Thrylos

Why? Won't work for competing this season? That bird flew away. They got to play young players (Polanco is out of options next season) to figure out what they have. I see no reason not to go with a Escobar/Beresford-Polanco-Sano IF right now. Might beat the Dozier-Nunez-Plouffe one. If it does not work, they deal with it during the off-season.

From that article: “I think he’s doing a great job,” Pohlad said recently when asked about Molitor’s season. “Does that sound stupid to say that since we have the worst record in baseball?" At least it seems to have a grip on how he sounds... I am convinced that Pohlad is part of the problem here. He's got to sell to someone who cares.

.252 That's the number the Twins have to be over in winning percentage. It is the franchise's worst record (1904 Senators) and the modern era's 4th worst. Their current .316 winning percentage (that translates to a 51-111 record) is the 4th worst of the franchise trailing only the aforementioned 1904 (.252), 1909 (.276), and 1903 (.314) teams. In Minnesota it is by far the Twins' worst clip. Second worst was that of the 1982 squad (.370, 102 losses)

That's not exactly accurate, and Dozier is trending the wrong way badly... Here is Dozier's ranking among second basemen based on fWAR 2016: 10th MLB 2015: 7th MLB 2014: 5th MLB 2013: 14th MLB For me the Dozier/Polanco situation is a lot like the Mientkiewicz/Morneau situation. In 2003 Mientkiewicz was 7th in the MLB as far as first basemen fWAR went. That's when he was traded to make room for Morneau (who was a better player). Dozier should have been gone in 2014. Hopefully with his recent hot streak his trade value rised a bit. Polanco is the better player hands down here, in an even more premium position (SS) and I would suspect that Beresford could be as good as Dozier at 2B this season...

This is interesting, but the comparison is apples and oranges. Arcia was a power LHB, something that the Twins do not have in the majors. And the reason he lost his job with the Twins was not Sano, Park or Santana, but it was Kepler and Grossman. Might be interesting to track those two vs Arcia... Much more relevant

No you don't. He is blocking Polanco who is better right now, and you got to sell when he is hot. Get max value, before it drops. Same with Suzuki and his axe, btw

it might sound funny because of the level ball players are compensated, but if someone is planning to play 4-5 more years so they can have enough $ to do what they want to do when they retire, and they don't want to either compromise what they want to do or find another job or something, then, well, they gotta play. Not that much different than someone who is doing any other job really. Just the compensation level and retirement ages change...

Easy peasy for me fWAR leaders for 2016 (btw, the second half of 2015 as in your example does not matter at all. How do you deal with players who played in the other league last season, plus this is not basketball or that other thing they play with a stick; this is the 2016 and not the 2015-2016 season...) : C - Salvador Perez 1B - Chris Davis 2B - Jose Altuve 3B - Josh Donaldson SS - Manny Machado (*) OF - Mike Trout OF - Ian Desmond OF - Jackie Bradley Jr. DH - David Ortiz (*) Machado is listed at 3B in the ballot. Highest listed SS is Xander Bogaerts Those should be the starters.

because a picture is worth 1000 words: TOS is not always due to compression of nerves. It can be due to the compression of the major blood vessels there . Nerve compression almost always has tinkling fingers and neck pains as symptoms. Vascular compression has less pronounced and its symptoms are arm fatigue and shoulder weakness, which are the exact symptoms of a healthy person throwing 100+ pitches at 90+ mph. Since Hughes pretty much never complained about his grip or had any finger or neck pains (he always had lower back issues,) on paper it might look like the vascular situation here... Another complication of the issue is that one of the major causes of TOS is (guess what?) repeated activity (like throwing 4000+ pitches at 90+ mph over a 5-6 month period). Another problem (which is actually a pretty big one.) This surgery does not only move part of the first rib. It cuts open (at best case scenario) or removes part of (at worst case scenario) the scalene muscles (the ones connecting the neck with ribs/shoulder) to relieve the decompression. And when you cut a muscle, if that muscle helps you throw 90+ mph, it is more than likely that it might take time to be able to throw that 90+ mph again. Re: Chris Young. That's an interesting situation because this season his fastball is the fastest it has been since 2007, and his slider is the fastest it has been in his career, so surgery helped him increase his velocity. On the other hand, an asterisk is needed, because Young's career average velocities are 87.4 for the FB and 78.8 for the SL. Tommy Milone/Andrew Albers territory... I do not expect him to pitch before the 2017 post-season (she what I did here? )

Done deal. DickNBert SmalleyDick were saying exactly that in last night's broadcast, and we all know that Dick is not paid (or potentially not capable) to have original thoughts, but to relay what the Twins' brass feeds him.

FTFY

How do you feel about Bill Smith? He definitely turned that junk that Ryan left without dealing (Mauer, Santana, Hunter) into a 90 win team, until he decided to let GardyNAndy make the personnel decisions for him...

Yes, the Pohlads certainly took notice. And they have their President sign every single act from soccer, to little league games, to circus, to redneck concerts, to tractor pulls, to demolition derbies to make up for the cash, no matter how it messes up the ballpark field. That's St. Peter's job and not Ryan's

There is actually one person in the Twins' organization who Ryan might be grooming to be his successor and will be scarier than Antony (if that was not scary enough.) This guy: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JHlK6yu5Yf0/UGX77U9kRtI/AAAAAAAAgDQ/i-QoyVGsSLg/s320/ron+gardenhire+(12).jpg

The Twins will find someone like Jerry and Stellie again to blame this disaster on. Case in point: The Twins are 15th in the AL in: ERA, H, R, ER, HR, WHIP, etc etc etc, and Ryan is waiting with open arms for their criminal (*) pitching coach to return from his 2 month paid vacation, while his job in the majors meanwhile is given to their 64 year old minor league pitching coordinator of a system that has not delivered a front line pitcher in about a decade. If they cannot fire the pitching coach of the team with the worst pitching in the league, after he committed a crime, do you expect them to fire the manager and the whole front office? Baby steps first. Neil Allen has to go for his performance on and off the field. (*) yes, last time I checked DUI was a crime.

Too much $ for them from aluminum bat companies to make the switch. Also, those bats add offense, so I do not see it happening, because people want more hits and runs when they watch baseball for some reason

My biggest issue with amateur school (including college) baseball is the bats. The sound of the aluminum bats makes watching those games like watching a beer league softball game. College "World Series" (they need to change that bit too) or not. The Cape Cod league is the premier ground for competition at the college level. That one should be in people's bucket lists. I see no reason that schools should not change to wood bats, like in the real sport. What they are doing is the equivalent of playing NCAA football with a vortex football. No. Thank. You.

I'd seriously like to see Gibson (and everyone else) with a better pitching coach

Sure. Keep Gibson

You are decreasing your opportunity cost (i.e. getting more innings from someone like Berrios/May/Meyer/Jay/Gonsalves/Stewart/etc) the next 2-3 seasons in the majors, which is much more than something of value. (ie. would you trade the next 3 years of Santana for the next 3 years of Berrios, straight up? Of course you would do; now sub Berrios with another of the other pitchers mentioned...) Whatever else you can get in a trade will be a plus. The point here is trying to correct Ryan's mistakes of loading the rotation with overpriced and over-committed veteran number 3-4 type starters in a competing team, who are blocking better pitchers.

.196 /.315/.304: Grossman's slash line the last 2 weeks .300/.345/.480: Rosario's slash line the last 2 weeks.

It would bring less that it would had (let's say) 2 off-seasons ago...

Walker makes Delmon look like Willie Mays on the field, and Buxton look like Barry Bonds as far as Ks and BBs go at the plate. Would be fun to see Walker traded within the division in September...

have not problem with any of those steps, but there are at least 3 steps that need to be done before those: a. Get someone with baseball knowledge and make him the president of baseball operations, charge him with 1. finding Ryan's and Molitor's replacements and 2. figuring out who in the Front Office and the Twins' minor league field managemnent staff should stay and who would go. b. Trade everyone over 26 who is tradable (yes this includes Ryan Pressly) c. Make Molitor play the young players instead of letting them sit.

Good. Trade him