Doc Munson

The Twins have not done much, for good or for bad, to alter their OF/DH depth.  Yes Twins signed Josh Bell. Another reclamation project who could be decent. Actually not a bad move given our situation and history, but not a game changer. Yes Twins signed Victor Caratini, again maybe another slight upgrade at back up C and possible 1B ABs, but again no game changer.
The Twins still have redundancy issues and need to clear space at some time this year for a potential Tsunami of young OF. Emmanual Rodriguez (bats lefty) could be ready this year (unless he once again misses chunks of time with injuries). I think the best move is to trade his potential for pitching, but let's assume the Twins do not feel the same way. Obviously Walker Jenkins (bats lefty)is a freight train coming, will it be 2026? Gabriel Gonzalez (bats righty)could also be a player in 2026. He has only had 1 bad year in the minors in 2024 where he had some injury issues, after a "get right" year in 2025 he is poised for more.
Any single one of them could get quality ABs in the Twins OF this year, so who is blocking them?
1) Byron Buxton. He is going nowhere. The only place he is going is to a corner OF spot in the next year or two.
2) Matt Wallner. as of now he is not going anywhere. He will flameout here before the Twins move him. He still has a lot of those "P" words. Power and Potential. Absolute worst case he stays in a platoon situation with???  (Gabriel Gonzalez anyone???)
3) Trevor Larnach.  very similar (I.E. redundant) to Wallner, but 1 year older, $3.5M more expensive, less strikeouts and higher avg. but less power and significantly wekaer arm in the OF.
Josh Bell removes some DH ABs which pushes Larnach back to more OF ABs.
It is clear the person to move is Larnach. He is still decent to good, still has some power, and still relatively cheap (for most clubs). SO... where does he go?
The Twins will obviousl ywait for Belli, and any other OF to sign as a FA before engaging in talks with teams who came up empty, But lets take a look at potential trade partners by reverse engineering a trade.
1) What ballpark is the best fit? What ballpark give sup the most LH HR?
2) What Teams have the best positonal fit?
3) What teams have the best prospect fit?
 
#1 ballpark fit:
4 that stand out are   Cinci, Orioles, Yankees, As (with their temp stadium until the Vegas stadium opens). Honorable Mention Red Sox.
We do not need too much discussion here, this is pure data. these are the stadiums giving up the most HR to LH hitters.
 
#2 Positional Fit: What teams have a need to fill what Larnach can plug?
CINCINATTI: Cinci was 21st in HR last year while their ballpark giving up the most LH HR in the game. the only addition is JJ Bleday. I cannot see him being the answer. There is a positional fit here with weak OF/DH options overall. and a right handed heavy lineup.   GOOD FIT
YANKEES: with Stanton/Judge/Rice as potential DHs they are all either better or cheaper for that spot, in the OF there is Judge, Grisham, Dominguez in the OF with Gallo in the wings. Unless they give up Gallo or Stanton to get Larnach (which they will not move Gallo for Larnach, and Twins wont take Stanton's money...but they should)I do nto see a big need here. I do not even see a huge need for Belli.  BAD POSITIONAL FIT
ORIOLES: With Alonso, Basallo, and Mayo they have DH (and 1B) covered, unless Trevor changes his name to Larnacho there is no fit at DH. With Cowser, Ward, and O'neill in OF I do not see LArnach as a significant upgrade there. Add in OF prospects Beavers and Bradfield and I so not see a fit here.  BAD POSITIONAL FIT
As (or whatever they are/will be called:  1B & Dh are locked down with Kurtz & Rooker (unless As want to move Rookers salary.. still a couple years away from Vegas and Rooker is already 31).  Soderstrom and Bulter are presumable locks and future pieces in OF, however Larnach would be an upgrade over current RF starter Colby Thomas. With few significant OF prospects on the verge. DECENT POSITIONAL FIT
Red Sox: as a flier including the Sox because of Fenway.  There OF is STACKED!!! but could some ABs at DH: BELOW AVG POSITIONAL FIT
 
PROSPECT FIT:
YANKEES: Lets make this quick. Larnach does not improve them. NOTHING TO SEE HERE MOVE ALONG
ORIOLES: See Yankees. NOTHING TO SEE HERE MOVE ALONG
RED SOX: Sox could use a DH, and some 1B reps if Casas is not healthy, if Casas is healthy then Larnach is a redundant yet less potential piece with Casas. Would want to trade for pitching, but in a deal here I think both sides would do a Larnach for Miguel Bleis deal. Bleis star has fallen significantly, yet he is the type of player Twins love to bring in. one with tons of past potential hoping to catch lightening in a bottle.  DOUBTFUL DEAL
CINCINATTI: Reds/Twins have history with trades, and I would say deals that helped both clubs, is there enough "there there" to do another? Would Cinci trade back CES? Would they send Petty back? Petty hasnt developed as a #1 pick would typically, but still young, CES has the dangerous potential but injury history, either of them would come with cost savings of at least $3.5M
As:  The As are an absolute wild card. What are they doing? are they building a core? looking to the future in Vegas? either way they have the potential to compete now, which means they most likely wouldn't move Rooker. But they are also a small market team that was actually MANDATED by the league to spend a minimum. Which is why they signed Severino. If they go cost conscious route, Do they think Rooker's contract will age poorly? and Larnach with the savings will be a good move? Would they want to move off of Severino's $25M this year and $22M PO next? and if so would it be worth it for the Twins to spend that money? Severino's splits away from teh joke minor league ballpark the As played in were actually quite good. I could also see a lottery ticket prospect like 17 year old Darwing Ozuna as a flier if our own prospects seem ready to take over this year.
 
OVERALL:  I still believe Larnach will get moved. I see the A's as a serious team to watch, Larnach fits a need in a cost conscious market with a positional need that is actually in a contention window. I do not think the A's are incompetent enough to say they are moving salary because of finances after surprising 2025 results and new found optimism, I mean what competent organization would do that? So would a Rooker or Severino be gettable? I doubt it but It take it. I see LArnach to A's for a prospect or two. and if going prospect hunting by moving a redundant piece I say go the lottery ticket route.
Backup prediction is a deal with Cinci, they could use a bat at a decent price. Twins/Reds have a history, has the bloom come off CES in Cinci? I'd take him back!!!

One of the most impactful changes that most likely will be coming as part of any new CBA after the current one expires at the end of the year is not going to be salary caps or salary floors.  But instead, deferred salaries. There will not only be push from inside the game, but also from outside the game.  It's about to get political!!
 
The Dodgers will single handedly drive change. Sure the Dodgers have the financial capabilities to outbid nearly every other team for nearly any player they want. That is a sizeable imbalance in and of itself.  But starting the trend of deferred salaries on top of that??? That just makes it straight up unfair.  Yes any team CAN do the same, but clearly not to the extent the Dodgers can/are. Yes the Dodgers are still subject to luxury tax penalties, as the average player salary is counted toward the comp balance threshold,  but if you are not paying the salaries out of pocket then of course they can afford ANY luxury tax penalty. It only makes the top players MORE affordable.
Cities and states will be putting pressure on the league to tighten up contracts as well. The prime driver of this is Ohtani's deferred contract. California is pissed. They are in position to lose out on potentially MILLIONS fo dollars of taxes from Ohtani's deal.  Shohei has $68M per year deferred until starting in 2034, Beginnign in 2034 he gets $68M per year for 10 years, that is $680M in deferred income. if/when Ohtani is done playing by 2034, he can simply move out of state and not have to pay California's income tax at roughly 13.3% that is  a loss of tax revenue of over $70M dollars!! All while playing in a publicly funded stadium.
It is easy to see why such deferred salaries (as fun as Bobby Bonilla day is), will be coming to an end.
The simplest proposal, and one that I have been championing for years is to include or allow "Fluid Contracts".  A Fluid Contract would allow the owners to spread out a players salary however they see fit, but 100% of the salary must be paid by the end of the contract.  This gives teams better control/flexibility over their financials from year to year, would benefit player salaries, and help spread out top talent. You just determine a number of fluid salaries a team can have active at any time.
EXAMPLE:
Player A signs a 10 year $200M (round numbers for simple math) and AAV of $20M. Instead of being "locked in" to set amounts each year, The team pays whatever they want each year, frontloading, backloading, or balancing the contract as they go.  At the start of the year there is a minimum amount a player must be paid annually. Again for simple math, let's say that is $1M, the team submits initial payroll to MLB by opening day.  then the team submits a FINAL salary for those players sometime later in the season, let's say after the trade deadline.  This gives team flexibility to better manage their payrolls from year to year and deal with unexpected costs, or unanticipated windfalls. This would also allow teams to manage luxury tax penalties. This would allow teams to get under the penalty for a year to reset and still retain their players.
This is a win for players, because by giving such unique flexibility to owners, the players could command/demand higher salaries. 
In order to help ensure EVERY team benefits from these contracts, and big market teams do not just use this as a way to lock in even MORE talent, You put a limit on the number of fluid contracts each team can have. say 3-5 per team. This way a player (presumably a top player who would be "worthy"  of a fluid contract, that may come with a higher AAV) may be more incentivized to sign with a team other than the big market teams, as well as giving smaller market teams to make more competitive offers.  This would help spread talent out across the league.
Could get even more creative, and include potential draft picks in trades, If a team wants to trade for a player on a fluid contract, but they are at their limit, they could either trade one away, OR, they could trade away  a first round draft pick to acquire an additional Fluid Contract.  By and large it would be smaller market teams trading fluid players to bigger market teams, so this would help them rebuild faster.   Players may see this as a bit of a restriction, but this could easily be offset by getting rid of the Qualifying Offer where teams have to give up draft picks to sign one. Being tagged with QA draft pick compensation has shown to DRASTICALLY reduce the earning potential of all but the very best QA FA.  and allowing 1st round trades to acquire additional fluid contracts would act in the same way to protect small market teams.
 
I believe simply reshaping contracts like this would have a great positive impact on the game, and even hopefully prevent a lock out/strike.
 
This would benefit players, because with 
 
 
 
 

Maybe I haven't been paying attention, but have the Pohlad's shared the names of the minority owners yet?
If not why hasn't that information been shared? 
Has MLB not yet approved the sale and they are waiting on that?
If MLB has approved the sale, what is the point of NOT sharing new owners?
With the hatred and vitriol towards the Pohlads (and rightfully so), wouldn't competent ownership be excited about sharing details of the new investors? Help distract from the stench of their own incompetence and try and build SOME sort of excitement that things may be different.
Could there be a "Timberwolves Styles" sale agreed upon that they do not want to let details get out? With the CBA expiring after this coming year, and a potential lock out on the horizon, could these new owners have potentially paid down the Twins debt as a bit of "Good Faith" money? Where the final closing price is determined by the outcome of the next CBA???
 
This just SEEMS secretive and weird, but maybe it is normal.
Does anyone have any additional info or thoughts??

Even the most optimistic of Twins fans now has to realize it is time to sell.
Another day and another loss to another last place team. Out of the break the Twins had a chance to make a statement with 6 of first 9 games against last place teams the Rockies and the Nationals. They did not disappoint.  From making a statement anyways, just not the statement we were hoping for.
Becoming the first team to lose a series ALL YEAR to the Rockies, and then losing a 3 game series 2-1 at home against the Nationals. Yes we won 2 of 3 against Dodgers, but cannot put much into that given everything else that has happened, and the Dodgers have been in a funk.
 
SO now there is NOTHING getting in the way of the Twins making moves. Gone is the "soft sell" or "soft rebuild" Now we need to maximize talent in return for top potential trade chips.
SELL SELL SELL!!!  and not just the Ty Frances and Harrison Baderses of the world.
Is Texas a potential new trade partner? and if so how aggressive will they be?  With Seager back and healthy again, with deGrom back and healthy again, the Rangers are making their usual 2nd half run.  now just 4 games back in the division and .5 out of the wildcard.
Texas is looking for a big arm in the bullpen, and could use a RH bat. The Twins can be in position to provide BOTH in one trade!!!
Wili Castro may not be a BIG bat, but he is a QUALITY bat and his versatility will offset some of his lack of power. then of course there is Jax and Duran. at this point we should move at least one of them.
Just how much would Texas be willing give up to significantly shore up their chances?
Would they be Sebastian Walcott willing? 
I would assume he would be a non starter from Texas' perspective, but would he really??  While he is the #4 overall prospect in the game, and is seen as close to a cant miss as you can have.  Prospects are indeed prospects until proven otherwise.
A career .257 hitter with a 29% K rate and .783 OPS doesn't scream future HOF, but the kid is only 19 playing at AA. the Rangers challenge their prospects, and the talent is there.
Walcott is a SS/3B. 
Seager is only 31, a perennial MVP candidate and under contract for 6 more years. He is not going anywhere... SS BLOCKED
Josh Jung, was a #8 overall pick. While he hasn't really blossomed into his potential is still there. Josh Smith is also serviceable, and both just 27, so while 3B by no means BLOCKED, they can live with what they have there.
We need to shoot for the moon and go hard after Walcott,  We offer Duran, Castro, and Emmanual Rodriguez. for Walcott.
Duran is a proven commodity and has a ton of trade value, dominant arm and controllable for a few more years.  Castro was an AllStar, a consistent hitter and the RH bat Texas needs.
And yes we throw in Rodriguez. Is this an overpay?  possibly, Rodriguez could end up being a perennial Allstar on the level of Walcott or better.  But he has just never stayed healthy!!! at this point we can no longer have top prospects with health histories as part of our future plan.
As far as Walcott's fit here? We have Correa. Yes he has a no trade clause, but would he waive it to go to a contender? Would he move to 3B to protect his health?  Possibly on both,   and yes we have Royce Lewis at 3B, but is that still his final home? We wont have to make that call for another 1-2 years. and with Walcott's arm and speed could make a transition similar to Fernando Tatis into the OF.
 
and while having to wait 1-2 years to see anything from trading Duran, Castro and a top prospect of our own may look like a tear down rebuild move, would it really?  Yes losing Duran would hurt. but we would still have Jax, and what good is an elite closer if we are not in closing positions?  Castro is 99.9% gone after this year anyway as an UFA. So that is not a loss moving forward.  Losing Rodriguez could be a short term hit, but again he just cant stay healthy, and if we believe in Walker Jenkins, then he sort of buffers the loss as they both had similar time frames and both are OF.
My new Endorsement...
Trade Duran and whoever else we need to get Sebastian Walcott!!
 
 

I think a great "soft sell" move would be the Twins trading 1 or 2 of Martin, Julien,  Miranda to Oakland for Luis Severino.
Severino is having a perceived bad year, He actually has value.
His split are solid away from that minor league ballpark the As play in, with an ERA of 3.03 on the road vs. 6.68 at home. while he is not a strikeout machine, he i slimiting hitters to a .212 avg on the road vs .303 at home.  Giving up .820 OPS at home but just .605 on the road.
He just signed a 3 year $67M deal this past offseason.  Part of the reason for that is the league mandate that Oakland had to spend to a certain threshhold.
I am sure MLB woudl frown on them just trading to slash salaries after that mandate, but they couldnt block a deal based on "baseball sense" 
 
So lets say Twins send 1-2 of Julien, Martin, Miranda to Oakland for Severino where Twins take on 100% of remaining salary this year, but Oakland retains 50% the next 2 years.
 
That would basically mean the Twins get Luis Servino on a 2 year deal (after this year at an average of $12M per). 2 years at $24M total would be a great sign as a FA signing of a pitcher of Severinos potential!!
If we get the "away" version of Severino for that money that is a STEAL!!!
Oakland is not contending this year, and most likely nto until they move to Vegas which is still not until 2028.  There is ZERO need to have Severino on the roster, and he wouldn't have been if they weren't forced to spend.
 
Would Severino be better than... Paddack? Zebby? Fest? Bullpen Game?  I think so!!
 
and next year with a rotation of Lopez, Ryan, a potentially healthy Ober, Severino, would be a great base for a new ownership group to play with.
And none of Martin, Julien, Miranda, etc will be part of the future anyways.
 
Build for the future without "selling" now.
 

I think a great "soft sell" move would be the Twins trading 1 or 2 of Martin, Julien,  Miranda to Oakland for Luis Severino.
Severino is having a perceived bad year, He actually has value.
His split are solid away from that minor league ballpark the As play in, with an ERA of 3.03 on the road vs. 6.68 at home. while he is not a strikeout machine, he i slimiting hitters to a .212 avg on the road vs .303 at home.  Giving up .820 OPS at home but just .605 on the road.
He just signed a 3 year $67M deal this past offseason.  Part of the reason for that is the league mandate that Oakland had to spend to a certain threshhold.
I am sure MLB woudl frown on them just trading to slash salaries after that mandate, but they couldnt block a deal based on "baseball sense" 
 
So lets say Twins send 1-2 of Julien, Martin, Miranda to Oakland for Severino where Twins take on 100% of remaining salary this year, but Oakland retains 50% the next 2 years.
 
That would basically mean the Twins get Luis Servino on a 2 year deal (after this year at an average of $12M per). 2 years at $24M total would be a great sign as a FA signing of a pitcher of Severinos potential!!
If we get the "away" version of Severino for that money that is a STEAL!!!
Oakland is not contending this year, and most likely nto until they move to Vegas which is still not until 2028.  There is ZERO need to have Severino on the roster, and he wouldn't have been if they weren't forced to spend.
 
Would Severino be better than... Paddack? Zebby? Fest? Bullpen Game?  I think so!!
 
and next year with a rotation of Lopez, Ryan, a potentially healthy Ober, Severino, would be a great base for a new ownership group to play with.
And none of Martin, Julien, Miranda, etc will be part of the future anyways.
 
Build for the future without "selling" now.
 

I think a great "soft sell" move would be the Twins trading 1 or 2 of Martin, Julien,  Miranda to Oakland for Luis Severino.
Severino is having a perceived bad year, He actually has value.
His split are solid away from that minor league ballpark the As play in, with an ERA of 3.03 on the road vs. 6.68 at home. while he is not a strikeout machine, he i slimiting hitters to a .212 avg on the road vs .303 at home.  Giving up .820 OPS at home but just .605 on the road.
He just signed a 3 year $67M deal this past offseason.  Part of the reason for that is the league mandate that Oakland had to spend to a certain threshhold.
I am sure MLB woudl frown on them just trading to slash salaries after that mandate, but they couldnt block a deal based on "baseball sense" 
 
So lets say Twins send 1-2 of Julien, Martin, Miranda to Oakland for Severino where Twins take on 100% of remaining salary this year, but Oakland retains 50% the next 2 years.
 
That would basically mean the Twins get Luis Servino on a 2 year deal (after this year at an average of $12M per). 2 years at $24M total would be a great sign as a FA signing of a pitcher of Severinos potential!!
If we get the "away" version of Severino for that money that is a STEAL!!!
Oakland is not contending this year, and most likely nto until they move to Vegas which is still not until 2028.  There is ZERO need to have Severino on the roster, and he wouldn't have been if they weren't forced to spend.
 
Would Severino be better than... Paddack? Zebby? Fest? Bullpen Game?  I think so!!
 
and next year with a rotation of Lopez, Ryan, a potentially healthy Ober, Severino, would be a great base for a new ownership group to play with.
And none of Martin, Julien, Miranda, etc will be part of the future anyways.
 
Build for the future without "selling" now.
 

I think a great "soft sell" move would be the Twins trading 1 or 2 of Martin, Julien,  Miranda to Oakland for Luis Severino.
Severino is having a perceived bad year, He actually has value.
His split are solid away from that minor league ballpark the As play in, with an ERA of 3.03 on the road vs. 6.68 at home. while he is not a strikeout machine, he i slimiting hitters to a .212 avg on the road vs .303 at home.  Giving up .820 OPS at home but just .605 on the road.
He just signed a 3 year $67M deal this past offseason.  Part of the reason for that is the league mandate that Oakland had to spend to a certain threshhold.
I am sure MLB woudl frown on them just trading to slash salaries after that mandate, but they couldnt block a deal based on "baseball sense" 
 
So lets say Twins send 1-2 of Julien, Martin, Miranda to Oakland for Severino where Twins take on 100% of remaining salary this year, but Oakland retains 50% the next 2 years.
 
That would basically mean the Twins get Luis Servino on a 2 year deal (after this year at an average of $12M per). 2 years at $24M total would be a great sign as a FA signing of a pitcher of Severinos potential!!
If we get the "away" version of Severino for that money that is a STEAL!!!
Oakland is not contending this year, and most likely nto until they move to Vegas which is still not until 2028.  There is ZERO need to have Severino on the roster, and he wouldn't have been if they weren't forced to spend.
 
Would Severino be better than... Paddack? Zebby? Fest? Bullpen Game?  I think so!!
 
and next year with a rotation of Lopez, Ryan, a potentially healthy Ober, Severino, would be a great base for a new ownership group to play with.
And none of Martin, Julien, Miranda, etc will be part of the future anyways.
 
Build for the future without "selling" now.
 

Such a weird position,  Having a record better than only 3 teams in the AL screams SEL SELL SELL!!!  At the same time a team being only 3.5 games out of a playoff spot screams BUY BUY BUY!!!  Especially for a cheap... I mean financially challenged team like the Twins.  That Playoff revenue would be such a welcome bonus.
The Twins have a good number of peices that wont, or shouldn't be back next year so should we move them now if there is any value? Twins also have some decent prospects that may "rot on the vine" or otherwise never fully materialize that currently may have decent value for some win now upgrades.
 
All of that being said there is ONE move I would love to see us make that could be both a BUY and s SELL.
Trade for Ke'Bryan Hayes from Pittsburgh.  Pittsburgh may not want to move him, while he is a great defender, maybe they are growing frustrted with his lack of offense and woudl consider moving him. They are also a small market team who would like his salary, butif they had a young replacement maybe they would move on.
 
PROs:
1) Hayes is affordable!!!  He is under team control for another 4 years with a team option for the 5tth. at $7M, $7M, $8m, $8m with teh team option of $12M when he will still only be 30!!
2) he is a Gold Glove 3B!!  He won GG at 3b in 2023 and is the clear front runner this year as well.
3) He is young
4) a great teammate
5) decent to good speed
CONs:
1) and really only 1, but is it too big of one? or can it eventually change?  and that is his bat.
Can we afford to take on a bat like his at a "power position" ? not optimal, but with the defense that comes with it I will take it. especially at that salary!!
This move could also allow us to move Lewis to... FIRST??? Lewis's injuries have not been from fielding, they have been from running, so this wouldnt completely prevent recurring injuries, but it could help take SOME wear and tear off of him.
With Hayes and Correa  at 3B & SS that is as good a left side of infield as you will get. Even if Correa is aging.
Moving Brooks Lee over to 2B (or Keaschall when he returns) and an IF of Lewis, Brooks/Keaschall/Correa/Hayes would be a nice core.
Would we need to give up a Lee or a Keaschall to get him? maybe but I think that would still be worth it. A proven commodity vs unproven talent.
 
 
 

If there is NOT interest in Dom Smith on the Twins part, there SHOULD be.
With Lewis to start the season on the IL, this means Brooks Lee will... oops maybe not... I mean Miranda will most likely start out at 3B.
Our injury history shows we will need depth.
Hopefully Lewis can overcome the latest lower body injury miss little time and play at a high level the rest of the year. Broosk Lee has a known chronic back issue, an dhas missed time every year because of it. He should be used primarily as trade bait. hopefully he can get healthy, put up numbers to boost his trade value, but either way he is out again. for how long who knows.
Mickey Gasper apparently went out with a potential significant injury. just the THOUGHT of Gasper would be uttered in a sentence when talking about legitimate Twins plans is scary.  But he has had a good spring. If Gasper is out an extended period, then his 40 man spot should be used for another player.
Dom Smith is suddenly a very solid addition. He has experience in the OF, and while yet another LH OF seems overly redundant, Dom also has value at 1B, where he is an above average defender. HE would be a great platoon player with Ty France. Who else woudl play 1B with righties on the mound?  Julien??  Castro?? The Twins could get him on the cheap after he opted out of his minor league deal in New York with a strong Spring.
I am not hoping for a significant injury to Gasper, but if there is the best move the Twins can make is to sign Dom Smith.
 

A team like the Twins needs to always be internally theorizing moves at every level in every situation. Twins cannot simply just buy talent on the open market. They must try and leverage situations when situations arise.  Could such a situation have just arrived in New York?
Gerrit Cole has a barking elbow. An elbow that more and more are believing to be potentially season ending. Of course we need to wait and see exactly what the tests reveal. That is a huge blow to a team that has a mandate of winning every year. year in and year out. There are other pitching concerns as well.  Luis Gil, the reigning AL ROY will be starting the season on the IL and will miss a few months. This leaves the Yankees with the following potential rotation.
* Max Fried. a legit starter, they are good here
* Carlos Rodon. Has the potential to flash ACE stuff, but inconsistent and has his own injury history. Can they rely on him? Rodon has not put back to back full seasons together since breaking into the league in 2015.
* Marcus Stroman. he of the "will anyone please take him off of our hands?!?!?!" ilk.  a 4.31 era last year is not HORRIBLE, he hasnt had an era above 4.00 before last year since 2018. He is still serviceable, but that is possibly his ceiling at this point? and the Yankees clearly are not sold on him.
* Clark Schmidt. He had a good bounce back season last year and a 2.85 ERA is great.  but averaging less than 5 innings per start isnt exactly an innings eater in the rotation. it makes him a good #4.
* Carlos Carrasco. I guess we have to include him here right? I mean he does have a pulse, and he is on the roster.  While I loves me some Carrasco, he is just not a season long starter
* Will Warren. a 25 year old top pitching prospect for the Yanks. while he had a bad debut last year he has some stuff and is turning heads this spring, but again unproven in New York is scary!!
With all of this in mind, just how desperate are/should the Yankees be to improve their rotation? And back to the Twins, how aggressive should they be to actually HELP the Evil Empire? And at what cost?
The Yankees would not give up major league talent, as they would be looking to contend if they are bringing pitching.  So we would be looking at the prospect market.
Next internal questions should be:
1) What is in the Yankees System we would want?
2) What would it cost to get them?
now back to the original question...
WOULD/SHOULD we move pitching to help NY?
We have perceived depth, but how much of the quality would we move for prospects?
Lombard is most likely untouchable, and Jones is intriguing.
But what if the Twins offered Pablo Lopez, a potential Ace or #2 starter in that rotation. and lets say we add a Trevor Larnach/Matt Wallner as a possible replacement for Stanton.
Lopez and Larnach/Wallner for George Lombard and/or Spencer Jones.
 
 

A team like the Twins needs to always be internally theorizing moves at every level in every situation. Twins cannot simply just buy talent on the open market. They must try and leverage situations when situations arise.  Could such a situation have just arrived in New York?
Gerrit Cole has a barking elbow. An elbow that more and more are believing to be potentially season ending. Of course we need to wait and see exactly what the tests reveal. That is a huge blow to a team that has a mandate of winning every year. year in and year out. There are other pitching concerns as well.  Luis Gil, the reigning AL ROY will be starting the season on the IL and will miss a few months. This leaves the Yankees with the following potential rotation.
* Max Fried. a legit starter, they are good here
* Carlos Rodon. Has the potential to flash ACE stuff, but inconsistent and has his own injury history. Can they rely on him? Rodon has not put back to back full seasons together since breaking into the league in 2015.
* Marcus Stroman. he of the "will anyone please take him off of our hands?!?!?!" ilk.  a 4.31 era last year is not HORRIBLE, he hasnt had an era above 4.00 before last year since 2018. He is still serviceable, but that is possibly his ceiling at this point? and the Yankees clearly are not sold on him.
* Clark Schmidt. He had a good bounce back season last year and a 2.85 ERA is great.  but averaging less than 5 innings per start isnt exactly an innings eater in the rotation. it makes him a good #4.
* Carlos Carrasco. I guess we have to include him here right? I mean he does have a pulse, and he is on the roster.  While I loves me some Carrasco, he is just not a season long starter
* Will Warren. a 25 year old top pitching prospect for the Yanks. while he had a bad debut last year he has some stuff and is turning heads this spring, but again unproven in New York is scary!!
With all of this in mind, just how desperate are/should the Yankees be to improve their rotation? And back to the Twins, how aggressive should they be to actually HELP the Evil Empire? And at what cost?
The Yankees would not give up major league talent, as they would be looking to contend if they are bringing pitching.  So we would be looking at the prospect market.
Next internal questions should be:
1) What is in the Yankees System we would want?
2) What would it cost to get them?
now back to the original question...
WOULD/SHOULD we move pitching to help NY?
We have perceived depth, but how much of the quality would we move for prospects?
Lombard is most likely untouchable, and Jones is intriguing.
But what if the Twins offered Pablo Lopez, a potential Ace or #2 starter in that rotation. and lets say we add a Trevor Larnach/Matt Wallner as a possible replacement for Stanton.
Lopez and Larnach/Wallner for George Lombard and/or Spencer Jones.
 
 

Who says no to some of the following trade options?
#1  Pablo Lopez and Christian vazquez to Red Sox for Tristan Casas and Miguel Blies:
Why it works for Twins:
They are able ot clear $32M from the books while at the same time solving their 1B issue.  they get a prospect with MASSIVE upside who was showing big potential before injuries in 2024. This also allows for further moves with our infield depth.  BU ta clear 1B upgrade and clearing $32M is that too much to pass up?
Why it works for Red Sox:
Red Sox are having internal discussion of moving Rafael Devers to 1B, and Casas is definitely expendable in that case. Red Sox need another starter and can easily take on teh $10 owed Vazquez.
 
#2  Renew trade acquaintences with Miami:  and Brooks Lee, Eduard Julien, Gabriel Gonzalez to Miami in exchange for Sandy Alcantara
Why it works for Twins:
Th eTwins once again dip into IF depth to acquire a starter from Miami.Twins still have Lewis, Correa,  Miranda (Casas if make that deal), the supposed near MLB ready 5 tool prospect in Keaschall, plus utility guys in Martin and Castro. Maybe the Twins can do with with keeping one of teh three and/or swapping out with another top 25 Twins prospect.  Alcantara is coming off TJ, but he is nearly 2 years removed and all accounts are he is back to his previous injury self. Twins still get 3 years of control 
Why it Works for Miami:
If Miami is in yet another "redo" mode, do they want to keep an "older player" at his price? They have already moved Luzardo for 2 prospects. Would they move a more expensive starter for THREE quality prospects/young players?? They coudl get 3 young MLB ready (or near) positional starters.
 
#3 is a FA edition of "who says no"?  instead of a team, it is Twins or the FA
Twins sign BOTH Justin Verlander & Max Scherzer to matching 3 year deals averagign about $15M per with some built in protections for both.
Something liek $12M for year 1. Year 2 is $15M with mutual options. Player opt out options, or Twins can buyout at $3M (this basically means it is a $15 year year 1 deal). Year 3 at $18M but contains vesting options based on innings or performance in year 2. 
 
Why this works for teh Twins:
These are low risk moves. there is built in protections with the mutual option and the vesting option for years 2 and 3. While neither can legitimately be counted on for 30+ starts, they would both be great mentors for Ryan, Ober, and the rest of our young pitchers. This gives us 6 deep with Ryan, Ober, (Lopez, or Alcantara if we do/dont do any of those other moves) Verlander, Scherzer, SWR. plus our ready/near ready young guys means we would have the depth to ease them along or deal with injuries.  From a financial perspective they will sell tickets. and if Verlander performs and we can retain him we have the chance at the run for 300.
 
Why this works for JV/Max:
Neither pitcher is set to get any offer above say $12M on even a 1 year deal due to age and recent injury. This give them the opportunity to maximize their value and provide flexibility on their end.
 
 

Who says no to some of the following trade options?
#1  Pablo Lopez and Christian vazquez to Red Sox for Tristan Casas and Miguel Blies:
Why it works for Twins:
They are able ot clear $32M from the books while at the same time solving their 1B issue.  they get a prospect with MASSIVE upside who was showing big potential before injuries in 2024. This also allows for further moves with our infield depth.  BU ta clear 1B upgrade and clearing $32M is that too much to pass up?
Why it works for Red Sox:
Red Sox are having internal discussion of moving Rafael Devers to 1B, and Casas is definitely expendable in that case. Red Sox need another starter and can easily take on teh $10 owed Vazquez.
 
#2  Renew trade acquaintences with Miami:  and Brooks Lee, Eduard Julien, Gabriel Gonzalez to Miami in exchange for Sandy Alcantara
Why it works for Twins:
Th eTwins once again dip into IF depth to acquire a starter from Miami.Twins still have Lewis, Correa,  Miranda (Casas if make that deal), the supposed near MLB ready 5 tool prospect in Keaschall, plus utility guys in Martin and Castro. Maybe the Twins can do with with keeping one of teh three and/or swapping out with another top 25 Twins prospect.  Alcantara is coming off TJ, but he is nearly 2 years removed and all accounts are he is back to his previous injury self. Twins still get 3 years of control 
Why it Works for Miami:
If Miami is in yet another "redo" mode, do they want to keep an "older player" at his price? They have already moved Luzardo for 2 prospects. Would they move a more expensive starter for THREE quality prospects/young players?? They coudl get 3 young MLB ready (or near) positional starters.
 
#3 is a FA edition of "who says no"?  instead of a team, it is Twins or the FA
Twins sign BOTH Justin Verlander & Max Scherzer to matching 3 year deals averagign about $15M per with some built in protections for both.
Something liek $12M for year 1. Year 2 is $15M with mutual options. Player opt out options, or Twins can buyout at $3M (this basically means it is a $15 year year 1 deal). Year 3 at $18M but contains vesting options based on innings or performance in year 2. 
 
Why this works for teh Twins:
These are low risk moves. there is built in protections with the mutual option and the vesting option for years 2 and 3. While neither can legitimately be counted on for 30+ starts, they would both be great mentors for Ryan, Ober, and the rest of our young pitchers. This gives us 6 deep with Ryan, Ober, (Lopez, or Alcantara if we do/dont do any of those other moves) Verlander, Scherzer, SWR. plus our ready/near ready young guys means we would have the depth to ease them along or deal with injuries.  From a financial perspective they will sell tickets. and if Verlander performs and we can retain him we have the chance at the run for 300.
 
Why this works for JV/Max:
Neither pitcher is set to get any offer above say $12M on even a 1 year deal due to age and recent injury. This give them the opportunity to maximize their value and provide flexibility on their end.
 
 

... and why is he on the 40 man roster over Kala'i Rosario?
Granted Rosario is by no means a cant miss prospect, and there is a possibility that he will not be claimed in the Rule 5 draft,  Why the heck do you send him to AFL  and then not protect him?
With no disrespect to Helman...
Helman is 28 tears old,  will not crack opening day roster when we have Buxton, Larnach, Wallner, and even Austin Martin? and if you believe reports of us being linked to Tyler Oniel there is no immediate need, and at 28 he is not the future.  By mid year Emmanual Rodriguez coudl be ready, and by next year Walker Jenkins, again confirming there is not a need for a 28 year old as part of the future.
And again while being drafted in Rule 5 is no guarantee, after playing in 67 games at AA last year, and in the AFL the last 2 years he is definitley in the window of possibility!!  and we risk that for Helman?

... and why is he on the 40 man roster over Kala'i Rosario?
Granted Rosario is by no means a cant miss prospect, and there is a possibility that he will not be claimed in the Rule 5 draft,  Why the heck do you send him to AFL  and then not protect him?
With no disrespect to Helman...
Helman is 28 tears old,  will not crack opening day roster when we have Buxton, Larnach, Wallner, and even Austin Martin? and if you believe reports of us being linked to Tyler Oniel there is no immediate need, and at 28 he is not the future.  By mid year Emmanual Rodriguez coudl be ready, and by next year Walker Jenkins, again confirming there is not a need for a 28 year old as part of the future.
And again while being drafted in Rule 5 is no guarantee, after playing in 67 games at AA last year, and in the AFL the last 2 years he is definitley in the window of possibility!!  and we risk that for Helman?

... and why is he on the 40 man roster over Kala'i Rosario?
Granted Rosario is by no means a cant miss prospect, and there is a possibility that he will not be claimed in the Rule 5 draft,  Why the heck do you send him to AFL  and then not protect him?
With no disrespect to Helman...
Helman is 28 tears old,  will not crack opening day roster when we have Buxton, Larnach, Wallner, and even Austin Martin? and if you believe reports of us being linked to Tyler Oniel there is no immediate need, and at 28 he is not the future.  By mid year Emmanual Rodriguez coudl be ready, and by next year Walker Jenkins, again confirming there is not a need for a 28 year old as part of the future.
And again while being drafted in Rule 5 is no guarantee, after playing in 67 games at AA last year, and in the AFL the last 2 years he is definitley in the window of possibility!!  and we risk that for Helman?

... and why is he on the 40 man roster over Kala'i Rosario?
Granted Rosario is by no means a cant miss prospect, and there is a possibility that he will not be claimed in the Rule 5 draft,  Why the heck do you send him to AFL  and then not protect him?
With no disrespect to Helman...
Helman is 28 tears old,  will not crack opening day roster when we have Buxton, Larnach, Wallner, and even Austin Martin? and if you believe reports of us being linked to Tyler Oniel there is no immediate need, and at 28 he is not the future.  By mid year Emmanual Rodriguez coudl be ready, and by next year Walker Jenkins, again confirming there is not a need for a 28 year old as part of the future.
And again while being drafted in Rule 5 is no guarantee, after playing in 67 games at AA last year, and in the AFL the last 2 years he is definitley in the window of possibility!!  and we risk that for Helman?

How a bout a quick game of Rock Paper Scissors. But this time in the form of Players, Coaches, Front Office.
With an historic collapse liek the Twins had there is never just 1 reason for it. There are always multiple reasons. So how about a game of PCF?
Where would apply the primary Failures?
Not I am not including injuries in the game because a 4th option just does not fit the game. Plus depending on the injury it could fall into any of the current 3.
1) Offense:
Down the stretch our offense completely disappeared. Truth be told, we were never TRULY that good of an offense.  During our stretches of being the "explosive offense" the Twins pretended to be tended to come against stretches against bad to mediocre teams, when we moved onto better teams we tended to revert back to an underperforming offense. but we are focusing here on the collapse portion of the season, and while were were a top 10 run scoring offense overall, during this stretch of futility we were only better than the White Sox and Angels. who COMBINED for 102 wins.
Players: You could say the Twins were "tired"  or injured, btu that is an excuse, Lewis MASSIVE slump to end the year you could tell he was just all upper arm swing which indicates tiredness, But overall just didnt produce. Correa and Buxton were missing for a portion of the collapse, and both it well when they returned but we still struggled. How much of a collective struggle is "team approach" I.E. coaching? and how much is on players not performing? There was just too much bad baserunning, bad situational hitting, and bad approaches down the stretch that must go on the players on the field.
Coaches: This could just be philisophical differences, as opposed to perceived incompetence, but I HATE the amount of early pinch hitting Baldelli does. And while I have never coached above College ball  (ok never above high school or even T ball... but the "never above College" still is technically accurate) I think you have to give your players the opportunities to hit same side pitching. take opportunities during the year with games not on the line. leave them in sometimes. Do SOMETHING to make yourself not so reliable on having to switch out hitters. I cna recal a MINIMUM of at least 5 games wher Baldelli pinch hit for LH hitters in the 5th inning against teams that had only ONE LH pitcher in the bullpen. this means if you left your LH in the game in the 5th inning, you know for a fact they will face oly RH hitters the rest of the game. If my memory is correct we ended losing them all. Not that we were guaranteed to win them, but that is not putting your team in the best position to win.
Front Office: While our offense was not the big priority, it was clear it was not the overall strength they sold it to be going into the season. Everyone had to know Correa and Buxton would be missing time again. While you couldn't anticipate the early injury to Lewis, he had never put together a full healthy season. While we had an abundance of "potential" we went into season with unproven over a full season Larnach, Miranda, Wallner, Kirilloff. Julien was coming off a good year but how many players repeat succesful rookie campaigns?  Farmer is what he is (hint not a major league regular). Would Kepler be the 2nd half Kepler from last year? or what he had been for most of his career? oh yeah and Kepler, Wallner, Larnach all seem to have something I just cant put my finger on when it comes to building out a roster... Oh yeah ALL LH hitting OF.  What is a coach supposed to do there? especially one who relies on analytics to mix and match?  Margot was not a win, Santans though you have to give FO credit. But overall what else would a FO do here? you have to trust/hope in who you had. and where were realistic better options position wise?
RESULT:  ROCK... PAPER.. SCISORS... PLAYERS!!     with coaching a close 2nd.  and I could actually go coaching... after all can you blame players for simply playing to who the level they actually are? 
2) PITCHING
I am lumping the entirety of pitching into one group as starters and relievers impact each other.
Players: Joe Ryan's injury here obviously had an impact. It does not seem to be an injury that coudl have been easily predicted (which would put on Front Office) or through the result of poor handling (which would have been put on coaching) so it comes in here.  Ober was solid, Lopez was not spectacular but solid, and better down the stretch than early. Beyond those two in the roation, SWR performed admirably but tired down teh stretch, we relied on too many young starters who did not have the experience and who were approaching or exceeding historical innings maxes. the Bullpen had some inconsistency especially with Duran, most other failures were just relievers who were not very good overall.  I cannot place the blame on young pitchers with no experience hitting their innigns maxes, or poor performances from players who simply arent that great,  so hint... we may not have a winner here.
 
Coaches: Now it gets juicier. AT least in my opinion. Personally I believe Baldelli did a HORRIBLE job of managing the staff. From pulling pitchers way too soon who were cruising, to using Duran in a number of situations where he had proven himself to struggle (yes any good pitcher shoudl be able to pitch in any situation, but if you as coach know they struggle more in certain situations you just do not put them in those situations). Weirdly the Twins are middle of the pack (14th) in innings pitched by pitchers, so does it just FEEL like he pulls pitchers early??? and maybe the horrible blow ups just shine more light than it deserves. but it FEELS like Baldelli horribly mismanaged this staff. so I am sticking with it.
Front Office: SO going into the offseason we let Sonny Gray go, we let Maeda go. and we replaced with... ???  Again I wouldnt have anticipated Joe Ryan's injury but we went into the season with Ryan, Ober, Lopez as a top 3. with little other experience filling out the back end.  So to START the season we had either inexperience or known injury history in the back end,  SWR, PAddack, Disclafina, Varland.  and ended up relying on inexpereinced youngsters hitting their innigns maxes in Fest and Matthews. SO we did not set up the rotation for success out the gate (which has an impact on the collapse we are specifically grading). At the deadline we did virtaully nothing and almost LITERALLY nothing.  Total pitching moves by this Front Office:  6 total external moves. spending a total of $9M resulting in 4 DFA  and 2 DNP.
RESULT: ROCK... PAPER... SCISSORS... FRONT OFFICE!!  (again with pitching a close second)
 
To paraphrase a well used saying...  "It takes teamwork to make the dream nightmare work"  and if you average the scores... at least mine you get:
Players: 1 offense and 3 pitching == 2 average
Coaches 2 offense and 2 pitching = 2 average
Front Office   3 offense and 1 pitching = 2 average.
Overall though I would put the blame game as   #1 Front Office  #2 (close) coaching  and #3 Players.
 
Thoughts? and who comes out in your "Rock Paper Scissors"?
 
 

Holy cow,  How pathetic were the Twins Pitching additions this year by our FO?  we all know it was pathetic, but did you know it was THIS pathetic?
I didnt quite realize how poor the moves were... until I read the article by Do-Hyoung Park... Here is the sum total of our pitching additions this year...
OFFSEASON MOVES:
Anthony DeSclafina: $4M   DNP
Josh Staumant:  $950K  Released 8/2.
Steven Okert::  $1M DFA  8/24  
Jay Jackson  $1.3M DFA 6/21
Justin Topa: $1.25M :  INJURED   ... ok so he actually was able to get into a whopping 2 games and 1 1.3 innings but not until 9/25 when we were essentially already toast, so basically another DNP
TRADE DEADLINE MOVES:
Trevor Richards:  acquired  7/30   DFA  8/27.
 
The Sum Total of pitching acquisitions:
6 Total Acquisitions
$9M (roughyl)
4 DFA/Released
2 DNP  (including Topa as DNP as he essetnialyl was)
 
yes... THAT pathetic!!
 
 

How a bout a quick game of Rock Paper Scissors. But this time in the form of Players, Coaches, Front Office.
With an historic collapse liek the Twins had there is never just 1 reason for it. There are always multiple reasons. So how about a game of PCF?
Where would apply the primary Failures?
Not I am not including injuries in the game because a 4th option just does not fit the game. Plus depending on the injury it could fall into any of the current 3.
1) Offense:
Down the stretch our offense completely disappeared. Truth be told, we were never TRULY that good of an offense.  During our stretches of being the "explosive offense" the Twins pretended to be tended to come against stretches against bad to mediocre teams, when we moved onto better teams we tended to revert back to an underperforming offense. but we are focusing here on the collapse portion of the season, and while were were a top 10 run scoring offense overall, during this stretch of futility we were only better than the White Sox and Angels. who COMBINED for 102 wins.
Players: You could say the Twins were "tired"  or injured, btu that is an excuse, Lewis MASSIVE slump to end the year you could tell he was just all upper arm swing which indicates tiredness, But overall just didnt produce. Correa and Buxton were missing for a portion of the collapse, and both it well when they returned but we still struggled. How much of a collective struggle is "team approach" I.E. coaching? and how much is on players not performing? There was just too much bad baserunning, bad situational hitting, and bad approaches down the stretch that must go on the players on the field.
Coaches: This could just be philisophical differences, as opposed to perceived incompetence, but I HATE the amount of early pinch hitting Baldelli does. And while I have never coached above College ball  (ok never above high school or even T ball... but the "never above College" still is technically accurate) I think you have to give your players the opportunities to hit same side pitching. take opportunities during the year with games not on the line. leave them in sometimes. Do SOMETHING to make yourself not so reliable on having to switch out hitters. I cna recal a MINIMUM of at least 5 games wher Baldelli pinch hit for LH hitters in the 5th inning against teams that had only ONE LH pitcher in the bullpen. this means if you left your LH in the game in the 5th inning, you know for a fact they will face oly RH hitters the rest of the game. If my memory is correct we ended losing them all. Not that we were guaranteed to win them, but that is not putting your team in the best position to win.
Front Office: While our offense was not the big priority, it was clear it was not the overall strength they sold it to be going into the season. Everyone had to know Correa and Buxton would be missing time again. While you couldn't anticipate the early injury to Lewis, he had never put together a full healthy season. While we had an abundance of "potential" we went into season with unproven over a full season Larnach, Miranda, Wallner, Kirilloff. Julien was coming off a good year but how many players repeat succesful rookie campaigns?  Farmer is what he is (hint not a major league regular). Would Kepler be the 2nd half Kepler from last year? or what he had been for most of his career? oh yeah and Kepler, Wallner, Larnach all seem to have something I just cant put my finger on when it comes to building out a roster... Oh yeah ALL LH hitting OF.  What is a coach supposed to do there? especially one who relies on analytics to mix and match?  Margot was not a win, Santans though you have to give FO credit. But overall what else would a FO do here? you have to trust/hope in who you had. and where were realistic better options position wise?
RESULT:  ROCK... PAPER.. SCISORS... PLAYERS!!     with coaching a close 2nd.  and I could actually go coaching... after all can you blame players for simply playing to who the level they actually are? 
2) PITCHING
I am lumping the entirety of pitching into one group as starters and relievers impact each other.
Players: Joe Ryan's injury here obviously had an impact. It does not seem to be an injury that coudl have been easily predicted (which would put on Front Office) or through the result of poor handling (which would have been put on coaching) so it comes in here.  Ober was solid, Lopez was not spectacular but solid, and better down the stretch than early. Beyond those two in the roation, SWR performed admirably but tired down teh stretch, we relied on too many young starters who did not have the experience and who were approaching or exceeding historical innings maxes. the Bullpen had some inconsistency especially with Duran, most other failures were just relievers who were not very good overall.  I cannot place the blame on young pitchers with no experience hitting their innigns maxes, or poor performances from players who simply arent that great,  so hint... we may not have a winner here.
 
Coaches: Now it gets juicier. AT least in my opinion. Personally I believe Baldelli did a HORRIBLE job of managing the staff. From pulling pitchers way too soon who were cruising, to using Duran in a number of situations where he had proven himself to struggle (yes any good pitcher shoudl be able to pitch in any situation, but if you as coach know they struggle more in certain situations you just do not put them in those situations). Weirdly the Twins are middle of the pack (14th) in innings pitched by pitchers, so does it just FEEL like he pulls pitchers early??? and maybe the horrible blow ups just shine more light than it deserves. but it FEELS like Baldelli horribly mismanaged this staff. so I am sticking with it.
Front Office: SO going into the offseason we let Sonny Gray go, we let Maeda go. and we replaced with... ???  Again I wouldnt have anticipated Joe Ryan's injury but we went into the season with Ryan, Ober, Lopez as a top 3. with little other experience filling out the back end.  So to START the season we had either inexperience or known injury history in the back end,  SWR, PAddack, Disclafina, Varland.  and ended up relying on inexpereinced youngsters hitting their innigns maxes in Fest and Matthews. SO we did not set up the rotation for success out the gate (which has an impact on the collapse we are specifically grading). At the deadline we did virtaully nothing and almost LITERALLY nothing.  Total pitching moves by this Front Office:  6 total external moves. spending a total of $9M resulting in 4 DFA  and 2 DNP.
RESULT: ROCK... PAPER... SCISSORS... FRONT OFFICE!!  (again with pitching a close second)
 
To paraphrase a well used saying...  "It takes teamwork to make the dream nightmare work"  and if you average the scores... at least mine you get:
Players: 1 offense and 3 pitching == 2 average
Coaches 2 offense and 2 pitching = 2 average
Front Office   3 offense and 1 pitching = 2 average.
Overall though I would put the blame game as   #1 Front Office  #2 (close) coaching  and #3 Players.
 
Thoughts? and who comes out in your "Rock Paper Scissors"?
 
 

Bailey 7 IP  1 hit 0 walks 7K 83 pitches.
 
Hey here is an idea, lets pull him after retiring 15 straight batters, absolutely rolling (throwing a potential Maddux) and lets replace him with Duran who struggle sin the 8th.
Seriously?

Bailey 7 IP  1 hit 0 walks 7K 83 pitches.
 
Hey here is an idea, lets pull him after retiring 15 straight batters, absolutely rolling (throwing a potential Maddux) and lets replace him with Duran who struggle sin the 8th.
Seriously?

Bailey 7 IP  1 hit 0 walks 7K 83 pitches.
 
Hey here is an idea, lets pull him after retiring 15 straight batters, absolutely rolling (throwing a potential Maddux) and lets replace him with Duran who struggle sin the 8th.
Seriously?

Bailey 7 IP  1 hit 0 walks 7K 83 pitches.
 
Hey here is an idea, lets pull him after retiring 15 straight batters, absolutely rolling (throwing a potential Maddux) and lets replace him with Duran who struggle sin the 8th.
Seriously?