Mark G

"Minnesota's TV deal is hampering some of its revenues, but they are spending more than enough to be competitive in the AL Central." I don't know about y'all, but as long as we stay "competitive" in what some would call the weakest division in MLB, I'm a happy man. ?

Yes!!

Everything you gave us is accurate and very analytical. Matter of fact, my head is spinning with your numbers and charts, so I will just believe it all. But when it is all said and done, I look at 3 things that I don't see much of anymore: how many innings does the guy give us over the course of a season? How many quality starts does he give us in a season? And as old school as this might be, I still look at ERA as an extremely important stat, even today. When those 3 things are solid I have confidence in him; I don't really care how many strike outs he has, or swings and misses, if he doesn't go deep into games, and gives up too many runs for the innings pitched. Where did Gray end up on that graph? I should probably look. ?

I agree with every word. I just think that they will do it in one of the 5 divisions in MLB that they don't have to play 13 games a year against. I think they will find a trade partner that has a prospect(s) as good as we would be willing to part with and is not a prime competitor. However, I have been wrong before. As a matter of fact, I can still remember the time I was. ?

Let us assume Chicago is truly trying to trade Hendrix, and let us assume we are interested and are making an offer. What would make us assume Chicago would trade him within the division, making one of their prime competitors better? Even if they think he is on the decline and that is why they are shopping him now, what if he does have a good (great?) year or two in him? Are they willing to take the chance on that within the division? My guess is they will do their best to move him outside the division, and maybe even outside the AL.

I think we got our wires crossed. The quip about saving Rocco from himself wasn't about playing Max in CF, it was batting him cleanup. I don't think the FO is making out the batting order, though they may very well be saying who plays where. ?

Personally, I would rather Max back up BB than the others. He has proven he can handle it and maybe, just maybe, Celestino could use a little more seasoning and not being pushed into action whenever BB goes on the IL or has to DH to save himself. We just had an article about how many corner OF's we have; if Max had to move over, there is a plethora of choices to move into right. Or is replacing Max in right and BB in center too much at once? ? And if we have to save Rocco from himself, maybe he should be the one traded. ?

The only way they should trade Max is if they get major league talent in return. His contract is not outrageous, his defense is top notch, he can cover center in a pinch, and if you bat him 6th or 7th he is not the detriment a lot of people think he is. As part of a package, or alone, unless you get something in return, and I don't mean a "prospect", we should at least see how the non shift era begins. And if someone comes along and simply outplays him, then talk trade, but that hasn't happened yet. As of today, he should be your right fielder unless a truly good deal presents itself.

I love the timing of this article, with Jim stepping down and Joe stepping in. What do we really know about how much Jim is going to be involved and how much actual authority Joe has? Until we see more of that dynamic it is speculation at best, and total unknown at worst. But for now, let's go with the speculation. As much as revenue is increasing, how much do the Twins see? With virtually little to no revenue in '20, more, but not enough revenue in '21, and the lowest attendance in this recent era in '22, how are the Twins really doing? My gut tells me that Jim is going to give Joe some more to work with to get his feet wet, and see how the attendance does and revenue increases flow into the business. I can see 140 - 150 mil this season, with much of the increase in the pitching department, and using young (cheap) talent to supplement a handful of proven (and higher paid) position guys. If the attendance comes back to better levels and the team performs fairly well, I can see 150 - 160 in '24 and, again, see how it goes. If it goes south, I can see a retrenching and maybe even a change in FO and dugout management and letting Joe put his mark on the franchise. But I do not see a vast increase in payroll ever from this team, meaning somewhere in the 160 - 180 range by todays dollars. The Pohlad family is a business oriented family, and will continue to be, so this team will never be a billionaire's toy. I just hope they spend enough to give the fans a clear message that they want us for the long haul. Hope springs eternal.

My argument for trading Jorge has been he is at the peak of his trade value right now. Still only 29, 3 years of control relatively cheap, etc.. All the reasons we would want to keep him are all the reasons he would bring something of value in trade. And the young guys behind him are even cheaper with even more years of control. My gut tells me his body is only going to need more time to heal when hurt, and the hurts are going to keep coming. Either commit to him for his career, or trade him while his value is highest. In my extremely humble opinion, the latter makes the most sense.

"Will the Real Joe Ryan Please Stand Up" Maybe the answer is what we have seen so far is the real Joe Ryan. Good enough stuff to beat the Tigers like an old rug, but not top to bottom lineups that all pitchers eventually have to go against. From the times I have seen him pitch he appears to live and die with the high fastball, trying to get hitters to chase. Disciplined hitters/lineups who do not chase are giving him fits when he is forced to bring it down. He can still get hitters out when his location is sharp; he needs to work on that as much as anything else. The 3 rules of real estate apply here, and his real estate is the strike zone. When he spots his pitches well he goes deeper into games. He has the tools, he only needs to sharpen them.

This may look like a conundrum to some, a logjam maybe, or even a game of musical chairs where someone always ends up without a seat. But to this front office it looks like.......well........Tuesday. Just another day at the office. This is exactly the type of 40 man roster they look for; everyone jostling for positions and never staying in one too long. Oh, they admit there are exceptions, such as catcher and SS, but otherwise they have no desire to find players that play the same position 140+ games a year. You can't give everyone 300 - 500 at bats a year that way. And if BB wasn't the best center fielder in the league, he would be bounced around too. With the exception of catcher and short, all players are pegs that can be put in more than one hole, and even those 2 positions DH a fair number of times. Starters and bench guys just aren't the vision this FO has, so it has to have a 40 man that moves around, including optioning players throughout the season. And I personally don't know of too many teams that have 40 major league capable players sitting around the clubhouse; this team certainly doesn't. But that is the roster they designed, so it isn't a conundrum to them. It's just another day at the office. Just one of a variety of extremely humble observations. ?

"Andrew Heaney is the Best the Twins Can Do" Really? Is that what we have come to? Maybe that is why Jim passed the baton to his nephew. ?

I respectfully agree; to each their own. If a guy like Arraez isn't worthy of risk taking, then, excuse me, I don't know who is. Let's assume you are right, he is a 1 tool player. I have to assume that tool is a .300 average bat. A one tool player who was put in the mix at 1st base in the gold glove pool. I know I am an old school guy, and the metrics today might be against me, but a .300 hitter who grades out pretty good at a position he has never played before seems like a guy you would want to take a flyer on. But that is just me. I guess it boils down to power vs. getting on base........for the guys who have power. Hmmmmm...... What is the latter worth? I guess it depends on what you value, and I guess I value the latter as much as I value the first. Because without the one, the other is the one tool player, no matter which one is which. One compliments the other, and neither is worth anything without the other. Just an aside: I know this is not the best stat, as no team wants this to be their calling card, but Arraez led the team in doubles, and tied for first in extra base hits that were not home runs. Is that power? Or are solo home runs the definition of power? One got a career filling contract, and the other is not worthy of an extension. Maybe old school guys like me aren't the best judge, but I would lock this guy up at least through his early 30's, "power", or not. And now.

I don't know, I guess I am out in right field on this one, but I just don't see what you (and others) see in Buxton. He is the best center fielder in the game, at least in my extremely humble opinion, but only when he is allowed out of the trainers room. And 80 games a year just isn't enough for me. Especially when, at least in 2022, he only played 58 games in the field. Not worth 15 mil a year unless he can play the field more. An occasional solo HR, and a .220ish average, along with a 1/3 strike out rate isn't better than a .300 hitter who walks more than he strikes out, power or not. Don't get me wrong, I love Buck, but I will take Arraez every year until one or the other gets hurt to the point of no return. 58 games in center field, no matter how good he is in those games, just doesn't make up for the lack of overall hitting, home runs acknowledged. If Buck can get the lifetime contract he got, and who knows, maybe deserves, Arraez should get at least a pretty good portion of that. Now, before he gets the same idea as Judge, and bets on himself.

No disrespect, but a question: how did you feel about the long term extension with Buxton? We knew about his injury history and with his chronic knee issues no one knows how long he will play center field with the same ability, but we gave him 100 mil to keep him for his career even though we had no way of knowing how long that career will last with his injury history and total body fragility. And as much as I like his power, I would take Arraez overall with the bat. Would an incentive loaded deal work for Arraez, ala the one we gave to Buck? (would he even consider it?) Just wondering what you think along those lines.

He has the eye and the type of swing that, assuming no career threatening injuries, could last until age 38, much less 28. If the team doctors think he is going to be alright overall, and we play him safely, lock him up now for 4 years with an option. When he is in his early thirties both sides can reassess where he wants to be and if we want him for his career. But for now, give him a fair contract and make it known he is valued. I am betting the fans would love to see it as well. He may not be the defensive wizard everyone would like to see, but he can play multiple positions and DH when he needs a break. He should be a part of the core going forward.

Why am I thinking to myself that if Farmer was everything we are trying to make him out to be, why is Cincinnati so willing to send him packing for a minor league prospect not ready for prime time? And why are we so willing to jettison a proven veteran 3rd baseman who, by the way, also has a history of filling in at short for (pardon the pun) short periods of time? A right handed bat for a right handed bat, and not a better hitter all around. What? The 3ish million we are going to save? Or is it really just that he could be a 3rd string catcher in a pinch? A 32 year old with 2 more years of arbitration doesn't suggest a proven commodity; he has, however, proven durable, based on at bats over the last 2 years. Overall, I just am not feeling good about trades with Cincinnati since the Mahle trade, so I will reserve judgment until about mid season, when we know how the two are working out. If they both come through, as I have said on occasion, I will take my crow medium rare. But recent history with the FO trades gives me pause, so I will wait and see. I will miss Urshela in the middle of the lineup and on the left side of the infield. 3ish million better buy something pretty good.

Much, if not all, of what you say is true. But at the end of the day, Boras, or any other agent, works for the player, not the other way around. I know, a lot of players just turn it over to the agent and walk away, claiming no knowledge of, or responsibility for the negotiations, but at the end of the day if the player wants to play somewhere, he will play there more times than not if he is good enough. And Correa is good enough. So we will see how much he really wants to play here, or if it was just lip service, if our bid is competitive. But it is our job to make it competitive!! And creativity is part of that. If the smartest guys in the room can't make a truly competitive bid, then look to the owner's box, because nothing gets done without that say so. And that is where my true doubt lies.

We need to craft something that guarantees us his prime years, paying him upfront for those years, and also giving him an option later in the contract that would allow him to move to a contender if we haven't been much of one. I question if he will take a 9 year deal committing himself to us for his career unless he feels he can win here, and I am not sure he feels that. Let him make his money while we get his prime years, and then let him go to a contender (if he so chooses) in the latter part of his career. It is a win win for him and the team.

Maybe we should organize a go fund me page. ?

This makes the most sense to me. Maybe, say, after 4 years the team has an option on the 5th, and after that it is the players option from then on through each remaining year. Gives us some security, and gives him the chance to move toward the end of his career to a championship contender (assuming we aren't). Give him a partial no trade deal, maybe giving him the chance to pick 8-10 teams he would agree to and not the rest. Gives him a say in any trade, which he will probably want. And give him the choice of front loading, or back loading the contract, or just making it a constant number throughout. Lay out the number of dollars and the number of years, and let him and Boras write in the amount they want each year, as long as it adds up to the total dollars. I know, that may overload payroll on a given year, but it would relax it in another, and it would be a very nice gesture to someone who has options. And make an actual competitive offer, or move on. Your aren't stringing Correa along, you are only stringing us, the fans, along, and we are bloody sick of it. Just one man's extremely humble opinion.

Hell yeah, Calvin would make Dan Snyder look like a peach. ? But you always knew where he stood. I never know a bloody thing this collection is even saying, much less thinking.

While I wouldn't exactly send hate mail to the FO if they signed any of the 3, none of the 3 excite me all that much. Fulmer might have the lead in this extremely humble observer's opinion, but I would still look long and hard for an upgrade from the past, rather than a stroll down memory lane.

You know, it's funny; the article referred to was the Charlie Walters article, and even at the time I read that article I thought to myself this is just Charlie being Charlie. Scott Boras could care less about a state income tax over a 7-10 year contract period; it probably doesn't even enter his head. Anyway, as the poet once said, "it is to laugh". As for the article itself, 3 or 4 generic quotes from JP is so meaningless I blew it off the minute I moved on to the rest of the article. That is also textbook Pohlad; making everyone think he is doing something, without really committing himself to a bloody thing. Between him, Bell, Falvine, and Rocco, I have never heard so many people say so much and mean so little in a lifetime of watching this team. Makes me pine for the days when old Calvin would have a couple of drinks and get near a live mic. Good or bad, at least you got the skinny. ?