h2oface

??? ..... because I saw him pitch in the last one? and one could say that the high priced rental, and sticking with him, cost the Dodgers the World Series. You must have watched, no?

It would be great to sign Darvish. But if he does sign, and helps take the Twins to a World Series, he will have to pitch in said Series, and I can't say I look forward to that. And while I desperately want the Twins to sign a pitcher with the status and talent of a Darvish, I guarantee that, by the end of the contract, they will regret the signing.

I too am guilty, but I try to "like" the articles or other offerings of writers. So many write several comments on articles or threads or blogs, but most fail to "like" the offering that gave them a place to blather themselves. Don't forget to give the writer deserved recognition for their time. Your "like" can go a long way to more offerings.

Kepler needs at bats to get better. This is the year for that to happen. But he can't improve against left handed pitchers, if he isn't given the opportunity.

Except....... that Mauer has never been able to make the transition to a pull hitter! The huge guy with the "perfect" inside out swing, has never been able to adjust successfully and evolve, like so many other hitters. Meanwhile, we watch smaller guys like Dozier and Rosario launch them out. And no, I don't remember how many (non)homers he hit into the right field glad bag. I remember how many homers that crawled over the left center fence in 2009, and some that still do. He is what he is, and Boston, and banging all those left field drives off the green monster for doubles makes a lot more sense to me than Yankee Stadium. It is a shame that he couldn't adjust, and become more than he was. He is so big. It has always amazed me that he didn't become a slugger with age.

Dozier has become a star. To be just considered as an "asset" to be traded for prospects is what is wrong with baseball these days.

First of all, thanks for all the mansplaining, or would it be fansplaining, here? - about Mauer's current contract and stats, and all the great recaps of how trades work these days after my first Mauer comment. I enjoyed the great summaries. I truly did. I come at some things as common Twins' fan knowledge - like a contract and terms that has already been discussed ump-thousand times - and his performance last year and throughout his career - and of course, that was considered in developing the comment that I was surprised that Mauer didn't even break this list at #20. (and now see he wouldn't have even made 25!). I usually get it the first time, and surely by the 10th time........ the info that becomes common knowledge here. Sometimes opinions are like faith. You don't need facts and reality to have one, especially as twisted as value has become these days. In my opinion, way way too much value is put on prospects.... most that never see the show, but make a lot of lists. "20 most valuable Minnesota Twins assets. Looking beyond performance to account for age, contract, and future impact, the idea is to determine which players will be most vital to the team's ongoing success (or, most useful as trade chips)." If we are just talking trade chips, I misunderstand the mission statement. Maybe I am thinking too much about the short term future of 2018 as most vital and ongoing success. It is a fun excercise, though, and who knows. Time will tell. Or not.

Just edit it and delete my comment! :-) It's a fun piece.

I understand that Mauer only has 1 year left on his contract, but it is amazing, to me, that he doesn't even make it to #20 in this list of the club's most valuable assets. Less valuable than Trevor May, Tyler Duffey, Taylor Rogers, Adalberto Mejia, or Alex Kirilloff, eh? I'm not buying. If he has virtually minimal value as an asset, why even keep him in the lineup?

"Even the eight teams that have never won a World Series: the Seattle Mariners, the Texas Rangers, the Tampa Bay Rays, the Milwaukee Brewers, the Houston Astros, the Washington Nationals, the Colorado Rockies and the San Diego Padres can look ahead and hope." I seem to remember the Houston Astros beating the Dodgers in 7 for their first World Series title.... just a couple of months ago. Dams short term memory!

That same abridged online oxford dictionary says this... and it was omitted here as part of its published definition above. Origin Mid 17th century: from Greek misos ‘hatred’ + gunē ‘woman’. "I'm pretty sure it was not your intent to insinuate that behavior such as what is alleged in this case could occur because someone "adored women" too much, but the impression left when I first read the comment comes dangerously close to that, imo." I did not speak at all about the behavior alleged in this case, did I? No, upon rereading several times, I did not. You are correct in being pretty sure that I was not saying something, or insinuating something, that I didn't say. In 2013, several dictionaries, because of rampant and massive misuse, added figuratively as an added definition of literally, the literal opposite. https://www.salon.com/2013/08/22/according_to_the_dictionary_literally_now_also_means_figuratively_newscred/ So many people pronounced the t in often, that the mispronunciation of the silent t became an accepted alternate pronunciation. I am sure this is not the place for this discussion of words, but then all of this is not a discussion of baseball anymore. The degree of variation of the presently accepted meanings of misogyny is great. I certainly understand your choice to use it. The extra/alternate meanings have been added over time, agreed. I apologize for the tangent.

People seem to like to use words like misogynistic, and other words with misogyny as its root, very loosely these days, and for dramatic effect, it seems. I think it borders on sensationalism. Misogyny refers specifically to a hatred of women. The word is formed from the Greek roots misein (“to hate”) and gynē (“woman”). Each of these roots can be found in other English words, both common and obscure. Gynē helped to form gynecologist and androgynous, and misein can be found in such words as misoneism (“a hatred, fear, or intolerance of innovation or change”) and misandry (“a hatred of men”). But it has evolved in these modern times to be used for other lesser behaviors than hatred, and I believe that is wrong. It deconstrues the meaning. Misogynistic now is used to include dislike, mistrust, and mistreatment of women, in addition to hatred, which is its true meaning. I believe that is what is meant here. Mistreatment. People mistreat women, or others, without hating them, all the time. It happens everyday, in almost all social situations. Most people in professional sports do not hate women. I would go as far to say almost all people in professional sports do not hate women. They adore women, and desperately want women in their life. The fact that they are messed up and mistreat them, (and I don't believe any that read this has never ever mistreated a woman in some way in their lifetime) does not mean they are misogynistic. That is a very strong, and misguided word to use for disliking someone, or mistrusting someone, or mistreating someone. I guess that isn't going to change now, and I will just have to get used to it.

Sure! Just like last year, and the year before, and the year before that. It is imminent. Has to be! The FO doesn't have to do anything except wait.

Isn't Hughes signed until 2050 or something like that?

Not this time, but he was out with a mysterious "stress reaction on the outside of his elbow" that never seemed to heal. At least it wasn't bilateral elbow weakness. He did have TJ in 2013 and was out 2013-2014 because of it.

I think Dozier thought it was a fair contract at the time. One would have to ask him, I guess. But If he just performed at the level he did in 2013 and 2014, the two years before the contract years..... I don't think he did it "to help out his favorite team". Sure, he wanted to stay with the Twins, and still does. He could have gone the other direction, or got hurt. I think he did it for his own security just as much. He just surprised about everyone the last 3 years, including himself, I bet.....

There it is again.... the Dozier doom. He can't escape it, no matter how well he plays, or what he does.

It is just what I would hope I would do, if I was in the position. I agree, my view is my view, and since I am one person, it is one-sided. And yes, the owners get the shaft on contracts far more often than the players, and other than Lyman Bostock, I have never heard of a player wanting to give it back, or take less than they agreed to, when they sucked. I think I did say Dozier was unlucky. Dozier, like Jose Bautista, fell in the crack of unlucky, and basically got screwed for market value of his performance compared to the contract that he played for. Yes... I did. I am not saying what owners should do, I think I was saying what I would do. Personally, I would offer him a 15 million signing bonus, and a 36 million 2 year extension. Even if he falls off a bit, he deserves it for all the years he didn't get paid what he was worth. But owners are rarely that appreciative and fair. Yup, upon rereading, I did. I don't know that 18 mil/year for two years is above market. I don't think it is. The bonus is thanking him for the great performance that he didn't get paid for, and I am acknowledging, becasuse I am a special guy. But even if one looks at the $113.1 million value through the life of his last 4 year contract, and takes the total of $51 million I suggest over 2 years, or $25.5 million a year, it seems to be slightly underpaying if he continues to play anywhere close to the last 2 years. "Over the life of his current contract (2015 onward), Dozier has been worth 14.1 fWAR. To date, he’s been paid just $11 million of the total $20 million deal (leaving $9 million for 2018). In terms of dollars, Fangraphs quantifies his production having been worth $113.1 million through the life of his contract. By that metric alone, the Twins have recouped over ten times their investment in the player that the Southern Mississippi star has become."

Zack Granite. I will never forget watching the two of the most idiotic plays I have ever seen in all my years of watching baseball. Both involved first base. The first was at Dodger Stadium in July, where he threw a ball in from centerfield to first base were there was nobody there, and cost the game. The second was when he decided it was best to not even touch first base in the Wild Card game at Yankee Stadium, and killed comeback momentum. Both mind blowing to me. I don't know what it will ever take to consider him an asset, but it hasn't happened yet.

Dozier, like Jose Bautista, fell in the crack of unlucky, and basically got screwed for market value of his performance compared to the contract that he played for. No one ever seems to think he can repeat what he has just done. Every year, even the devout fans here were almost all non-believers, and endlessly called to trade him, as the last year just had to be his maximum value, and the fall was eminent. Maybe his only hope to really get paid well is to just keep agreeing to 2 year contracts for high value, and keep performing beyond expectation. His age is now his enemy for accumulating money, but I hope he keeps defying expectation, wherever he plays, and gets filthy rich. Personally, I would offer him a 15 million signing bonus, and a 36 million 2 year extension. Even if he falls off a bit, he deserves it for all the years he didn't get paid what he was worth. But owners are rarely that appreciative and fair.

10 PM EST, and still crickets on the Twins official homepage AND the MLB homepage. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Amazing.

I just hope that Jay gets to the show, period. He was horrible in the AFL. And hey..... Nolasco is still on the market......

Hildenberger is 27 already, and he just debuted in the second half of last season. It seems MLB career years are getting shorter and shorter.

I sure have read a lot of great articles here by Parker over the last couple years, years which I find out in this thread that he isn't writing for TD anymore. What's up with that? I also miss the days that the Twins Geek wrote regularly. And Gleeman. Video killed the radio star..... twitter is killing...........

I totally disagree with almost everything here. I come here specifically because it has many passionate people who are not tainted by doing it for a job, and not for a couple of beat writers. Once someone does something for money, it changes things. In my life, it was Hang Gliding and Skydiving. Once it was for a business (school, performance flying team, filming and making videos) the passion became a bit dirty for me. There is a strong pull to get paid for one's passion, but the passion is usually then somewhat supervised and controlled, and not by oneself anymore. This is a fun site, and has wonderful discussions. I find many of the intense researchers here vastly more talented than many so called "professionals", and the content they produce massively more relevant than most of the compromised writers with "access". I respect your opinion, but I think that this is not the home for what you are suggesting.