kryptik

Lincecum likes SF too much to leave. Kind of a goofy dude and the city fits him perfectly. And tbf the whole "weed is legal in WA har har" line is a moot point considering we are talking about him leaving SAN FRANCISCO.

I understand the feeling that some have that Gardy might be back, but I can't see the rationale from a PR standpoint within the organization. You just had 3 straight 90 loss seasons and traded away one of the cornerstones of the last decade of the franchise in Morneau. If that's not clearing the way to press the reset button on things I don't know what is. That being said there are twofold things that I predict will happen: 1. Gardy will not be out of work long. He is a good manager but sometimes a break and a change of scenery are necessary to regain focus in your work. Just because we (might) let Gardy go and someone else picks him up, does NOT mean we made a mistake. 2. I think Terry Ryan will hire a middle aged guy to replace Gardy, not a young gun or hot up and comer as much as the last of the older generation kind of guy to run the organization. So in that sense Joe Maddon would be out of the picture, as much as I would like it to happen. Getting a manager the caliber of Maddon would send a message to the league that the Twins are a serious organization that is to be reckoned with not only in the AL Central but league-wide. We should be comparing ourselves on a tier with teams such as the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants, not the Brewers/Indians/Royals. Minnesota is a top 10 state in per-capita income, top 15 in media market size etc, to put it frankly we aren't Garrison Keillor's Minnesota anymore. Unfortunately too much of the older generation seems stuck in the "ahh shucks", overly negative, small town rube mindset that handicaps our taking the next step in being competitive. There is no reason we can't win like the Cardinals and Giants can, none whatsoever. If we scale our core principles of getting good value, solid scouting/drafting, and strong fundamentals with a larger resource pool and a coaching staff capable of getting the most out of the players we could be exceptional dangerous in Major League Baseball. I'll get off my soapbox and let the speculation about whether or not Gardy goes and who would replace him to continue now.

With a 3rd consecutive 90 loss season upon us I have been thinking about who would inevitably succeed Gardenhire as the next manager of the franchise. Gardy has led the Twins to six division titles through the end of the Metrodome era and into a new age for the team at Target Field. He has undoubtedly been a great leader but his time has come. Target Field was the supposed beginning of a new era of Twins baseball in terms of financial and on the field competitiveness. We need a manager that can capitalize on these underutilized new advantages and raise the expectations of this franchise and state. I believe that Joe Maddon is that man. If we want to be considered a serious perennial contender we need to make management and staff moves that reflect that ambition. Joe Maddon would develop the young talent in this system and have the credibility to ensure that FAs wouldn't slip from our grasps. He has topped out in Tampa in terms of fan and regional support. If he can win an AL Pennant and two AL East titles with the Rays think of what he could do with a legitimate mid to upper tier market club such as the Twins, especially one with such a promising and young core of talent quickly rising through the ranks. You can only butt heads with the two headed in division Yankee/Red Sox monster for so long. I know he signed a contract extension last year, but I am convinced that if we ponied up good money, $4-4.5mil a year, we could pry him from Tampa. I know he's said he loves it there blah blah blah, but money talks and there is definite opportunity here to create a formidable player in the American League if the right manager showed up. I'll hang up and listen.

If Gardy finds a way to be within +/- 5 games of .500 ball he has a good shot at keeping the post another year. In terms of organizational development I would prefer a top draft pick and a new manager next year though. Another 90 loss season, some roster moves at the deadline, a top 5 pick next year and a new manager would help more than a .500 year and another season with Gardy in charge.

Reusse is probably my least favorite baseball writer in the Twin Cities just because of how lazy he usually is. Crusty old guy playing the "aw shucks" rube schtick, most of his non-insider stuff is low hanging fruit.

Minnesota is a mid-market team at this point in the franchises' history. We are right around the middle in MLB market size, and would definitely be in the top half in terms of fans of the actual club instead of bodies in front of tv sets. Regardless we can't abandon the principles that made the franchise what it is, we have to invest a lot of money into our farm system and scouting. We need to pour more into that than other squads because if we are the best at it that will ultimately reap higher returns. Scouting/Drafting/Developing will always be our bread and butter (unless the Twin Cities gains another 2 million people in the next 20 years). The only difference now is that instead of dismissing FA signings out of hand as impossible, the fanbase/team/FO should be of the mentality that we are not only capable of signing FA's that could elevate a particular team to the next level, but that we are expected too when the opportunity presents itself. The Twin Cities market might require us to overpay for some FA's just because it isn't as glamorous as Miami, New York, Los Angeles, etc, but if we have played our cards right at the lower levels and spent wisely that shouldn't be an impossible hurdle to jump for the big league club. St. Louis has a terrific baseball tradition with the Cardinals, and I see no reason why this organization can't be as successful as the red birds going forward.

A retractable roof stadium "done right" was way out of the Twins' budget, so I can't get too bent out of shape about not having it. I love everything about Target Field and am glad its our new home for the future. That being said if the Twins and the state weren't so cheap a retractable roof stadium could've been a massive boon for the sport in the state. Prep/college teams are already at a massive disadvantage versus southern states in terms of conditions during the spring, and a retractable roof could have created a lot of opportunities for baseball in Minnesota in general. This spring has been an anomaly weather wise so jumping to conclusions about that kind of stuff is worthless. I am thinking more in terms of what could be done in the later winter months in terms of youth development. Prep/youth/college baseball teams could rent the facility for tournaments/showcases etc. Instead the state decided to get into a pissing match about Gopher baseball and their possible accommodations at the new Vikings stadium. The politicians would've never done it because of cost but it could've been a great thing for baseball at all levels in the state.

See what happens when Mauer hits HRs?!?! Never mention this criticism of his game again.

If my math is correct we are on pace for an 108 win season.

Damn meng. Held Escobar.

Haha what an error.

Willingham can't play defense.

I'm going to love seeing the Dodgers number go a lot higher next year too. Kershaw is going to be making stupid money.

Rallying cry for the season. http://i.imgur.com/yN12NPK.jpg Courtesy of r/baseball.

Boras obviously misread the market, which frankly doesn't happen very often with someone as good as he is. Lohse will probably be waiting longer, at this point the only leverage they can claw back is if a contender has a big injury to a top guy. TJ or bad rotator cuff and maybe Lohse can sign a decent length deal with less money per year and save some face.

We don't have a middle infield. We just traded two our of better outfielders. Our pitching staff last year was last in strikeouts, 3rd to last in ERA, 2nd to last in opp. BA. Even with the offseason trades/acquisitions this team is not close to competing in 2014. I see the progression for the Twins like this: 2013: ~15 games or so under .500 at the all-star break, unload Morneau/Willingham/Carroll and start plugging in the new guys. Finish at least ~20 games under .500, maybe 30 under the division winner. More good draft picks to shore up any positional needs for the future. 2014: Youth movement in high gear, team breaks 70 win mark to avoid the dreaded 90 loss season. I think they show great improvement in the 2nd half of the season which leads to an uptick in excitement/attendance. The team of the future is coming into focus. 2015: Team floats around .500 the whole season, finishing on the north side of 81 wins. They don't make a serious run for the division title but they aren't "out" of it through most of the season. 2016: This team makes waves, 92 or so wins as the pitchers start coming into their own. Lower payroll allows TR to go out and address any glaring needs to make this team a WS contender beyond that.

From a PR perspective a rebuild is the last thing you want to do when you are moving into a new ballpark, but ultimately its the right thing to do for the health of the franchise long term. Target Field gives the Twins a better foundation to build upon organizationally, and will provide better revenues even when the team is not as competitive. Willingham and Morneau were kept last year to make sure they can keep some butts in the seats for the first half of the season. If you trade those guys last deadline or in the offseason you are throwing up the white flag on 2013 publicly and open yourself up to at least an extra 3-4 months of unnecessary bad PR. This squad is still probably 3-4 years out from being good enough to even sniff the ALCS, so I don't think Morneau and Willingham are apart of this team's long term plans. If Willingham repeats last years performance and Morneau rebounds well I expect them to both be moved at the deadline to contenders. A lot of the divisional races for big spending clubs are going to be tight, and that could definitely drive up values of Willingham and Morneau substantially. If the A's come out hot in the AL West you can bet Texas/Anaheim will make trades to close the gap. The Dodgers will probably want to make moves to start winning too, they can't stand the Giants doing well down in Chavez Ravine. Plus the big money clubs in the AL/NL East will be in full on arms race mode this year. The only real non-competitive divisional race this year will probably be the AL Central, and we probably wouldn't be able to pull of a blockbuster trade in division anyway. I like the Twin's chances of getting a good haul from some deadline trades, and hopefully by spring ball 2014 the organization will be fielding a young potent lineup that is only getting better.

9/10 on the troll job. If you hadn't said "lol" in your third post you would've had a perfect score from me.

Pretty solid sounding changes overall. Now they just need to make cheese curds available more places so I don't have to walk to the outfield everytime.

We'll have some more good draft picks.

My feeling is Morneau and Willingham are both going to be moved before next trade deadline. Willingham probably moves first because his contract is great and his numbers aren't in all likelihood going to get better, his value is as high as it is going to be. TR will wait on pulling the trigger on a Morneau deal until the deadline I bet, doesn't want to alienate fans the first half of the season. If we are losing Target Field won't have a lot of fans for the 2nd half anyway so the negative PR of trading away Morneau will be muted. I think we'll be lucky to stay below 90 losses next year but hopefully we can continue to draft well and keep building the system.

In a heartbeat for Sanchez.

Boston wouldn't be willing to give up enough to get the Twins to part with the franchise player.

Well one of the requirements is you have to be 21 so I bet heavy boozing must be involved.

Sad to see Revere go obviously, great guy and I loved watching him patrol the outfield. That being said I'm floored by the return and extremely happy with what TR was able to get for him. TR is turning the page on 2013 but it was definitely the right choice to make. Its going to be exciting seeing the younger guys earn their stripes in the big leagues. With Revere being moved you have to think Morneau and Willingham won't be on the roster post trade deadline next season. If you had to trade one before the season started it would probably be Willingham, Morneau needs a chance to produce to bump his value up.