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Unwinder

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Everything posted by Unwinder

  1. The universe really owes Royce a big one. Missing out on 2021, plus that hairline at age 22 (I say this with total sympathy as a balding man).
  2. Bringing back Simmons may indeed be the pragmatic choice, but from a fan perspective it really feels like giving up. Even if there are good moves elsewhere, it'll be hard to believe that the Twins are aiming for contention if they can't move on from Simmons. Simmons himself could also benefit from a change of scenery, and a new fanbase that views him as a shrewd buy-low candidate rather than one of the most visible scapegoats of a disappointing year.
  3. Just read through this and a lot of it seemed like it could've been written very recently. Williams complains about hitters swinging for the fences too much, pitchers getting too dominant, pull-hitters getting shut down by shifts (really thought that was a new problem!) and even suspects that the ball has been juiced. On the other hand, he only mentions three or four types of pitch, seems to face knuckleballs all the time, and talks about the slider as if it's some sort of new lab-developed superweapon.
  4. I feel like between him and Polanco, one's gotta go. The infield is a position of strength for the Twins, Sano and Donaldson have negative trade value, and we have exciting prospects making third base look like a logjam. I don't WANT to lose either Polo or Arraez. Polonco is a good player coming off a great season, and Arraez is playing the sort of high-contact baseball that I want to see more of (plus he's a close 2nd most entertaining stocky short guy on the team). Overall I think Polanco's going to contribute more to winning (and can bring in a bigger haul), but Arraez is the one I'd rather tune in to watch. Of course, if we can't extend Buxton the trade situation looks a lot different.
  5. The only time I set foot in the Metrodome was when I went with my mom to play extras in the movie Little Big League. My family wasn't really into sports. Would love to go back in time and experience a game there. Target Field is where it all started for me, though, so I'll always love Target Field.
  6. Only a coward buys the jersey of a retired (or dead) player!
  7. Boy, this is why I have no stomach for the offseason. Polo's an incredibly valuable trade chip who can get us what we need, but I love him too much. It'd be hard for me to pull the trigger.
  8. It sure doesn't seem like these guys have much to gain from signing on as one-year rentals while we try to get Royce set up. Can we realistically lock down any of these guys for just 2022, at any price?
  9. Plus he just needs to prove he can do it at an mlb level. He's not a struggling player like Jax or a hypothetical like Lewis. I really want to see Jax thrive as a long reliever. While he had a rocky season, he showed some exciting flashes and had a terrific attitude. It's tough not to root for him.
  10. Yeah, I think this is also why they love tall guys like Bailey Ober whose arms are so long that they add a couple of mph of "perceived velocity." I think they see that as basically a bargain when they can get a guy who gets the same results without the actual (presumably expensive?) mph stat. I'm definitely attracted to this strategy because it feels cleverer and more sophisticated than just chasing the guys who can throw hard. No idea how well it actually bears out.
  11. Leaving my error uncorrected because trying to cover it up now would be all the more shameful.
  12. This could have opened up at least three Joe Maggi at-bats.
  13. Hey, yeah. The free market is only a free market if it cuts both ways.
  14. There's a weird emphasis in this thread on whether or not minor leaguers can afford to live on what they make when there is no controversy whatsoever over whether MLB teams can easily afford to pay them well. If the proposed 3-4 million were to get added to the minor league payroll, is there some corresponding person elsewhere in the organization who then needs to sleep on an air mattress? Is the guy who walks down the aisles selling beer going to be put out on the street? Does it mean the Twins have four million less to spend on free agents next year? Or are we merely depriving Jim Pohlad of his hypothetical third Porsche? How come minor leaguers have to make a case for more money, while MLB's case against paying them more money is taken for granted? If MLB can't find any more money for minor league players, maybe they need to learn how to budget.
  15. He played in the majors for the Rangers and Marlins from 2014-2018, and it didn't go too smoothly for him. I believe the Twins regard him as catching depth. He could get another shot if the right people get injured.
  16. I find it very endearing that the reason Sano is trying to lose weight is because he thinks it'll give him leverage to convince the Twins to re-sign Cruz.
  17. I don't mean to get political or assume anyone else's motivations here, but I think this conversation is getting lost in the weeds in broader ideas about what fair wages even are and what employers are obligated to pay. I think that people get so used to arguing that the government shouldn't impose a higher minimum wage that they're primed for the same arguments in a conversation about whether a specific business should pay their employees more. Regardless of how you feel about regulating wages, it's still good to take care of people who you rely on to keep your business running. It's still good, if you can afford to, to pay your employees more than you're required to pay them. Generosity is good. Playing baseball at a professional level takes a lot of very specialized skill and talent, and other industries that require similar levels of skill tend to pay their workers a lot more (because players will still line up and make sacrifices to chase their dreams). I don't think it's necessary to split hairs over whether or not minor league players can scrape by if they're frugal enough. Baseball organizations can afford to pay minor-league players a comfortable living, and it would be morally good if they did, even if it shouldn't be mandatory for them to do so, and even if it doesn't provide a proven competitive advantage. A business that is generous with its employees is better than one that is unnecessarily stingy.
  18. Plus you get moved around without much warning, and you need to keep playing baseball most nights of the week. Sure cheap apartments are out there if you shop around, but more than likely you've got to lock down a place fast or sleep in your car until you do.
  19. Correct, I've said it before, a "living wage" assumes you only need one place to live. If you still have to pay rent on your old apartment because your lease isn't up yet, being able to afford a 2nd apartment isn't just a matter of buying less Starbucks.
  20. Sure, but is it really good for baseball if only the most financially responsible players can make it through the minors?
  21. We have a surplus of (non shortstop) infielders, and we need pitching very badly. There's only one reasonable way this equation can resolve. It's an area of strength that we can afford to trade from and the need is dire. Somebody's gotta get traded. I'd prefer that it be Donaldson, but if we can't move Donaldson, the other guys are sadly expendable. If Donaldson, Arraez, Polanco, and Sano are all on the roster next spring and Miranda is still playing tee ball against AAA pitching in St. Paul, then the Twins will have failed to capitalize on a very advantageous situation.
  22. I'll miss seeing Miranda at CHS field, but I hope I never see him there again.
  23. It just struck me that the universal DH could be a real goldmine for the Twins and their surplus of hitters with no real defensive home.
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