Nashvilletwin

Step one is Buxton. Step two is move Donaldson - he’s a sunk cost - sure it’s cash if we have to pay all or part of his salary, but that ship has sailed and not worth preventing the growth of other players for the future. So after steps one and two, they could certainly still afford a solid #2 SP in 2023 and a SS. However, a shut down pen is where it’s at in the modern game and I’d be willing to let this team gestate for a year, including seeing how Lewis’ 2022 goes, before prioritizing a SS over the pen. But I definitely see your point.

I see your point. But if Lewis is indeed targeted to be our SS in 2023, I’d prefer not to spend the cash on an expensive stop gap. No more $10.5MM for Simmons deals for me.

Polanco at SS in 2022 The starting lineup could be: 1. Martin LF 2. Arraez 2B 3. Polanco SS 4. Buxton CF 5. Kiriloff 1B 6. Sano DH 7. Garver C 8. Kepler RF 9. Miranda 3B Bench: Rooker, Jeffers, Gordon, Larnach Move Donaldson. (I could see moving Kepler too and starting Larnach and have Celestino be on the bench). SPs: Maeda plus Jax, Ober, and the rest of the prospects. See who shines. Use the cash to begin building a lock down pen. This team obviously won’t win it all in 2022, but they should be competitive and will set the table for success in 2023 and beyond.

Correction. I meant Miranda - not Urbina. Oops

The 2023 Twins should be exciting. It all starts with resigning Buxton. Then our core position players will be: Buxton, Kiriloff, Lewis, Martin, Arraez, Polanco, Garver/Jeffers/Rortvedt, Urbina, and hopefully Larnach. Maybe Sano and/or Rooker stick around (can either hit 0.250 with 35 HRs and 100 RBIs primarily as a DH?). Donaldson and Kepler get moved. Importantly, other than Buxton, this group as a whole is really inexpensive. The staff by then should have at least three, and likely four, league minimum starters, with several others available when injuries occur. The list of possibilities include: Balazovic, SWR, Duran, Ryan, Canterino, Winder, Sands, Strotman, Colina, Vallimont, Ober, Jax, and Dobnak. That’s 13 names - who am I missing? In the perfect world, we get 5-6 #2-4s out of this group and several competent relievers. After moving Donaldson and Kepler (and possibly Sano), we then spend the ample cash on hand for a shutdown pen, one lead (#1 or #2) veteran starter (dare I suggest Berrios), and maybe a veteran position player. We’d have the money. This is a team which would have a serious 2-3 year window. Let’s play the rookies in 2022 and get ready for a fun ride multi year ride in 2023.

In 2022 you roll with Maeda and Big Mike plus the youngin’s. All things being equal a staff consisting of 5 solid #2-3s, each averaging about 5-6 innings with an era of about 4 is a winning staff if coupled with a lockdown pen. By 2023, we should have at least 3, maybe 4, starters from among our farm crew who fit that above description. Throw in one additional FA or trade or even Maeda and then spend the money on a lock down pen. You win with a lockdown pen. Get 5-6 innings of 2-4 run ball from your starters and get to the premier pen.

Once you accept the epiphanies that a) Berrios was going to leave and b) this “window” had closed and a new one needs to be developed, then we won the trade deadline. Every deal we did was a positive, and, in the two cases of the Cruz and Berrios deals, a potentially big positive. Of the four deals we didn’t do (Donaldson, Simmons, Rogers, and Pineda), the biggest disappointment was not moving Donaldson. At his price, he is unlikely to prove any value to the team in 2023, let alone 2022. Simmons, meh, he’s gone next year anyway. Rogers, and Pineda (and even Maeda, Kepler, and possibly Sano) still could have reasonable priced option value to the 2023 club and could be moved next year if that’s not the case. I like this deadline for us. Donaldson is really the only huge millstone around our necks re 2023.

This post is exactly correct in that it identifies the necessary switch in franchise strategy given the poor results this year (this is what small to mid market teams do when the window clearly has closed - that’s just today’s MLB) and where the primary responsibility now resides for the successful execution of that strategy (coaching staff throughout the organization), Think about this possible starting lineup in 2023: 1. Arraez (2B) 2. Martin (LF) 3. Buxton (CF) 4. Kiriloff (1B) 5. Miranda (3B) 6. Polanco (DH) 7. Larnach (RF) 8. Garver/Jeffers/Rortvedt (C) 9. Lewis (SS) Bench: Gordon, Rooker, Celestino Obviously, there will be changes to this (i.e., maybe a Kepler or Sano turn things around), but the point is that with Buxton, Polanco and maybe Garver making about $25-30MM and the rest making close to league minimum, these 14 players cost under $40MM. Now think about the pitching staff. We should be able to develop at least three, hopefully 4, solid #2s-#3s out of the ten or so candidates currently in the system. Ideally, another three or four are in the pen. That’s over half of the staff on league minimum - let’s say another $10MM. Ownership will clearly spend $120-140MM to pursue a championship. There is now $70-90MM available to: a) add one or two #1-2 starters, b) build a shutdown pen like we used to have and like the ChiSox are doing, and c) add one or two solid position players/bats. There is a solid strategy here. The three key decisions under team control are to resign Buxton, play the young guys in 2021 and 2022 to see what you’ve got, and make sure you have the right coaching staff. As a mid market franchise, we can’t be blessed to realistically compete every year, We’ve had great runs and the possibility is there for another to develop. I, for one, am looking forward to watching the remainder of this year and next to see the plan develop.

The Twins are stockpiling a lot of solid talent at a very low cost with a possible eye on 2023-4. They went for it in 2020-1, but this year didn’t pan out. It happens and now restocking for another solid window is prudent (particularly for small-mid market teams). But the key is to now resign Buxton. The lineup in 2023 could have Buxton (C) Lewis (SS) Martin (LF) Miranda (3B) Kiriloff (1B), Larnach (RF), Arraez (2B), and probably some combo of 2 of our 3 catchers. Maybe some of Gordon, Rooker, Kepler, Sano, and Polanco are still around. But, with the exception of Buxton, the starting eight fielders are essentially at league minimum. In addition, the starting pitching lineup could be very similar with 3-4 good young starters making league minimum in 2023. This sets up nicely for having the capital available to get a few good veterans in ‘23 or ‘24 to make a good run. Who knows, maybe Berrios is one of them. Lets hope for a few more trades today and resigning Buxton.

Ashbury - you are correct. The Cubs only hit 6 homers in that April 1955 game. My bad. Thanks for pointing that out. But it still is a cool historic completely Twins like event!

As far as I can tell, there have been several instances in which a team has hit seven homers and lost. However, today’s Tigers’ victory over the Twins is the first time EVER that the winning team also did not hit a home run. The Cardinals beat the Cubs in April 1955 12-11 and only hit one dinger, That’s the closest to today’s occurrence. That’s what my research shows at least....

I’m wondering in the history of MLB if a team has ever hit seven home runs in a game and lost to a team that hit zero? Can’t be many times that has happened.