Thrylos

The magic number of the core 4 is 4. That's the number of seasons of collective team control for all of them, including 2017. I would think that it will be almost impossible for the Twins to be able to extend all 4 for longer (unless they are willing to extend Sano starting next season.) So they really need to retool and make sure that they are building a team that can contend in the post-season in the next 4 years. I would add Polanco to the core for sure. He is just slumping the last month or so and is hitting better than Buxton

Because Santana is regressing rapidly towards his 4.68 season FIP. His ERA last month was 5.38. Despite that, his .217 BABIP and 83.6% LOB% are not sustainable. This might be the highest value Santana has and I think that we have seen the best of him. If you can get a couple of good young arms, one you can plug in the rotation right away and one at the end of the pen, you do it. If Santana's ERA from now on is at the 5s and 6s, you can definitely win in 2017 and 2018... And let's not forget that the guy is a half a UCL or another PED positive from giving the Twins nothing...

I have not change my mind on this. I think that the Twins should be both buyers and sellers and make adjustments that can help them both in 2017 and in the long run. Things I would do: -I would knock on the Pirates' door to see whether Buxton (.663 OPS last month) can fetch Starling Marte (28 and under team control until age 32 season in a reasonable contract and the last 2 seasons with team options) and Felipe Rivero (25 and under team control for 4 seasons). That will give the Twins a gold glove CF and lead of option who actually gets on base and steals some, and a real closer. -I would knock on the Yankees' door to see whether Santana (5.34 ERA last month) can fetch Jordan Montgomery (24, 6 seasons of team control) and Giovanny Gallegos. (25, 6 seasons of team control). Montgomery jumps into Santana's spot in the rotation and Gallegos at the set up role. - I would knock on Milwaukee's door to see whether Dozier (.645 OPS last month) can fetch someone like Corbin Burnes (22) and Freddy Peralta. (21). Both of those guys go to AA and Nick Gordon comes up to replace Dozier as the Twins' second baseman - Go for a rental starter that will not cost an arm and a leg. Matt Moore (28) might be an interesting target there, since he can be a free agent after this season and has 2 team options. Change of a scenery guy that might just take another change of a scenery guy (Santiago) to get him. - Sell High on Kintzler and get the best prospect package you can get. That will give the Twins a rotation of Berrios, Montgomery, Mejia, Moore, Gibson, a lineup of Marte, Mauer, Sano, Vargas, Kepler, Polanco, Rosario, Castro, Gordon, and a pen of Rivero, Gallegos, Rogers, Hughes, Duffey and two rotating pieces with the minors. The pen and the lineup will be a definite improvement and the rotation a likely improvement esp. with short leash on Gibson and Moore who both have options.

Wasn't that his direct quote from the article that Seth linked to? (I did not bother to read it.) I suspected so because it was in italics...

$ is not the issue during the season. The cost of prospects for a rental is.

Agreed. What I am pointing out is his hypocrisy saying: " I, for one, feel serving my country in the military is a higher calling than being paid money, even a lot of money, to play a sport." Had believed that before the draft he should have left the $ on the table and not have signed Had he changed his money and believes that after the draft, he should return the $ he was paid to "play a sport". Of course it is the Twins' fault, but he is a hypocrite saying that he is beyond "$ for playing a game" with $645K in the pocket just for doing that. He did not have to sign that contact that made him that $

.360 BABIP, 45.6 % LOB and 14.3 % HR/FB makes me think that he will improve and his ERA might regress close to his low 5s SIERA and xFIP. That would make him the 4th best pitcher for the Twins this season Uffda (on both counts) The other side of this equation will depend on what Flavine decide to do with Santiago who is the one that Colon effectively replaces and saves pitchers like Jorge and Turley from being embarrassed Which actually makes me think that it is a temporary measure and (hopefully) if the team looks to be close enough in the deadline, they will go after better pitching. In other ways, it is a lot like the Steve Carlton signing back in '87, and I have nothing bad to say about that signing, so I better not horribly dislike this...

That sounds fine and dandy, if the story ended there. However, Jax accepted $645,600 by the Twins, committing to be a professional baseball player. If indeed "Duty, honor, country" were his number one priority, he should had left that $ on the table and not signed, do his duty and then go out to be a baseball player. Or return that $645K to the Twins and go his happy way. There is a clear conflict here: His heart is either in Air Force or Baseball. Cannot have it both. Unless his heart is in Air Force but loves baseball $$$$. Which is what it appears like from here.

Felipe Rivero, Addison Reed, Tyler Thornburg, for starters. And that is not hindsight. Go look at the relief leaders of 2016 for K-BB% and pick the non-closers. Simple. How much? I don't care, but even a couple of pen prospects would worth the cost.

That may have anything to do with FA relievers but nothing to do with trades. For example: The Red Sox got Kimbrell \a couple seasons ago at his age 27 season for a song from the Padres. He had no choice in the matter.

Last time I checked, the Astros came to the Twins' home and swept them with the closest game being a 5 run deficit for the Twins. That's about the credit I give them...

Surprised that nobody gave Arcia a first baseman's mitt to try for a bit. Seriously. That might be where his future is

Great stuff indeed! How about praising the manager and coaches of the Orioles without giving a single tip of the hat for Gardy & Co

Innovation for the sake of innovation leads to playing short stops, catchers and third basemen at the outfield. The key here is to: have a goal that should be obvious to everyone in the organization and the fans (e.g. win the world series), a plan to get there and a time table to get there. The first step to create a plan is to compare the present state with the future state and do a gap analysis. And then feel free to be innovative in filling these gaps (but please not with Sano at the OF) long term according the plan. (A lot of what 2017 has been for apparently for Falvine to assess the present state) If you prefer "Gaps" to "problems", I am fine with it. But if you don't know what you don't know and you need to know, you are not going very far.

a. Giving up Dozier is not a bad thing necessary. Not sure that Gordon as a replacement will not put better numbers overall that Dozier's league average 101 OPS+ and below league average -2.5 UZR b. Getting to the post season as a wild card team without any plan for long term winning it all will give you about as much possibility of wining as practically not being there. Ask the Twins of the 00s if you don't believe me. Been there done that, should learn something from it. c. One bullpen arm, even though better than no arm, would not close all of the Twins holes towards getting to the postseason and going far in it. And potentially that single arm could be Curtiss, Bard, Reed etc. d. By doing a half-rear end buyer posturing, also will be conceding 2017 but would also have the team miss the opportunity of selling high on older players and building for 2018. If between them Santana, Kintzler, Dozier, Gimenez etc etc could bring an MLB-ready arm that can be plugged in behind Berrios, a corner OF type of player who would be MLB-ready and a late inning bullpen prospect, the Twins will be better in 2018 (esp. if they go after a young SP free agent like Pineda) and might even be better in 2017 getting youth in those positions...

I am all for improving, but you got to get a rotation arm at the Berrios level, a couple of arms better than Kintzler in the pen and at least one, maybe 2 bats in order to have a chance against the Astros in the post season. If they are willing to do all of that, have at it. I am just done with half rear end "improvement" jobs and living on a prayer for the rest

The question that the Twins should be asking is whether Neshek and/or Hand will make them beat the Astros in the post-season when their top 4 SPs will be Santana, Berrios, Mejia and Gibson, and the collective team OPS+ is 96 (and 90 the last month.) If not, they should either do (a lot) more, or be sellers and promote within hoping that the young arms will make a positive difference. In the list of the names mentioned among Twins' minor leaguers, I would add Luke Bard who is finally pitching up to his ability (61 K in 38 IP) All or none. Not half rear-end again. And Neshek and/or Hand alone would be just that.

Not that fast. It would have been a bullpen day today for Santiago. 8 pitches so far. If he gets yanked unreasonably early, he might still start

Slegers started for Rochester when Santiago did, then Turley yesterday so he is out. Gee is slated to start today, so it is wait and see if he makes the start. Gonsalves started when Santiago did for the Lookouts, with Romero the day before. No announced starter yet for the Lookouts. If Gee starts today, he is not it, and looks like Romero might be it with an extra day rest. Or Jorge with an extra day rest. Who starts the AAA game tonight will be telling...

To call him up in September he needs to be on the 40-man before September, thus burning an option.

Yes they should. Maybe. But would they? Cutting Santiago is going to happen sooner than later, I'd rather see one of Jorge or Romero (both of 40 man) replace him, but it looks like it will be Gee who is 2 years older than Santiago. Gibson pitched well the last time out, and below average previously. He is your typical end of rotation type starter who seems to over think things. Will his stuff play better out of the pen? Will be intriguing to see because he can tough 94-95 in the rotation, so he should be a couple notches higher in the pen. A conversion like this happens better in the offseason. So you got Santiago outta here and Gibson in the pen and replace them, ideally with Jorge and Romero (but likely with Gee and Turley based on past experience.) Are Jorge and Romero ready? Will they give the Twins better posibility of winning games than Santiago, Gibson, Gee, or Turley? That's what the Twins' brass has to decide. I think that we have seen enough of Santiago to say that he should go. As for the rest I am not sure. This is not 2016, if the season ended today, they are in a tie for a play in game. At this point, I'd rather see them go out and get a rental that can pencil in on top of the rotation, it will give them a better possibility to win than other options, and try to find who would be the best 5th pitcher by trial and error, among the 4 mentioned. If Romero breaks through and pitches the way we hope he can pitch, I'd consider that a bonus, but I would not count on it.

Guess I am a bit lost. If you want to find solutions, you need to identify problems, no? Otherwise, you might just find "solutions" for non-problems. In other words, if you want to find a solution to get to the World Series, you need to identify what prevents a team from getting there (i.e. a "problem") and then solve it....

Might be ready to pitch next season. Same time table as May. No DL, Just 40 man

Burdi Reed Curtiss Stewart Rodriguez

Rodriguez is a pretty intriguing guy. Super doubtful that he can make the majors as a starter (he has 2 pitches only), but he can as a reliever and given the fact that he can play OF pretty well, he might be an intriguing double switch 7th inning guy.