Nashvilletwin

Little league. With two outs, an error is followed by two walks and then a three run double. Yep, very reminiscent of my days coaching little league. To be fair, Matthews was squeezed a bit by the home plate ump (who, btw, really had a rough night for both teams). Oh well. On the positive side, Julien had a strong game - both at the plate and in the field. He looked quite determined at the plate, especially in that last AB. Don’t look now, but our two prospects with the most concerns about fielding - Julien and Wallner - are starting to look very solid with the glove (and arm). Also, it was fun to see my favorite hitter again on TV. I tried to never miss an Arraez at bat when he played for the Twins, so I am looking forward to watching him hit the next two days.

Could be. But four runs is a big cushion until it isn’t. And this was actually a big game with Cleveland losing and the chance for the extremely rare road four game sweep (especially ahead of a west coast trip to see the talented Padres). Question for you. If Alcala gets out of the 7th with a clean inning, does Jax get the 8th or was Rocco taking the chance that he might be able to save Jax and/or Duran a day on the mound? Maybe Rocco was getting a little greedy - and it’s understandable given how good Alcala has been. I’ll bet Rocco wishes he had just stuck to his model and had Jax pitch the 7th.

Fair point. But I was sitting in my living room calling for Jax for the 7th as soon as Lopez finished the 6th. So I had no hindsight on this question. Sitting there I was thinking (am I sure others were too), based on his performance this year, how Rocco has opted to deploy him, the Rangers he’d be facing, and his freshness, that it was a perfect Jax moment. But I respect other opinions.

Jax is the most trusted high leverage setup guy who is routinely called upon - with success - to deal with the toughest parts of the opposing team’s order. He was also the freshest. And we know how dangerous the top of the Ranger’s lineup has been. The seventh was a fairly standard situation for Jax. As I said, the initial and bigger mistake was not using Jax to open the 7th. There is no 20/20 hindsight. It was just the wrong call given the personnel available and the situation. And, yes, Alcala could have come out for the eighth with the less dangerous portion of the Rangers’ lineup would be batting. It’s ok to admit Rocco made a bad call. We can’t win every game and sometimes the manager makes bad decisions just like the players. Rocco’s made plenty of good calls too. It happens.

Couldn’t agree more. Alcala pitched last night (albeit only 9 pitches, but he still went through the entire drill), Jax was rested, and the best part of their lineup was up. So mistake #1 was to not go with Jax in the 7th. Mistake #2 was not to pull Alcala after the third batter. Sure, the play by Miranda was little league ball, but this one is on Rocco. This team had the chance to put the series away with Cleveland, bury KC, and complete a statement 4 game sweep on the road - and blew all three opportunities. Horrible loss. Simply horrible.

That’s right - I remember seeing you there. Hahahaha, just kidding, of course.

My dad took me to that game. Great memory at the old Met. Here’s hoping Mathews has a better career. BTW, isn’t it great to see a pitcher not giving away free passes.

He will be a lot better if his fielders behind him catch and throw the ball like big leaguers……..lol.

It’s not out of the realm of possibility Varland could’ve thrown a sixth inning. Those four little league plays cost him 20 pitches or more. When a team is undermanned - both due to injuries and the demands of a doubleheader - and a pitcher like Varland takes the mound and gives it his best, the defense must be there to support him. The d let Varland down tonight and, if they had made the plays they should’ve as Major League Baseball players, the headlines tonight would be about how Varland got called up and answered the call with a no-run gem.

Heir to the legendary Piranhas.

The Deadline was not a dud. We kept our best future assets and didn’t overpay in a sellers’ market. There’s an excellent chance we make (and make a run in) the playoffs this year while establishing an outstanding (and affordable) core for the next several years when our window should be more open. With 48 losses we are only four out of the loss column from the best team in baseball - despite our injuries. Assets are returning. Stay the course. The next 10 days are key.

The most disappointed people with our lack of activity at the deadline are most likely a handful of our “semi” top prospects and “up and downers” who weren’t moved and will remain platooners at best. I’m sure at least a couple of them were hoping to go to a team who would play them every day, let them hit against both righties and lefties, and develop as true major leaguers.

Who knows - I certainly do not. I’m just offering a possible explanation as to the reasons behind the Twins more recent decisions and public strategy. What else could explain it? It’s either they are dumb (they are not), greedy (most certainly are, but not in a way that would sacrifice the future for the near term), or they are just making the most cogent business decisions they can to maximise their objectives given current business conditions and their outlook on the future.

Yawn…..

Yes, it is very possible that the Minnesota Twins - inclusive of all revenues and expenses of every entity under that umbrella - are losing money on a cash basis. Who knows what the financial structure of the Twins or the other Pohlad entities is - i.e. what is collateralised, how much debt there is, etc. My only point, which you basically ignored, was: IF, in fact, the Twins are actually losing (substantial) cash on an annual basis, would that possibly give you a better understanding of the decisions they are making? Cash is cash - if you don’t have enough to fund operations, you have to find it somewhere. You can borrow, you can sell ancillary business, you can sell equity, you can improve operations, OR you can cut costs. All I’m suggesting is that if we assume the Pohlads aren’t stupid (which they are not), then why are they taking the actions they are taking? It’s not greed - as much as many on this sight might suggest. Maybe, it’s actually a response to how the business is actually performing.

I do not know if the time frame you are describing is correct. It very well could be. However, my reference was only specfically to the last handful of years. Certainly the Pohlads understand the financial results of their business entities, including the Twins. Management is changed out when they do not perform to the owners’ expectations. I’m pretty sure the Pohlads have been monitoring the performance of their managers.

Certainly tax laws are utilized to maximize objectives. However, let’s just say that, in fact, the Braves are losing cash on an annual basis and the Twins are as well. Would that change anything in terms of how one views the way the team is run and the decisions made?

Great post. Btw, your vision may actually not be that far off from how the team/franchise is currently run.

Thank you for asking. As I mentioned, it’s not something I can prove via publicly available documentation. I do have a bit of insight, though, and I can only leave it at that. This could be wrong, of course. But let’s assume that it isn’t for a moment. Would that change anyone’s thinking on how the Twins as a “business” are operated? I understand my views on this topic are not popular. However, if the Twins are in fact losing tens of millions on a cash basis annually, at least one could conjure up a modicum of understanding as to why the Twins’ owners/managers make some of the decisions they do.

The overall Twins franchise - inclusive of all entities - has supposedly been annually losing over $10MM on a cash basis for several years. Please note the word “cash”. I use “supposedly” because I can’t prove it per se, but have a really good idea. Regardless, no one on this site can prove it otherwise, so just for kick’s sake, open your mind a bit and assume it’s true. I get it - it’s not your cash. And yes, they are certainly making it up on increases in annual equity value. (As an aside, are we all so positive that equity values are rising as much as we all assume? Should a market like that in which the Twins operate have the same equity value growth opportunity and potential upside as others? - The answer to that is no - each of the markets is different, even though a rising or falling tide impacts all ships to some degree). But cash is cash and you still have to fund the business. What is your suggestion? Borrow? Who knows what the current balance sheet looks like or existing leverage. Take cash from the other Pohlad entities? Who knows how complicated that could be on so many different levels. Just write a check from their bank accounts and infuse cash? Is that the best use of their capital? What would you do given your wealth of business experience and acumen? Are the Twins a “community asset” that should be run for the benefit of the Twin Cities and/or state? Many on this site would probably say yes, sadly and unrealistically. The Pohlads must be idiots the way they are running this team and franchise into the ground (which, of course, they are not doing). Are the Pohlad’s perfect? No. Not even close. Are the Twins actually a pretty well run, competitive organization that mostly does the right things in the right way? Yeah, they are. The owners bashing on this site is predictable, yet still nauseating. I understand it and expect it. The Pohlads don’t make all the right calls, but the deluded posters on this site wouldn’t either. I really wish one of you would just take your own several billion dollars, buy the club and run it without a care in the world for the finances. Then the world championships will stack up (yeah, right) and we all can complain about how the clown we paid $500MM over ten years can’t hit his way out of a paper bag,

What a bunch of doom and gloom - and for no reason. Sure, payroll will fall next year, as it should. Farmer, Kepler, Santana and Margot will be gone and replaced by Lee, Julien, Wallner and one other (take your pick between Kiriloff, Rodriguez, or someone else). Plenty of money left over for some extensions. Next year’s lineup with those guys, Lewis, Miranda, Castro, Correa, Buxton, Jeffers, Ryan, Lopez, SWR, Ober, one or two of our young starters and Duran, Jax and Alcala leading the pen is a GREAT lineup. This team will not only win, but be more exciting to watch. Also, the tv deal will get resolved. The combination of those three will drive an increase in attendance. Also, if we get inflation to moderate, that would give fans a little more disposable income to spend on seeing the Twins. The gloomy continuous drivel about ownership’s supposed penury is just nauseating. I know for a fact the franchise loses upwards of tens of millions on a cash basis every year (and, yes, the equity value increases might be equal to or exceed those losses, but cash is cash). The Twins are actually a pretty well run, classy organization, If you don’t like it, either go make several billion yourself and buy the team, or just quit being a fan. I for one think the future is bright and the team’s long term plan is shaping up nicely - and the team continues to be competitive as it does.

Couldn’t agree more

Btw, I did not write “every time”. I wrote seems like “every year”. There’s a big difference. Please be more accurate when casting aspersions. Thank you.

Disagree - the trades you mentioned above were strong trades, but there have been at least three trades (if this trade heads the way some posters are projecting) where we got zippo from the pitchers. Now, the FO gets credit for the good ones. But three absolute zeros in four years is horrible (and giving up legit major leaguers in those deals). I also disagree that DeSclafani was a throw in - the plan absolutely was not for Varland to start the year as the fifth starter. No chance. We were looking for 100 plus innings out of DeSclafani with most of them coming early in the year. And btw we are paying him $4MM. If DeSclafani is truly done, we will find another starter. Let’s hope he’s not.

Lol. 100% predictable. It seems every year we make a trade for a pitcher that turns out just like this. No matter - next man up!