Linus

My post calls for trading Jeffers.

Doc I think your admirable enthusiasm has led you astray. Diaw is 21-22 in A ball doing pretty well with the bat. At the same age Mauer was winning batting titles in the show. They are not in the same universe in any way.

I completed my list and I have to say it felt underwhelming. There are a couple of exciting prospects but mostly meh and no pitching to speak of. Draft should help.

It becomes a real thing. If Keaschall was a really good defender the bar to clear with the bat wouldn’t be nearly as high. Right now he has to rake because the glove is a liability.

I’m excited about Houston as I love watching really good SS play. However, he has to conquer AA, AAA and then the bigs. Three big hurdles to be cleared before he’s causing any infield complications. And as the self appointed baseball realist I’m here to say we are still waiting for an actual logjam at any position. They just don’t happen. All of the other players mentioned have plenty of improving to do to get to / stay in the big leagues. The odds of all of them thriving in the bigs is nil.

Yes and they need him!

When I originally posted this I didn’t address Buxton. I would keep Buck for a couple of reasons. First, he is likely to be our best CF for a few more years. EmRod, who is a risky prospect is considered stretched in CF. Jenkins is likely to end up in a corner simply because he is a really big dude already at 21 and he hasn’t even added his man muscles. Buck is still really fast and can play a good CF for several years. If Jenkins does end up the better choice Buck can slide to a corner and still be a big contributor with the bat. Secondly, I think Buck has quietly turned into an excellent leader. Not in the C4 talk a good game rather a leader by example and someone that is there for his teammates. Lastly I think the plan laid out here would have a better chance at success in 2027 than what the Twins attempted to do in 2026.

I have serious doubts about EmRod. Big league pitchers will force him to swing the bat and his walks will disappear. The swing and miss in his profile will also be exposed by pitchers going right at him. Having said that, as soon as he is healthy I would give him a couple weeks in St Paul and then bring him up and play him everyday. Let’s find out.

Would like to see Rosario get moved to St Paul. Time to see what we’ve got as the clock is ticking

Run him out there nearly every day and see what we have at the end of the season - hopefully Royce makes it easy on the FO by being adequate in the field and a plus or better hitter. If not,they have to have the nads to move on from him.

Boy I hope your are correct.

Good to see Houston consistently getting hits. He started slowly but has since hit consistently which would indicate this is not merely a hot streak. I would think there will be multiple promotions by the end of the month.

One of the benefits of a lost season is the chance to essentially hold tryouts and get the best info possible for forming the 2027 roster. One of my biggest complaints about Falvey was his indecision when it came to moving on from mediocre at best players. I think this was partially due to his obsession with raising the floor of the roster and letting sample sizes prolong hanging on to players who just weren’t good enough. Here is my blueprint for the rest of the season. The following players get to play nearly everyday: Keaschall, Lee, Lewis and Martin against lefties. Of this group, only Keaschall gets another opportunity if they don’t perform the rest of the year. If they don’t perform I would turn Lee into the utility guy and would move on from Royce. Martin would become a bench player or AAA depth. If they succeed then the current configuration stays. The biggest role Martin would have on my club would be bench bat / platoon player. The following group is brought up for evaluation with everyday playing time: Culpepper, Roden and ‘Em Rod when healthy. If they succeed they stay and likely have a starting spot next year. If they don’t they go back across the river with the possible exception of Roden who needs to do something now. I’m not worried about Jenkins but if he is healthy and raking in st Paul I would eventually find a spot to bring him up. Wallner can earn his way back but would only be a DH - if he can’t perform by the end of the year I would try and trade him or he can start in AAA next year if he has options. Who is going to create the roster spots? Jeffers would be traded at the deadline for the best deal we can get. I would shop Ryan for a high end package being particularly interested in SS, slugging first baseman and pitching prospects. I would hang onto him for now if the offers are lacking. I would also shop Clemens for an upside reliever but would be ok hanging onto him next year as insurance. There is a real possibility that Lee is a utility guy next year with Royce at third and Kody could play first. Larnach and Bell would be shopped at the deadline although interest in Larnach would be minimal and nonexistent for Bell. If I need a roster spot I would release either / both. I would probably hang onto Ober as I’m assuming he doesn’t have much trade value and he can be pitching depth. If Ryan isn’t dealt and some team offers something useful I would trade Ober but not both of them as I feel a competitive team can take the field next year under this plan. If Festa gets healthy I would immediately put him in the pen. A healthy Festa along with Morris and Gomez is the start of a competent pen. The Twins have a golden opportunity to reshape their franchise. I hope that TP stays out of the baseball decisions and Zoll has the courage to be decisive in his actions. Who knows TP might even blow the dust out of the Twins wallet and hit the free agent market to fill any weak spots. I’m really confident in everything I’ve written except for the last sentence 😀. What would be your action plan for the rest of the year?

I’m not expecting much but I’m happy they are bringing him up. The rest of this season needs to be a tryout and Fedko deserves a tryout.

The Twins kept on fighting. Taj had a decent start and Buck stayed hot. Royce looks better at the plate and more comfortable at first. Morris could be good - his change needs a little fade and it could be good. Nice to get a good contribution from Kriedler. On the less positive side Martin looks like he isn’t going to get a hit in a month. And he had another bonehead challenge - he is a poor judge of them and he uses them in the wrong situations. If I’m Shelty he is no longer able to challenge unless given the green light.

Two duck farts to score a run.

Too bad for Taj. Last pitch was pretty good but he still had a good performance

I bet Taj doesn’t have any problems getting dates.

Perk is pretty funny and he doesn’t talk non stop.

I love the Cards uniforms. Classic and stands the test of time. Don’t need any Joe P phony makeovers.

For Pete’s sake. I don’t think I can stand to watch the three futility men play SS anymore.

Just a minute - Kate Upton is calling and wants to go on a date with me.

Fun. I love a good change up so watching Johan was a joy. His mechanics were so clean I thought he wouldn’t get hurt but he eventually did. I also enjoyed seeing a certain reporter assigned to cover Johan in those days. Liriano was a completely different style of pitcher with a violent delivery that was doomed to cause injury. His slider was almost unhittable. And Joe, it’s hard to imagine right now having a catcher that good on both sides of the ball. I believe he had a season where he threw out 40% of attempted base stealers and had a 400 OBP.

Nice play Royce. Gray didn’t look the runner back.

It’s good managing. Get him back out there in a situation that’s under control.