TopGunn#22

This should be a big boost, and it appears Correa will also be back soon. I'm glad they kept Kiersey. Better defense and arm, and better power and speed combo than Martin. With Buxton available and Margot NOT a good option to play CF Kiersey makes sense.

This is an interesting article and it has spurred many comments and many disagreements. The core of this article is correct...the Twins are very reliant and have invested the highest salaries in 2 players that consistently "miss time" due to injuries. Correa is the highest salary and is obviously the hardest to move. I believe with Brooks Lee the Twins have an excellent way of dealing with Correa's availability going forward...Lee can play SS to give Carlos some days off and Correa could and probably WILL eventually need to move to 3B. This is no different than Cal Ripken Jr. or Manny Machado or A-Rod moving to 3B later in their careers. Buxton only has a $15 million dollar per season contract. That's chump change to most baseball teams but seems to be a burden to ours. It was rightly pointed out that Buxton's performance this year would place his "value" to the Twins at $23 million. That's a pretty good case for keeping him. It's also a pretty good case to (if he's willing to waive his no-trade clause) deal him to a team that needs him and would have assets the Twins would be interested in. For example: What if the Twins traded Buxton to the L.A. Dodgers for minor league catcher Diego Cartaya and one of LA's young SP's like Bobby Miller, Dustin May, Gavin Stone, Jason Wroblewski etc... The Dodgers would be interested because they need a CF. Kiermaier is done after this year, Mookie doesn't play CF, and none of their prospects has proven they can play it. The Twins get a nice catching prospect who has been blocked at the Major League level by Will Smith and Austin Barnes as well as a SP could fill a rotation hole. I'd gamble on Dustin May who many here could point out is an injury challenged pitcher similar to what we've gambled on in the past, but that I would counter has BIG upside and is worth taking a gamble on. A rotation in 2025 of Lopez, Ryan, Ober, May and options like Festa, Matthews and SWR would be young, talented and deep. This is all predicated on Buxton waiving his no-trade to go to the Dodgers, but with E-Rod and Jenkins pushing for promotion and Castro, Martin and Kiersey available the opportunity to add a Catcher to compete with Jeffers and a still young/high upside SP like Dustin May, I would take that gamble.

I think Twins fans have to be aware that as Walker Jenkins and and Emmanuel Rodriguez climb closer to the major league roster, and as guys like Wallner and Larnach continue to develop and HIT, you may be seeing a very different outfield for the Twins in 2025, but certainly by 2026. One of the positives of 2024 has been the bounce back of Buxton. He's stayed "relatively" healthy. It DOES matter that our future outfield bats are all LH hitters. Buxton is that lone RH bat in a sea of lefties. But both E-Rod and Jenkins can play CF. Maybe not to the level of Buxton, but probably pretty decently. As Twins fans, we also have to be constantly aware that our penurious owners will be endeavoring to cut payroll. This is why Buxton's resurgent season opens the possibility for a trade. Buxton is not making prohibitive money for teams like the Dodgers, Yankees or Phillies. But he IS for the Twins. If he can come back and finish this season strongly it is certainly possible that a trade could come at the deadline next season or in the 2025 off-season. I'm NOT advocating this. But if E-Rod and Jenkins keep wowing in the minors and Wallner and Larnach keep hitting in the majors a trade of Buxton is a distinct possibility to a big market team that would just shrug at a $15 million dollar per year price tag. I would speculate that the goal in a trade would be to get a young SP prospect and/or a young catching prospect. The benefit to the Twins and Twins fans is that if Buxton stays healthy (or at least is "healthier" ) we get the benefit of seeing him play well for the Twins and possibly see a nice return in a trade. 99 out of 100 Twins fans don't want to see this happen. But this is how the Pohlad's operate and it is a distinct possibility.

Mikelink45 nailed it. We need to make some trades because the Twins farm system has never been in better shape. We have talent and it's pushing for advancement. Some tough choices will have to be made and I hope we make the right ones. With Keaschall needing Tommy John it may cloud his development somewhat, but with Lee, Lewis, Castro and Julien I see Julien as the odd man out. Julien's value has taken a hit, but he looks like a prime trade candidate. E-Rod and Jenkins just add to our overwhelming surplus of LH hitting OF's. E-Rod will be up sometime in 2025, and Jenkins will be pushing hard for August 2025 or opening day 2026. Kepler will be playing elsewhere. That leaves Wallner and Larnach. (there is also Kirilloff although his chances are diminishing). That's a logjam. So as mikelink45 said, trades will have to be made and hard choices as well.

My wife's favorite player is Max Kepler. I like him a lot too. I'm sure we will be pulling for him no matter if it's for a team NOT called the Twins...(unless he's playing for Cleveland) :) Big Dog is exactly right regarding Tony-O. It was painful watching him try to run in his 3 seasons of DH'ing in 1973, 1974 and 1975. But he could still swing the bat. On one leg, he hit .291 Imagine that, in a pitching dominated era like the 1970's. I agree that this is a chance to get a peek at 2025. This is an extended audition for Wallner, Larnach, Martin, Kiersey and Helman. It's just too bad that Kirilloff can't be a part of this either. In regards to next season and a continued lowering of our payroll: I'd like to think we have enough offense with young bats like Lewis, Wallner, Larnach, Miranda, Lee and Julien. Especially with Emmanuel Rodriguez a possible addition after the All Star break. But I'd like to see them try to get one established veteran SP rather than head into next season relying on 3 2nd year SP's (Festa, Matthews and SWR). They all have potential, but expecting all three of them to succeed in 2025 is unrealistic.

I was typing my comment while tony&rodney's comment had just been posted. So glad to see tony&rodney has noticed this as well about Lewis.

It's clear to me that the knee injury has been bothering Kepler for quite some time. They should have given him an extended time on the IL much sooner and had Kiersey/Helman up much earlier. I wonder if there is enough time for Max to get healthy enough to help in time for the playoffs. Something else I've noticed is how slowly Royce Lewis coasts down the first base line after hitting a groundball. It's REALLY noticeable when you see how hard other guys motor down the line. I believe the team is telling him to take it easy, not a lack of hustle on the part of Lewis. It has not been addressed by Cory Provus while calling the games but if you haven't noticed it, check it out the next time Lewis hits a groundball. On the one hand, I get it. His bat is hugely important to the Twins and they want to keep him healthy during a possible playoff run. On the other hand, if he's NOT healthy enough to "play the game" there are many who believe he shouldn't be playing until he IS. In another era, Lewis would be called out for this, or Rocco would be, for allowing the perceived lack of hustle to occur. Even though I can understand the reasons, and probably agree with them, I just can't help cringing every time Lewis takes a slow jog down the first base line.

Yeah, I don't remember Buxton ever getting ejected in an MLB game. maybe he has, but I don't recall it. This is unfortunate and I think this young umpire will find this is making the "wrong" name for himself. The better question is how much will Buxton and ultimately, Correa, help us when they make it back? Games like last night are becoming far too common with young pitchers getting shelled and the Twins falling hopelessly behind. The Twins seem to be insistent on Varland remaining a SP. How much more evidence do they need that he's a 1 to 2 inning pitcher?? He belongs in the bullpen where he could have a positive impact. Some would call this "patience." I call it "stubbornness" that is detrimental to the team AND the the player (Varland). Sure he's more valuable as a SP...IF HE'S EFFECTIVE. As a SP it's clear to me that he lacks the command of the necessary repertoire to ever be an "effective" SP. In a one or two inning bullpen appearance?? He can be "effective." He's got a 98 mph fastball and a slider that breaks occasionally. THAT'S a BULPEN GUY. Whether this is a miscalculation by the front office or manager is unclear to me. But it's clearly trying to jam a square peg in a round hole by somebody and it could cost the Twins a playoff berth.

Here are the players I would single out: #1. Jose Miranda--I had all but given up on Jose. I was throwing him into every off season trade I could to try to acquire a SP better than the DeSclafani-esque options. He has shown that his injury last year really affected him and that he can be a reliable middle of the order hitter. He's fully back in the Twins plans in my opinion. And I didn't see this coming. #2. Trevor Larnach--Once again, I had all but given up on Trevor. After seeing him be "The Man" who led Oregon State to a College World Series Championship I had high expectations for him. Year after year I was disappointed. Finally, this year, he has remained healthy and he has impressed. I never heard an exit velocity for his 3-run homer yesterday, but it looked like 130 mph. It. Was. A. Rocket !! #3. Griffen Jax--Jax should be #1 based upon what he's done this year. I knew he was a good RP. Solid and dependable. I expected him to have a good year. I did not expect him to be GREAT. He should have been an All Star. It's that simple. The two guys ahead of him I had much lower expectations. You could make an argument that the Twins should make Jax their closer and Duran the setup man. Duran has the eye popping fastball but nowhere near the command Jax has. Jax is dependable. Duran (this year) has not been. #4. Cole Sands--Again, my expectations for Sands were quite low. He had done little to give me any kind of confidence that he would even be on the roster. With all our bullpen issues, the kid has been a ROCK. Where would this team be without his solid, steady, and consistent contributions? I expected Willie Castro to be what he's been this year. I could be accused of taking him for granted but that's not the case. I just simply "expected" him to be right where he is. Buxton has been better than I thought he'd be. I expected Correa would bounce back, and he has. We just need these two to be healthy for the stretch run. Now to those who have disappointed: Julien--BIG drop off from what I expected. Kirilloff--Hurt again. But I wouldn't give up on him yet. Miranda taught me that. Pablo Lopez. His last 4-5 starts are what we expected all year. It took waaay to long for him to get there. Duran--He's capable of so much more. He needs better command. I wish he'd throw more fastballs. Finally...The Pohlad Family--Yes, you guys saved baseball in Minnesota when Bud Selig wanted to contract us and we've got 2 World Series Championships under your ownership. But after the momentum the team created heading into this year from 2023 you consistently disappointed your fan base by acting like bankers instead of owners who would be willing to accept a little risk for a larger payoff. INVEST. IN. YOUR. TEAM. Your penurious ways have us relying on THREE rookies in the starting rotation. I can't remember a contender having that kind of situation in baseball. We have a great farm system, but the penny pinching on the major league level is hurting your product. Just take a look at what Cleveland and Kansas City have been willing to do compared to us.

What SHOULD happen is that as soon as Brooks Lee is brought back up Farmer should be DFA'd. Farmer is not needed with Lee on the roster. Lee is the future. Farmer is not.

Great article. A nice trip down memory lane. I agree with tony&rodney that the rule change eliminating take out slides at 2B was a huge step in the right direction. Luckily for Twins fans (and baseball fans in general) Rod Carew was able to come back from his take out slide and become a HOF player. I love the delicious irony that Allen kicked the game winning field goal against the Buckeyes. Woody Hayes spurned him, and he made Woody pay. :)

I would like to echo LA Vikes Fan on his assessment of Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. I'm not really a fan of Rocco, but I have stated on TD posts in the past and will do so again..."Nobody does LESS with MORE, than Dave Roberts. Every season, Dodgers ownership and FO gives him whatever he needs... Mookie Betts? No Problem!! Trea Turner and Max Scherzer? Here you go! Freddie Freeman?? Piece of Cake! Shohei and Yammamoto?? Are you kidding? Consider them on the team Dave!! (there are many other players I could mention). And except for the Covid shortened season, the Dodgers haven't won a full season World series since Orel Hershiser pitched them to it in 1988. That's not all on Dave Roberts, but it's hard to argue that the Dodgers organization hasn't done EVERYTHING to win a World Series for Dave Roberts and year after year after year he falls short. So yeah, if you backed me up against a wall and told me I had to choose between Rocco and Roberts...I'd take Rocco.

Let's assume he clears waivers, which is not out of the question. If it becomes a free for all with suitors, the Twins should be going tooth and nail to bring him back. It's hard not to emphatically agree that Twins ownership, and to a lesser degree (but still warranted) front office doesn't deserve a Twins post season since they haven't done anything to earn it. But as a fan, I would love to see this reunion and see the Twins in the postseason.

Varland is the easy answer. The sooner the better. Why wait until mid-September when a playoff spot is on the line. Do. It. Now. Winder is a viable candidate. Paddack a little more iffy, but if he's healthy and his velo is good he makes a good candidate. Joe Ryan was a little surprising to see. I just assumed he would be shut down for the season. Festa would be my next favorite after Varland but I wouldn't worry about getting him "ready" for a bullpen role. He's needed in our rotation now thru the end of the regular season. I don't agree that you need to "prepare" a guy to LIGHTEN his load. Rocco would never use him in back to back games in the post season anyway. I love Festa's stuff. And in the sprint that is the playoffs as opposed to the marathon of the regular season, he could transition smoothly to a bullpen role. The Dodgers never had to "prepare" Kenta Maeda to swing from the rotation to the bullpen come the playoffs. I'm not ready to give up on Kody Funderburk. He's a lefty with some nasty stuff who seems like he's been battling one nagging injury after another since spring training. I remember how good he was last year and if his stuff is what it should be, HE would be the guy to replace Okert. Not sure at all about Tonkin or Raya but appreciated seeing their names included as options. Finally, I echo the previous question about Matt Canterino. WHERE IS HE?!?!?!?? I've been looking for some kind of mention all year in the minor league reports (which I appreciate and are always interesting) but where is he? Has he even thrown 20 innings this year? Canterino has the "stuff" to be a real difference maker but he's invisible. Can someone give us a report on the entirety of his season? This was supposed to be kind of a make it or break it year for him.

I have no problem with Lewis working out at 2B. It's clear that if we make the playoffs neither Julien or Farmer is an option for the position. Someone stated that Brooks Lee will not make the playoff roster unless there is an injury. I vociferously disagree. Lee is ON that playoff roster ahead of either Farmer or Julien. One of the things about Lewis that I find interesting is that he had a cannon for an arm when we drafted him. He had Tommy John surgery, but he's a couple years removed from it. Most pitchers come back after rehabbing with the same or even great velocity. What has happened to Lewis's arm strength. He frequently bounces throws to 1B from 3B. Lee clearly has a better arm. If Lewis still had "his cannon" we wouldn't be talking about moving him to 2B. I also don't agree with the concern that Lewis would be in greater danger of getting injured playing 2B. This might have been the case in the rough and tumble 1960's and 1970's when base runners routinely went in hard to 2B to "break up the double play. But that's just not the case anymore. If I'm the Twins, once Brooks Lee is healthy, I just might DFA Farmer. he certainly wouldn't be on MY playoff roster with Lee, Lewis and Miranda on the team. I'm not 100% sure the Twins are trading Julien this off season with his value cratering. But much like Kirilloff, I would hang onto him and see if they catch fire with St. Paul and far better with the Twins in 2025. THEN I would consider trading Julien at the deadline to pick up some pitching.

I would put Rocco FAR DOWN on the list. I'm NOT a fan. I would really rather have Paul Molitor as the manager. Molly did more with less. I truly believe that if Molly had the talent the last couple years that Rocco did the Twins would have done better. Why no love for Sam Mele ?? He did a very good job from 1961-1967.

I agree Linus. As the centerpiece of the Polanco trade I primarily focused on him being a RH bat to counter all our LH corner OF bats. That he has a cannon for an arm is interesting. If he develops into a .280/.350/.490 corner OF with 20-25 HR production an OF that has Wallner in RF and Gonzalez in LF would be interesting. With Jenkins in CF I don't know where that leaves Emm-Rod but it just goes to show how much depth we have in our farm system and that all of them will not and cannot be Twins. As far as a timeline, by this time next year we will have a much better idea where the pieces may fall. Emm-Rod could already be a Twin. Jenkins and Gonzalez will probably be advancing in the system. Kepler will be gone and we will have another season to gauge where Wallner, Larnach and Kirilloff are.

Jim Kaat always said that what helped him the most in his development into a big league pitcher was his manager in his first year in the minors requiring him to pitch out of difficulty. Kaat said something like, "He'd come out to the mound and he'd tell me, well sonny, you've dug yourself into a bit of a hole. Let's see you figure out a way out of it." Now, Kaat had a decent fastball, but he was always more concerned with location than velocity. Teams didn't obsess over pitch counts like they do nowadays either. But it's well past time for Raya to throw a minimum of 80 pitches per outing come hell or high water. At this rate, he's being pigeonholed into a 5-inning SP at best and probably a middle relief pitcher at worst. Take off the darn training wheels and let the kid learn how to pitch!! Let him learn how to deal with adversity and grow.

Cody, I agree 100% that not resigning either was a good move. Maeda has been horrible for the Tigers. He started showing signs of falling off a cliff last year with his uneven performances and he's been a dumpster fire this year. Gray is the tougher call, but I thought there would be no way he could duplicate his 2023 CY Young runner-up season. I think the Cardinals overpaid and Sonny is their problem now. I disagree with the idea that not signing them provided the Twins with "flexibility" at the trade deadline. The Twins would have been stiff as a board at the deadline no matter what. They had clear needs for one rotation spot and one or two bullpen arms and the FO/Ownership fell flat. While Cleveland and Kansas City made moves, the Twins added a pitcher that their manager clearly has no confidence in using in any kind of high leverage situation. The Twins would have been better off calling Varland up to take the spot Richards now occupies. Instead, we're treading water while Cleveland stumbles and the Royals are breathing down our neck. Now, had they not been entirely focused on cutting payroll and instead invested that money this off season in Blake Snell, you'd be looking at a playoff rotation of Snell, Lopez and Ober. I'd ride with that. Or, if they had traded Kepler to the Yankees for Nestor Cortes you would be seeing more Wallner & Larnach and at least have a veteran major league LH starter in your rotation. It does not bode well for the Twins to be so heavily reliant on THREE rookie pitchers no matter what their talent and potential is. One rookie pitcher...OK. THREE? It's like watching Mullins play QB for the Vikings. Something good might happen, but that interception is lurking just around the corner.

I don't ever remember a time when the Twins farm system seemed to be in a better place. Prospects thriving on both the mound and position players. On the one hand, you could see the Twins parting with one or two guys to get an established player that could help the team NOW this off season. On the other hand, you realize that ownership and FO will probably not be adding any sizable payroll in the near future. It's a good problem to have from a talent standpoint, but you have to admit that the Twins are pretty darn young right now, with guys like Lewis, Lee, Miranda, Julien, Wallner, Larnach, and Kirilloff on the hitters side, and Matthews, Festa, SWR, on the pitching side. With guys like Emmanuel Rodriguez, Walker Jenkins, Luke Keashall and Winokur pushing hard (and don't sleep on Culpepper) something's gotta give. They just won't have room for all of these guys.

This is a GREAT time to bring this topic up. With the Twins bullpen in complete self-immolation mode we are 2-weeks too late to bring Varland up and put him in the pen. He's a power arm who can be used in high leverage situations if he's throwing one or two inning stints. How many late game leads do the Twins need to blow before this front office has the caffeine from their morning coffee kick in??? The twins went out and got a complete non factor for their bullpen at the deadline (Richards) who Rocco is rightly reticent to use in a high leverage situation. Honestly, as far as a starting pitcher is concerned, Dobnak would probably do just as well as Varland. But Varland COULD be a difference maker in the pen. And to make this move NOW in no way puts Varland out of contending for a starting rotation spot for 2025. DO IT !!!

Winokur was drafted in the same draft we picked Jenkins I believe, maybe in a high, compensatory round. He was always intriguing to me at 6:6 and playing SS and CF. It indicated to me that the kid had some impressive athleticism and a solid arm. Watching the 3 HR's he crushed, I completely agree with whoever said the kid does NOT have a violent swing. It's smooth and precise. Not to put this on him, but his swing looks a little like Aaron Judge. Judge knows he's a big dude and ballparks just must seem small to him. Unlike the violent swing Sano had, Winokur just seems to know that he doesn't have to overpower the ball to get it to sail out of the park. I'm not sure he can stay at either SS or CF, although Ripken at 6:4 did at SS for many years and Judge at 6:7 plays a very good CF. But at 6:6 and with that athleticism, he will be a plus defender wherever he lands...Corner Outfield, 1B or even CF. He's a guy to keep an eye on.

As a kid in 6th grade for that 1969 Twins team I was a Billy Martin kid. I loved the aggressiveness on the bases. In 1969, Carew stole home 7 times but Cesar Tovar also stole 45 bases ! We were fun to watch. Even if the Twins had kept Billy Martin to manage the ballclub in 1970 (they went with Bill Rigney) I think Martin would still have been gone after the 1970 season assuming we would have won the West Division and maybe even won just one game against the Orioles in the 1970 playoffs. Billy was just too combative and he demonstrated that even after he earned his "Dream Job" managing the Yankees. It's true George Steinbrenner was a tough boss, but when he would inevitably fire Billy the Yankees still won. 1969 will always be my favorite Twins team. Billy Martin was the manager. I loved his aggressive style. But he had so many demons he just couldn't overcome that his career track was predictable. Billy was a good manager, that is undeniable. But the stress and chaos he brought weren't enough for him to be someone's manager for 15 years.

TREMENDOUS !! This is vintage RandBalls Stu !! There's always a healthy bit of truth in satire, it's just overlaid with some very clever humor. You my friend, always deliver the goods and you did so in spades this time. My weekend will be spent chuckling about this constantly. I feel like I should say to my wife "Hey Honey, lets skip the Joe Mauer day on Saturday and go to the hanging of the Financial Prudence Banner on Sunday instead !!!" Many thumbs UP !!

We gave up nothing to get very little. Richards could surprise and pitch decently for a couple weeks but I agree with others who think he could get DFA'd by the end of August and we'll go with some young arms come September 1st.