TNtwins85

Agreed. If he went down in May when does he come back? June/July at the earliest?Probably a good flyer to take on a 2yr deal or even a cheap 1yr prove it but they need guys in April and May.

That’s what I see as well. It’s becoming plain as day now. To what length do they give this current core a runway? As in do they make another mid range move via trade or FA or do they run this group as is and supplement the back end of the depth? If the latter is the case they’re expecting Buxton to have another monster year. Jeffers to go to another level playing for a big contract. Lewis to be closer to an MVP we’ve seen glimpses of instead of a 1-1 flop. Lee to be a solid 2-2.5WARstarting SS. Wallner to provide pop and not be an automatic K. Lopez, Ryan, Ober to be themselves and SWR to simply be average but still improving. As far as the bullpen… I guess out of the prospects and whoever doesn’t make the rotation you find a couple inconsistent yet electric shutdown guys in Festa/Matthews/Bradley, Adams and Ohl take a step forward and you find a Brock Stewart or 2 with your NRI guys this spring. I see a glimpse of “compete”, but it’s not a slam dunk and a lot of “If’s”.

Agreed. The guy could barely throw coming off of TJ which he hadn’t even finished his throwing program when he broke his arm. Judging from his quick call up after not really hitting good at AAA the Twins were desperate to save the season when he was called up and they thought his dynamic play could boost the team. He didn’t get the call cause he forced his way at all. The scouting on him simply thought that he wouldn’t flop in MLB. In reality if the team was going good he doesn’t get called up until September of last year. He got thrown to the wolves and succeeded. With a fully healed arm and legit time at 2B this spring I believe he’ll be fine there. I do expect him to struggle a bit though. I don’t expect him to be a 4.5WAR player which is what you could extrapolate his season to over a full year. But a 2.5-3WAR player and plays a serviceable 2B would be great.

Going for 1B depth!

Oh they’re going home. First pulling the wool over the common fans eyes and then pulling the rug out come end of July and selling the wool and the rug for top dollar. Then going home.

I hate it. I’m more of a no half measure guy. Either trade them all this off-season or contend and see what shakes out next offseason. But unless there’s a miracle this move points to all things make it look like an attempt to contend. I give it the end of January. If there’s no big moves by then that’s the plan.

You shouldn’t be confused at all. They’re making it look like they’re attempting to roster build but more and more I see a trade deadline sell off round 2 coming. The FO is leaving breadcrumbs to a rebuild. Unless a big move is made via trade to shake things up this month that’s my assumption now with this move.

He will serve as a platoon partner for Clemons and Bell at 1B/DH. This move may signify that they’re not gonna go after another bat. If that’s the case I anticipate a few low wattage RP moves and this is the team they’ll go in with. By August 1st the Twins will have sold everyone worth a decent prospect again and they’ll be in full rebuild mode. I hope I’m wrong but the picture becomes more clear day by day with low wattage moves or no rumors at all on trades or FA’s.

Oh ok. So all the complaining is just in my head and I’m not reading anything correctly? I must be looking at the wrong site and can’t find where the VAST majority are posting the rational and realistic comments at I guess. I’ll have to keep looking I suppose. My bad.

Really? Where have you been? A lot were awfully excited for the Donaldson and Correa contracts. The Twins got out of those contracts miraculously. A lot around here are constantly crying about how the Twins can’t spend like the Dodgers and Yankees. All the people around here advocating for a salary cap and floor. That all leads to what I said. Doesn’t happen to all players but it’s closer to the norm. Most players signed to those contracts begin declining in their early 30’s. In which case you’re stuck paying a guy $25-35M a year for very sub standard production. The same as paying a below average player as the original comment posted.

Yet many here want the Twins to spend money on 28/29 year olds so that we can watch expensive $20-30M a year washed up 30 year olds when they inevitably age poorly 3 years into a 6-7 year contract.

Pohlads will never allow this lineup unless Falvey convinces them of it. It’s too young and if it came to that Buxton is gone. LeBron isn’t advanced enough of a college bat to be up that fast. Even if he has a monster half year after being drafted he sure isn’t starting at 3B the following year. Tait is gonna need to go to another world as well. The bat was good for a 18 year old in the middle of that lineup at A+. I watched him quite a bit on MILB last year. He handles him self well behind the plate but needs to get much better to be in MLB defensively as the starting C. From what I’ve heard Houston is MLB average to above average right now. If he can simply show any ability to hit somewhat competently I could see him in this ‘27 lineup. If total system failure 2.0 happens this summer expect some more upper minors talent as well as it seems Falvey would like to turn this around fast.

Matt Garza. I agree. Things would have to go disastrously for Houston to be called up. Although plausible I wouldn’t expect it especially if the bat isn’t showing, He’ll be lucky to get to AAA this year

Yes, it’s the way the Pohlads have operated the previous 2 downturns. I wouldn’t expect it any other way really. When faced with the choice of completely tearing it down and maximizing prospect value they’ve always turned to the let’s try and stay respectable model which is great for keeping a few butts in the seats but leaves you short at the other end of the rebuild. Which has been the case the last 2 rebuilds. If they don’t make a move for another competent hitter then that’s the path pending a trade deadline sell off this year.

That’s pretty off base. He’s at least a decent utility INF. Polanco wasn’t a good SS either and there’s a reason Willi Castro was signed as a 25 year old FA. If he can improve enough to make the plays he should make as a young Castro could and provide even a sliver of what Polanco did with the bat as a SS he’ll be fine. He’s not far off if he improves even moderately. The 16 bombs is a very positive sign and he passed the eye test defensively at the end of the season. You don’t need a prime Correa at SS to win. You do need consistency and competence. He’s not that far off. What worries me is the lack of another reliable hitter. That should be Lewis. Does he take the next step? It’s time for Lewis to take that step or be relegated to bust territory. Lee was never gonna be an AS out of the gate. That expectation was always unrealistic. Even when he hit .330 at AAA. I believe he’ll be just fine at SS. If he hits to even half his potential.

Unless they make a big move before spring training then I’m convinced that the first half of the year is the barometer. If everyone produces and they’re in the mix come the trade deadline then they’ll buy themselves in. If not, and that seems to be where they will trend with the current group, then they’ll sell and they should absolutely clear the slate and get what they can for everyone they can get something for. Do they? If the 3rd generation of Pohlads is anything like the 1st or 2nd then they’ll screw that up by keeping whoever they can and simply let them walk. Either way I’m not confident in the Pohlads bringing this team back to contention this decade. If things are truly bad as believed then yes the Twins will be the Pirates or Marlins. This all sits on the lynchpin of one big move and a few smaller moves before spring training. Do they do it? We’ve got 2 months to see what the Twins next move is. It may not be a move and that will say a lot.

Well, considering the last couple of 1 year Twins 1st baseman have turned in pretty good years defensively they may have a trick for getting the most out of them. I don’t expect them to be 30th out of 30 as there’s a lot of bad combinations if one simply looks around the other 29 teams and doesn’t pessimistically just look at the Twins. As it stands now a combination of Bell, Clemons and insert random guy will most likely be in that 20-25 range. If Bell can squeeze one more 1-2War season that’s fine. But until they address the 1B spot by acquiring a young 1B. Signing a big 1B FA or commit to developing one like they did Morneau it will continue to be a black hole for big positive production as the 1B spot should be.

Another ongoing tree starts with AJ Pierzynski and gets you to Mick Abel and Eduardo Tait. I wonder what that one has added up to? Or what it will add up to and if it will continue more branches.

I’d be fine letting the young guys fill the bullpen if they get one more “legit” bat. Preferably someone to anchor the bullpen and a legit bat but if I have to pick one I take the hitter. I hope O’hearn or trade for at least that quality. I’m unimpressed with anyone else not named Tucker or Bichette and that ain’t happening. With the glut of SP’s and LH outfielders something’s gotta give. I don’t think they carry all these guys into camp. At least I hope not anyways.

I would be all over the Ober for Lawler trade over Vientos. I’ve seen you mention this before and it’s grown on me. I liked him coming out of HS. Seems a change of scenery might do him good. At worst he’s probably a light hitting super utility and better than Fitzgerald. I think at this point they’ve gotta move on from Ober before he turns into a pumpkin and they get nothing for him. I think when he starts to go it’s gonna be fast and he’s starting to show the signs.

Great article! Even if he uses it even 50/50 with the original changeup just that difference in both adds another wrinkle. Now that he is aging into his 30’s the ability to keep reinventing himself ( and I believe he’s that kind of pitcher) extends his career and maybe elongates his prime another year or two and allows him to age more gracefully without his performance dropping off a cliff. Whether it’s for the Twins or someone else he’s always gonna be one of those guys you root for.

If what I wrote was the saddest thing here then you sir are maybe the most miserable person here. That’s saying something. Do you remember the late 90’s twins? Maybe the 2011-2015 teams? No? If Falvey makes you this upset what happens if I mention Terry Ryan?

This is the saddest thing you’ve ever read here? Enlighten me then. Please.

I’m not unfamiliar with the Twins. I just refuse to be a parrot and repeat the stupid childish narrative that a guy should be fired because he didn’t do what I wanted him to do. I refuse to beat the same old dead horse and claim a guy is dumb because he traded someone that I liked. I don’t fall into the same trap as everyone else thinking I should be the GM because my team on MLB the show won so why can’t he. I try to see a positive and see someone else’s line of thinking on a move instead of immediately grabbing my pitchfork and torch and going to a baseball teams blog to express how stupid someone making a million dollars more than me is. I try to analyze a situation and judge a guy by a series of moves and be able to see the parameters he’s working in rather than just garble out the same mess as 50 other people do everyday. I don’t thumbs down someone because I don’t like what they’re saying but instead because it’s irrelevant. I’m very familiar with the Twins and not just the Twins but baseball in general. Which is why I find it so unintelligent to simply say “Fire Falvey!” Whenever he does something I question but instead try to see and analyze what and how he’s thinking. Because I can’t ask him the question myself I have to follow breadcrumbs. The “sell off” at the deadline made sense to me when looking at all the parts. Frankly, I think they’re doing a disservice by not trading Ryan, Buxton and Lopez. It resembles 2010/2011 all over. But they’ve got more in the prospect cupboard this time. So we’ll see. I’ll be excited to see what they do up until July and whichever way they go I’ll be excited. Because if they win or lose and sell it all at the deadline I’ll watch with an optimistic view. I’ll never say “Fire Falvey!” Why? Because there’s 29 other teams and it’s just as easy to get excited watching the Mariners or Blue Jays make a run as it is the Twins. Why? Because I love baseball. Not the Twins. They just happen to be the team I follow more closely. Ok, you can give me a million thumbs down now. Ready……GO!!!!!

The fire Falvey narrative is so old and beat to death. The guy has done some good things. He took a franchise in 2017 that had just lost 103 games and got them to the playoffs with some pretty precise moves. 2019 was brilliance. He turned some low level guys into difference makers with smart moves that Twins fans hadn’t seen since the Pierzynski trade a decade earlier. He helped orchestrate Josh Donaldson and Correa signings which were monumental for a franchise that hadn’t touched even a mid level FA ever. Made a trade for Maeda to get an impact starter. Made an impact trade for Sonny Gray. Both places 2nd in Cy Young voting. Something nobody had seen since Santana. Made a challenge trade for Pablo. Did all the things highly capable FO’s do. Then the Pohlads pulled the rug out. Is he culpable? Yes. But the Pohlads did this. He went along with it and played the good soldier but I don’t believe he deserves to be fired. If not for him the Twins would be the Rockies. Saying the Rockies are better is so stupid if you analyze all the moves he’s made to make this franchise better and modern and saying he’s stupid is stupid. It shows no intellect whatsoever to just parrot things that aren’t true just because you’re angry. Fire Baldelli, Fire Falvey, Fire the Pohlads. That’s so stupid and shows the character of people here. If he’s so stupid then why is he the PBO and not anyone here? Because it’s a hard freaking job. He’s not stupid. If he was he’d be on here telling everyone else that the GM of his favorite team should be fired. But he’s not. He’s actually doing it. He’s in a put up or shut up position. If he fails this test then yeah he probably should be fired.