates more flexibility while being able to maintain some stability in the bullpen. The real issue is figuring out who is going to be better out of the pen and who we can send packing.

It is definitely nothing first nod at getting a ST invite. He has been invited every year since 2022. So 3 (4 being this year) ST invites and he hasn't been able to break big league camp yet? Sounds like his time is limited with us. On that note, he wasn't added to the 40 man when France was shipped out last year and when we didn't resign Santana after 24. Just goes to show that he is leaving a lot to be desired behind an aging Bell and and aging Caratini. Not to also mention last year was the first year he made it AAA.

Never said it was affecting the Twins uniquely. If you look back, I said some players. Look at a lot of players that have shifted teams and found tremendous success. So, maybe you shouldn't put words in someone's mouth or make assumptions.

This is just compounding more and more how much development was lost for some players during the COVID season (or lack thereof). I believe this is gonna be Sabato's last shot at making the big league squad. I feel as if he doesn't make the squad, the Twins will grant him his release to pursue other teams or other opportunities like McCusker.

I mean for the most part every team has their core of 20-30 players that are gonna be on the major league roster. As for the players 33-40 those are your replacement players in the event of slumps, injuries, or other activities that take place. So yes they are the fringe ML players and solid AAA players. Brent Rooker was our solid AAAA player as he wasn't a good enough player to break the lineup on a regular basis. Realistically we're looking at the same with Larnach and Martin. They're strong players, but haven't performed at a consistent basis to warrant them starting everyday.

I'm all for giving someone a chance, but do we really need to continue going for the bargain bin? We went from one of the strongest BP's to relatively the weakest. I know none of us are inside the Twins clubhouse, but unless we're planning on moving some SP prospects to the BP, I don't see us getting better in that area anytime soon.

I'd imagine its only a matter of time with both Walker Jenkins and Emannuel Rodriguez coming up. I think left field with his speed would actually be a positive. Starting LF and spelling CF when Jenkins or E-Rod need a break. Sounds like a recipe for success if you ask me. Especially as we have to make decisions with Wallner, Larnach, Keirsey, McCusker, and Outman.

The issue with ESPN tsking those over is that they're all "small" market teams. Now SD is a another story as they have made some moves and have some bright young superstars blossoming. Arizona has had some good runs in the past and they've shown they're willing to spend some money to upgrade they're team. Cleveland continues to succeed with homegrown taken but they don't take much in terms of free agents. Colorado is, well Colorado. And the Twins aren't a major hub for free agents. Yes we got Carlos Correa, but he tried 2 big teams but they didn't wanna pass him on their physical. So he defaulted back to Minnesota where he knew he could get a contract. We usually get 2nd choice free agents, reclamation projects, or players who can't hack it in the pressure of NY or LA.

I cometely agree with you. But even a HS coach can tell when MLB mechanics are wonky. The eye test rarely lies. The MLB is all driven by analytics and launch angle. And the players buy into it. They don't change things when it comes to 2 strike counts. They don't have the old saying of: Your first swing is your damage swing. Every swing they have is they're "damage" swing because single and double hitters don't get payed like HR hitters do. But trying to hit HRs late in the game when down by 3 and nobody on is not helping your team. You need baserunners to win. I miss seeing the days of hitters hitting .300+ and 25+ HRs. I get it might have been steroid era, but if hitters were using it, I'm sure pitchers were doing the same. It's ridiculous that an average hitter hits .243 with 25+ HRs.

Personally, I think we shut him down from the MLB and let him play in AAA for the year. Let him perform somewhere there isn't as much pressure. I'm starting to believe that the front office is to blame for everything. Something about their development coaches are starting to show that our players are not being properly trained for the Majors. They're getting left behind compared to other organizations. I mean clearly our drafts have not been great seeing as a plethora of our former first rounders are struggling or we've traded then away and they haven't really done much either. This front office hasn't made many good decisions in the past to help our future. We gave up a lot of big league ready players for Mahle and Jorge Lopez. Now those players are having decent seasons. As an organization we're struggling to put out a quality squad. I don't know what we can do other than get an owner who is going to completely overhaul the front office and start fire selling all non essential players (players without no trade clauses)

Much like Correa, Lewis doesn’t need to carry the team, but he does need to be more than average. At this time, I'd take an average Lewis. At least that would be providing some production for the team. Right now he is 40% worse than the average player with a OPS+ of 60. As for Wallner, let's start getting to ready move on. We have Emmanuel Rodriguez waiting and knocking on the door. He's got speed, power, and has some decent defensive skills. Also he isn't all about hitting moonshots.

Oh, I don't doubt that. My issue is that he is 1). Not letting the staff know he's not 100% or 2). The staff is just saying you gotta play thru it or 3). He's not mentally strong enough to overcome these injuries and he's getting in his own head. I personally believe its #3. He hasn't been able to reset mentally since the quad/hamstring/ACL injuries. Right now I think he's his own worst enemy. Especially at the plate.

I agree also that Wallner needs something. Maybe a change of scenery is exactly what he needs. We have Emmanuel ready, unless injured again. Jenkins I think is at least another 2 months from ready. I think if the team is outta thr playoff run come September, we DFA Kearsey and purchase Jenkins contract and let him get his cup of coffee to end the year. For Royce, you can see he is scared at the plate. He's afraid of swinging hard because he doesn't wanna re-injure, or injure worse, his hamstring/quad. The dude is starting to become a glass cannon like Buxton was. Maybe he needs a different off-season routine to help out.

Wow, another pitcher taken with TJ. Do the Twins front office have a hard on for pitchers who blow their arms out (Canterino, Paddock, Mahle, Prielipp)??

I think it would more come down to his attitude towards everything. Maybe he won't throw a bat at an umpire like his uncle did. Also, I'm sure he can accumulate more than 1.0 War for a Twins...

To begin, I believe that he is a good player, he just isn't it. He was drafted 1st overall out of HS. He quickly started making some noise at the professional level. Royce Lewis was a highly touted potential 5 tool player. He has shown in recent years that he is more of a 2, maybe a 1 tool player at best. This year, he has struggled mightily to a .216 average, .302 slugging, and a super low 61 OPS+ (meaning his is 39 points worse than the average batter. Not to mention his non existent WAR (0.0). This year is his worst year to date with the bat. I believe that for the Twins to do well, he needs to start hitting. Yes, he has dealt with his fair share of injuries this year, last year, and almost every year he has played. He is pretty much exclusively moved to 3rd base, which is historically a position that is more bat first than glove, nobody tell Arenado that. And it is only going to be a matter of time before Correa is forced over to 3rd base because of his continuous foot issues and he is getting up there in age. He is running into the same symptoms that have plagued Buxton over the years. The inability to take the field (less than 100 games played in any year) and he is looking poised to do it again. This will be the first off-season that he is eligible for arbitration. I personally don't believe he is gonna get a huge pay bump due to his consistent injury woes. Now the thing working for him is that he has been clutch in the past with multiple grand slams in big situations, post-season homers against big foes, and the fact that he is such a good face to have around the locker room. BUT, a good locker room presence does not equal wins. This leaves me with a few things. He is young enough that he can develop into a great offensive weapon, as has been shown in the past. He is also still young enough that the Twins could look at moving him for some more prospects, especially pitching. Our "alleged" pitching pipeline that we have is really struggling with Matthews, Festa, and Adams. Even our veterans are struggling like Ober and Paddock. If we could recoup something in terms of some almost big league ready talent, I would take it in a heartbeat. We have the players to replace him or they're at least getting close to being big league ready. Especially if our season is gonna hit fan like it has been lately. At this point, I'm starting to think the needle might be leaning towards draft bust vs. success. Let me know in the comments if I'm just plain wrong, or maybe I'm starting to hit the nail on the head instead of my thumb.

As a guy who wants Ober to succeed, I think that he may need a stint on the 15 day IL to potentially set himself right. He can rest that left hip and maybe work on some mechanical issues while doing so. Or worst case scenario, we gotta send him down to be able to work on some things while down there. But I don't really have much faith the in coaching/mechanical team at that level as our starters we've gotten from them haven't really been working out (Zebby, Festa, SWR).

As a long time Twins fan, I haven't been able to watch the Twins on a regular basis since 2020 due to BSN and YT TV not seeing eye-to-eye. And to compound things, because I'm located in MN, I can't even use MLB.TV or the BSN+ app due to blackout regulations. So ultimately at this point it is MLB killing their own sport because they can't figure something out. The Twins aren't big enough to get more national games so ESPN is typically out the door, and Apple TV+ is Friday exclusive. Baseball in terms of watch ability is easily the worst handled of all the 4 major NA sports. Now if Amazon and MLB could partner up, that would be, IMO, a huge win for baseball fans everywhere, especially with more people cutting cable and going to streaming services.

Rookies definitions are stated at the link. Julien is really close and Lewis is starting to approach that range of send him to AAA or make him everyday starter.

Story of the Twins luck in recent trade history with our front office. I think he should get an extension but an incentive laden one. Dependant on innings pitched. I know we gave up some prospects that might have never seen the field with our current lineup, but it would have been really nice to have some more of that depth be available to us. But we have to look at this with a grain of salt. This will allow us to be able to use some of our pitching depth that we have. Varland, SWR, Ober, Henriquez, Enlow (if team feels he is ready), and others that might be candidates for Major League time. A double-edged sword at this point.

I got ya. Maybe it was just play on words that got me confused as well. It's all good.

I have a feeling he is our next Brent Rooker. Mashed at the college level for a school that typically has a solid baseball team year in and year out. But he just can't seem to put it together at the professional level. Now I hope I'm wrong and he can turn it around because he also reminds of Sano in that when he makes contact, EVERYONE turns their heads because it just sounds that good coming off the bat. If he start to put it together, I think we'll have a good platoon at 1B with Sabato and Kirilloff.

How can you see Lee is Busted or Bust? The kid has only spent half a season in our organization since being drafted...in 2022. He literally moved from Rookie ball to High A to AA in that short time. Baseball is not like football or basketball, where rookies/1st year players are expected to make an impact almost immediately. Very rarely do 18 yr olds or college drafted kids make it to The Show the same year they get drafted, let alone the year after they get drafted. Yes, are there outliers? Of course there are. But I wouldn't call Lee a Bust. Now Martin is starting to get to that point of Bust. He took a step backward last year, but maybe it was a step backward to take a huge leap forward. Kinda like a running start if you will. I hope that he can take off on our team, whether its somewhere in the IF or the OF. Heck maybe he's gotta be out UTIL guy until a spot opens up. Personally, I think he might be a better choice for OF than Celestino. After this season, quite a bit of contracts are up and we may be a few players short so that will open up some opening for the these young players to step up.