Badsmerf

Ryan had to completely get rid of Juan Castro to get Bartlett playing time. This is a slightly different scenario. I really hope he explores trading one of their MI pieces this winter. With Polanco most likely starting in AA next year, there is some depth at the position. Also, having a guy like Nunez on the roster provides a back-up plan in case of an injury. These quotes tell me more that JR isn't going to go MI dumpster diving this offseason and nothing more. I don't trust him to do what is in the best interest of the club anymore. I half believe the Span and Revere trades where handed to him on a silver platter. I hoped last season would change my opinion just as I hope this winter will.

This isn't the first time they've come out against Hicks. I feel like they think the fans base is somehow attached to him like they were Hunter. The only reason the fan base was ever excited about him their own fault: 5 tool type guy, GG caliber CF, professional approach at the plate ect. They created the buzz, not Hicks. Now they are trying to go the other way with it. Personally, I want to see him in AAA to start the year. I want to see him destroy it like Parmelee did to even get a chance at the MLB. I've really never been high on Hicks. I just really felt that his skill set wasn't as great as others thought. After watching him play, it was even worse. He is similar to Delmon Young IMO, the talent is there, but the drive to develop it is not.

What kind of evidence do you want? He carried the team to a playoff in 2009 after Morneau went down for the year, he is professional and good with the press, he is a level 37 magician... From everything we knew about him while he was here, he was a very good person to have around. I'm not sure what constitutes a leader if its not him.

8-16. That is the Twins record against potential playoff teams in the last month. Go to the beginning of August and it will look even worse. That is good for a .333 winning percentage. I don't think the Twins have been doing much spoiling.

Again, NO to trading Plouffe. You all just assume Sano is going to step right in be a capable 3b. It doesn't just happen like that. You can't assume that any prospect, especially one with only only a half season of AA coming off TJ, is a for sure thing. Plouffe, right now, is a for sure thing. You have an above average bat, and an above average glove. He is still relatively cheap and has a body that is likely to stay at 3b. Trading him for the hope that Sano is going to take over is such a bad idea.

I think it depends Mike. This team isn't going to turn into a playoff contender next year. If you're trading Escobar or Santana you are trading 1 of the 2 capable SS. That is trading from a position of excess. Even trading Dozier you could slide one of them over and probably be ok. Trading a guy like Plouffe, on the other hand, would be a bad decision. You are going to lose production from that position if that happens. When Sano is ready, and there is evidence 1) he will be able to play adequate defense 2) he can hit MLB pitching; then go for it. Until then, Plouffe is more valuable to the Twins than other clubs. Point is, you can trade MLB talent if it isn't going to set you back. Trading MLB talent just to get prospects is a terrible way to do business. It doesn't work. Prospects fail and cannot be counted on no matter how high their pedigree. Even someone like Buxton. Putting all your eggs in the minor league basket doesn't work.

I would shop Escobar and or Santana. See what the return would be on those guys. Both are young SS with offensive upside, so they should look attractive. I'm not really sure how much value either would have, but SS is the only position the Twins could trade from. Weird, considering how bad the position has been neglected by the FO.

Improved play from CF and LF will be the key to the offseason. If the Twins don't sign Lester or Scherzer they need to find a way to improve the outfield. I hope they aren't relying on Hicks to finally break through, or Shaffer to break out. They need upgrades. Buxton is on the way for CF, so essentially they are good there. That leaves LF like so many have talked about.

Or they are drafting more at risk players..... The fact the Twins are closely trailed by a bunch of teams tells me they aren't that far of an outlier. For whatever reason, they have had a rough go of it in the last few years. Lets hope that changes.

Hey scrap. I don't know how to quote on my phone... anyway, those braves teams you mentioned were a failure. They had the best team in the mlb a bunch of those years and underwhelmed in the playoffs. That is a failure. championships? You call division titles in a terrible division championships? You can't reference not winning the world series not a failure yet consider them a "championship" caliber team. You also act like a world series title is done mystical random act of science. It's not. Teams just have to be constructed correctly (gm) and play together (manager). Neither of which happened during the twins run of mediocrity. Why will that suddenly change? It boggles my mind why fans in mn have so much loyalty to this fo with how terrible this team has been. Is there really any way new people could do worse? I'm not really sure it could get too much worse.

I don't really see any chance Pelfrey is good. He has had 2 good years out of 9, both in the NL, and both before 2 season ending injuries. I really don't see much of a chance he is anything other than one of the worst starting pitchers in the league... again. His only chance at saving his career is in the bullpen... and that isn't even a guarantee he'll succeed. I wouldn't even waste my time with him in the starting rotation, even with an assumption he performs well, is his performing well better that 5 guys that will be on the 40 man roster? I highly doubt it. I hope there is rioting at TF if he is given a starting rotation spot.

Concern? I wouldn't use that term. I thought it was unrealistic to expect a bunch from him. He is still a good player. He has been hitting more doubles now too. I still believe Rosario at 2b has a higher ceiling than Dozier.

I say go big or go home. The twins have the bats coming up in the next few years too score runs, they need a true Ace pitcher to lead the rotation. Not only to get the playoffs, but to win when they get there. Ace, followed by Hughes and Gibson isn't too bad at all. Hope for improvement from the other two spots in the rotation and game on.

That team.... would honestly compete with the Twins. Obviously the pitching for the Twins would be better, but that line-up is going to score a ton of runs. Should be fun watching those guys start out the year.

Max Murphy was a surprise for me. I don't think he can sustain his production at higher levels (think Eric Lis), but he is a fun guy to watch at this point. I'd also add Burdi to my list. This guy will be with the Twins next year at some point. If the Twins are relevant by June, Burdi will be up pronto. Not relevant, and they wait until super 2 passes.

KC has shown this season that elite pitching can get you to the postseason. If the twins think they are good enough with the rotation and count on their guys having a better year they are kidding themselves. They need an elite guy like Lester to actually compete, and they don't have one close. Say what you want about Meyer and berrios, but they most likely won't ever be a front line starter, and certainly not in the next few years. Spending big this off-season on Lester makes a lot of sense. I hope it is considered.

Can you quantify that opinion? I believe green is the best color in the world, but I have hazel eyes and it just suits me well.

What are some things you would want to factor into grading/ranking GM's? I listed a bunch already (net-value of WAR in a trade could be an indicator of how well that trade worked out for your team (of course, you can debate the use of WAR for this and how reliable an indicator it would be). Other factors I believe should be involved are revenue, success during regular season, success in playoffs, FA WAR, money spent on FA, players drafted success, drafting position, WAR of players after leaving organization). So what of those is the most important and how do you weigh them?

If that happens I might be kicked off the forum until further competency is achieved by the organization.

Very bare? Like top prospects going into 2012 weren't Sano, Rosario, Arcia, Hicks, Harrison, Dozier, Gibson, Kepler, Santana. Of which the only prospects that were from Terry Ryan are Dozier, Arcia and Santana. Weird. Lets look at the MLB. Plouffe, Morneau, Mauer, Perkins, Pavano, Liriano, Baker, Revere, Span, Willingham. Not that great, but there was plenty of money available to get some pieces to add for the short term and long term.

With the news of Kevin Towers being fired from the D- backs, I was curious about what he did to get the ax. His first season as GM he did a 180 with the team and made the playoffs after a terrible year prior. He then had a couple 500 seasons before this year's freefall. My off-handed assumption was that he made some pretty bad deals. Looking at those deals more closely, they weren't very good, but weren't the worst either. So I started reading a little this morning about GM rankings, firings, ect. I came across this article about GM rankings prior to the 2014 season; complete with a spreadsheet showing some of the formulas used (though, I would have preferred a better explanation for some of the values given. I thought it was strange that in a game where everything is tracked and mapped, GM success is not. For example, I would think that the net-value of WAR in a trade could be an indicator of how well that trade worked out for your team (of course, you can debate the use of WAR for this and how reliable an indicator it would be). Other factors I believe should be involved are revenue, success during regular season, success in playoffs, FA WAR, money spent on FA, players drafted success, drafting position, WAR of players after leaving organization. A few of these are covered in that article, but I believe it was a half-hearted attempt. In case you don't want to click the link and read through it all (normally guilty of that), Terry Ryan is given a rank of 18. I thought it was a fair ranking. Especially coming into the season. Now, I think the rankings would be different if given now. A bunch of the GM's ranking below Terry Ryan in this article have had pretty good seasons. Since many don't know them, I'll post teams with them Michael Hill (Marlins), Dan Duquette (Orioles), Doug Melvin (Brewers), Jerry Dipoto (Angels), Jack Zduriencik (Mariners). I was actually surprised I was familiar with the GM's in the MLB after reading threw them. So, while Terry Ryan ranked 18th, a case can be made for those GM's to rise in these rankings. Maybe not necessarily passing him in all cases, but improvement for them nonetheless. At the same time, the Twins looking at another fallen season, the Twins apparent detachment from their fan base, all point to the continued demise of the ship Terry Ryan is sailing. What do you think? The Terry Ryan topic is a horse well beaten on this forum, but looking at GM rankings is kind of a different perspective and I'd love it for some of our more mathematically gifted posters to attempt it (I don't have time, sorry guys).

I would have said Ford pickup. Always broken down and the wrist thing on the road. Bazinga.

Arcia shouldn't be platooned. He is too young and is starting to get it. Hicks, on the other hand, might be that 4th OF. He did hit ok in the minors this year, nothing that screams give me a shot. Look at what parmelee did in aaa and he hasn't shown too much. He might run out of chances in MN.

I'm really glad we're getting this out of the way now. One if these times the twins will strike gold (cough) with a Jamie Moyer.... right? I don't really blame his lack of success on anyone. Only difference might be pitch selection, but he is the one throwing and can always shake signs. At the end of the day, he just shouldn't be factored into the future for this team.

How in the world did this guy pitch so well with Oakland? I expected him to be more mediocre than good.... but never expected him to be this bad. He looks like the next Duensing.