LA Vikes Fan

Might be a short term blessing in disguise for the starting pitching. Paddack gets moved back to Thursday so the starters for the KC series are Ryan, Lopez, and then its Ober's 5th day. Matthews can be skipped until next Tuesday in Tampa and everyone gets another extra day before the next turn because we're off next Thursday. That allows us to pitch our best 3 starters in a divisional series against a contender. It also matters on how much we have to pitch Matthews, only twice while SWR has to be in St. Paul. Festa may also be ready by next Tuesday although I would give Matthews one more shot. A second start like the first says he isn't quite ready yet and we move on to another plan.

No one is saying the Twins give up. a “mediocre “ prospect. A guy in the 11-29 range from the Twins system has potential. The Orioles get a back end MLB starter who might be more than that and who helps fill a huge roster hole, plus a player with real potential. The Twins get a solid but not great bat to play 1B/ DH and fill the rotation hole from below. Seems like a good deal for both sides given where the are and each team’s realistic potential result this year.

I tend to agree because the opportunity is now while Wallner and Keaschall are out. I would like to see McCusker get 50 ABs over the next 2-3 weeks to see what he’s got, at the expense of either Clemens or Keirsey. They’ve both had a chance to show if they could hit MLB pitching and have come up short. Let’s see what McCusker can do. If he’s not good enough, no worries, send him back down. The 40 man roster spot is a challenge, but they can move Tonkin or Keaschall to the 60 day IL to create room. There is an opportunity here to see what McCusker can do without much downside risk. He’s earned it, let’s give him a shot.

The one that shocks me is Bader. I was hopeful on France and I think Coloumbe has been a good pitcher for a while, undervalued because he’s a bullpen guy. I one that shocks me is Bader. He’s always been a tease, greatglive in the outfield and looks good in the uniform, but he could never hit worth a crap. Classic fourth outfielder with a good glove and no bat, so I thought the Twins were way overpaying him. Look, I doubt that it will last all year but if the guy can even hit 265/325/.400, he’s a home run.

Not only is trading Ryan very stupid, I think you guys have the trade reversed. It would be the Twins trading prospects to the Orioles for a Frontline player, not the other way around. The Orioles season is close to over. They are already far behind in a very tough division and nine games below .500. They need to think about getting them next year so it makes no sense for them to trade prospects that are close to major league ready to get a pitcher. And if those prospects are not close to major league ready, the Twins would not want them. The more realistic trade would be the Twins trading for someone like Mountcastle by giving up someone like Paddack plus a prospect outside the top 10.

I agree but I think the situation has changed now that Castro is back. Before then, you almost had to keep a guy like Keirsey around to be your fourth outfielder who can actually play the outfield. Now, Castro can be your fourth outfielder and play a decent corner and passable centerfield. We’re really talking about the fifth outfielder so Kiersey’s two big calling cards, speed, and defense, become less important. I think offensive production now becomes paramount, particularly with Bader around to be your strong fielding 3rd/4th outfielder. I think the need to keep Keirsey on the roster is now over. I would call up McCusker and see if he can hit while Wallner is still out. If he can, we just found another guy for the roster. If he can’t, he goes back down when Wallner shows up. I was a big fan of calling Keirsey up last year, but he’s had his chance and what he has shown is that he can’t currently hit major league pitching. There is an open window, let’s see if McCusker can.

I admit that I was one of the people beating the drum for Keirsey to get called up last year. Sound that the FO was right and I was wrong - Keirsey does not appear to be able to hit me pitching that's too bad because his speed and defense would be an asset. I do think it's time to admit that the Keirsey experiment did not work and give McCusker a shot, particularly once Castro is ready to come back. Castro Can take over the role of late inning Pension runner and outfield defensive substitution since I don't think he will be playing a lot of infield with Lewis, Correa and Lee pretty well ensconced in the infield and Julien available to play 2B. We need hitting and we need it badly. I think it is time to give McCusker a shot to see if he can help us up visibly and frankly maybe Prato as well. They don't have to be all-stars, they just have to be better than whichever three of Gasper, Clemens, Bride and Keirsey are left once Lewis comes back to the roster. Not a high bar although Bride might be able to hit some.

This could get interesting. You have to figure that Clemens goes when Lewis comes back. Then it gets a little dicey. When Castro is ready (should be soon), who goes? Bride has raked since he came and the Twins coaching staff fixed his swing (can't believe I just wrote that). Not only that Bride was a .276/.367/.461 (.818) hitter last year with 11 HRs and a 55/31 SO/BB ratio in 262 PAs and palys 3B, 1B, 2B, and LF in a pinch. Sounds like a good guy to have around. Gasper hasn't been good at the plate (.583 OPS overall, but .686 in the last 7 games), but is a 3rd catcher and he's been a lot better than Keirsey. I was beating the drum for Keirsey last year but it looks like the FO was smarter than me; Keirsey hasn't shown/can't hit MLB pitching. Do we make Castro the 4th OF until Wallner comes back and send Keirsey back to AAA? Do we keep Keirsey for his speed and OF glove and send someone else down? Who is that, Julien or Gaspar? Two weeks ago that would have been an easy answer, now, I'm not so sure. Are we going to give McCusker a shot in the OF? I would make a series of moves when Lewis and Castro come back in the next week or two. Lewis for Clemens, Castro for Keirsey, and McCusker for either Julien or Gaspar. Still probably Gaspar goes but that could change over the next week. McCusker and Julien/Gaspar are then playing for who goes down when Wallner comes back. Better hitter stays since none of those guys offer much defensive upside.

As a life long Twins fan who lives in LA, I have a question for you guys. I grew up in Minnesota, but left after high school in 1975. Out here in LA we have teams that the community will passionately support regardless of whether they're good, bad, or indifferent in the Dodgers, Lakers, and the Kings. I know the last one is hard to believe but there is a hard-core hockey fan base in this town. It isn't huge but it fills up the arena and those fans are loyal and passionate. We have teams who have to win to get any real traction and support in the Clippers, and interestingly enough both football teams, the Rams and the Chargers. I think the football teams suffer from playing in the fall when the weather is usually pretty good here. The moronic 20 year hiatus of the NFL from LA left a football fan base that follows a lot of different NFL teams, plus we have USC and UCLA football. USC in particular has a very passionate and engaged fan base regardless of on field results. So reading the above, it sounds like the Twins really need to win to ignite the fan base, while people wall engage on the Vikings and the Wild people follow regardless. Am I reading this right? What do you guys think? I'm frankly just curious but it does strike me that it's a much tougher job being an owner of a team that needs to win to get that passionate engagement.

Doesn’t look like much of a chance of that happening. France looks like a guy who could hit .255/.325/.400 with 15-20 HRs, but is more likely to hit .235/.310/.390 with 10-15 HRs. Not bad for his salary, but we definitely need an upgrade.

This isn't a bad result. Look, we have to start with 2 givens. Correa is going to play SS almost every day. He stinks at the plate now but he has been a good hitter for years and is likely to come back at the plate AND he is still an excellent defensive player. For me the second given is that we need to play Lewis, Keaschall, Lee, Wallner, Larnach, and Julien as much as we can this year unless they bottom out. That group plus Buxton, Jeffers, and Correa is the 2026 starting lineup. Bader and France are likely gone next year if not gone at the trading deadline, Castro is either gone or a UTL, and Keirsey is likely replaced by Martin. While I would love to contend this year, at the very least we need to set ourselves up for next year. I think the best way to do that is to play those 5 as much as possible and over France or Bader. So how do you do that when they all play similar positions? For now, when Lewis comes back you have too many IFs. Can one of the IFs or France play OF until Wallner comes back? Doesn't seem although that's the best solution because Bader is the guy to sit amongst that group as a whole. Looks like the everyday OF is Larnach, Buxton, and Bader with Keirsey in reserve until Wallner comes back. Among the rest of the team Lewis and Keaschall are the PRIORITES to play because they are the only 2 that can hit in the middle of the order. So, what I see is no more Larnach at DH. He plays RF until Wallner is back, then Bader goes to the bench and plays 2 days a week against LH pitching or is traded wile Wallner and Larnach play pretty much every day. Lewis, Lee, Keaschall, Julien and France play 1B, 2B, 3B, and DH with one of them not named Keaschall or Lewis sitting unless Correa sits (once a week), when they can all play. That means Keaschall or Lewis have to play 1B once or twice a week with France sitting. Lee becomes a bit more of a Super UTL playing some 3B, some 2B, and some SS. Julien doesn't start against LH pitching and it's really a race between Lee, Julien, and France as to who hits the best and get the most time.

I agree. I think Varland is a better version of Emilio Pagan. Pagan is still pitching and has been fairly effective as a setup, 7th or occasionally 8th inning guy, Generally good but a few complete blow up outings every year. He was totally miscast for the Twins as a closer. Same for Varland. I think he can be an effective but not elite 7th inning guy who can pitch some 8th innings, but can't close. Brock Stewart lite with 50 innings in his arm every year instead of 30. Hey, nothing wrong with that.

As a follow up, I think yesterday was Festa's last MLB start for awhile. He's a talented guy, but doesn't quite yet have the command necessary to get through 6 innings in less than 100 pitches. Way too many 2 strike foul balls and uncompetitive pitches. I think he gets sent down and is back up later in the year as an injury or trade replacement. This all assumes Paddack does decently today and that SWR does the same Saturday, and most importantly no one in the rotation needs to go on the IL. If not, Matthews is the next one up. Festa goes down Friday for the return of Lopez. Like the idea of trading pitching for a bat but not Lopez. I would much rather trade Paddack, maybe in combination with Festa or one of Lee, Julien, or Miranda. We won't get a high end bat for that, but should be able to get a veteran bat with a .750 plus OPS for it, or maybe a hitting prospect now at AAA for Paddack and a lower level minor leaguer with potential.

I think the "Ty France bar" is fair, at least doing what France's doing now. We need a 1b for next year and it could be Lewis or Lee, or even Julien. Lee has to beat out someone now in the IF and so far he's #6 behind the 4 starters, Keaschall and Castro.

I tend to agree but I think Lee has 2 more weeks to show he can hit MLB pitching. Statcast stats are nice and can give one hope but bottom line results are what matter. Lee went .221/.265/.320 (.585) in 185 PAs, 3 HRs, 27 SOs, 11 BBs. Ugly no matter how hard you squint. This year, you ask? .143/.308/.286 (.594) so far in 26 PAs, with 1 HR, 4 SOs, 5 BBS. A little better but let's face it, not too much better. I get playing Lee every day until Lewis comes back. If he can get that OPS up to the high 600s or higher, maybe he can stay. If not, back down he goes because it makes no sense to keep him on the Twins unless he's going to play regularly. Guys don't develop and get better sitting on the bench. The harder question is going to be where does Lee play? Keaschall looks pretty strong so far and if he is even 80-90% of what he's shown so far he is your every day 2B/DH. Julien's Statcast line is also pretty good and he at least backed it up in 2023, and is better than Lee now at the plate. It's hard to see even a part time role for Lee going forward with Lewis at 3B, Correa SS, Keaschall/Julien 2B, and Castro as the UTL. Lee is going to have to force his way onto the roster and so far, that's not happening. If we need aa second UTL, better to have someone like Bride with Lee hopefully getting better in AAA.

Sooooo, the Twins need offensive help and it doesn't really matter what position they play or the level of defense. The DH spot is open and there really isn't anyone set at any position on this team except maybe Correa and Buxton. It doesn't sound like there's anyone at St. Paul ready to come up who could help. It sounds like McCusker may be future option but not yet and the time horizon is very uncertain. Same for Emma, although it looks like he may be even farther out. Is there anybody at AAA that could come up and help the Twins in the batter's box?

I think Alcala has now acquired enough MLB service time so he would have to go on waivers if they attempt to send him to AAA. He would almost certainly be claimed by Oakland/Sacramento, the White Sox, or a similar bottom feeder. He is much more of a trade possibility for a A Ball guy than for a demotion. I would take him off of the list when thinking about a AAA demotion.

Excellent article. Really sums up the malaise surrounding this team. And you're right, one game, even one play, can reignite a team and turn things around. Maybe Buxton's game saving catch last night can be that play. Keaschall might be the real deal and maybe Lewis is the first half of 2024 hitter when he's back in a couple of weeks. Festa might turn into something and there is other pitching on the way. One can see daylight if you squint hard and look all the way down the tunnel. Still, the bottom line is that the one thing that would spark this team and this fan base more than anything is an announcement of a sale. That can't happen soon enough.

My guess is that today and Thursday's starts are tryouts or validation start for Festa and Paddack. Is Paddack the guy form his first 2 starts - 7.1 IP, 13 hits, 13 runs? Or the guy from his last two starts - 10 IP, 5 hits, 3 runs? Another decent start and he stays in the rotation, particularly if he can go 6 innings. Then the choice is SWR or Festa, with both looking like 4 or 5 inning guys so far. Can Festa go 6+ today? Loser of the 3 goes to the bullpen unless it's Festa and he goes back to AAA. Watch, one of the starters will need an IL stint and that will solve the problem.

Based on results, the posters above are right - Julien, Keirsey, and especially Brooks Lee should not be on the MLB roster. We may have found a replacement for Lee in Keaschall. Can McCusker replace Keirsey? Let's find out. Keirsey got a abbreviated shot - only 19 ABs - but has really shown no ability to hit MLB pitching. Bring up and play McCasker for Keirsey, bench Lee for Bride (?) unless Julien a can play 3B. Can't see what else there is to do. There isn't anyone else to really call up from AAA. Hard to see how this will turn around without some larger shakeup. We all know the largest - fire the manager.

While I agree with the basic thesis of the article that this year's performance isn't necessarily Baldelli's "fault", I disagree that "fault" matters or drives the decision. If you're the field manager and the team is not successful, you lose your job. That's the deal you signed up for. Being a baseball manager or football coach, or any kind of coach in sports, is not a job when you get to keep it just because you're being competent or even above average. Many times, you can be doing everything "right" and you just aren't getting the production out of the players you have so the manager/coach/GM/assistant coach has to go. Really the only question here is has the talent played up to its potential? While we might disagree about the potential of this roster, I think we have to agree that the roster has a potential of winning more than 51/52 games this year. At their current .318 winning percentage, that's how many games they will win. To make matters even worse, we aren't really seeing signs that this is going to turn around regardless of what happens in the upcoming season with the only team worse in baseball; the Chicago White Sox. I actually like Baldelli as a manager and think he is above average. Having said that, he has clearly lost the team or at least lost the ability to motivate their play. It's time for him to go. Not because he's a bad manager, not because it made a bunch of mistakes, not because this isn't been also on the Front Office, he goes because he's the manager responsible for on the field performance. That performance is dreadful and even worse for an entertainment product, boring. Firing Baldelli does not make him a "fall guy", it's the proper response to a field manager unable to motivate his team into achieving their potential. If people want to call him the fall guy, it doesn't really matter, getting fired if the team doesn't win is what he signed up for. There is nothing to see here.

Well written article. I know I've been saying this could be a fact all season but now it's borne out - this is a team missing a #2, #3, and #4 hitter. What we have is 4 types of hitters. The First 3 are (1) a few complimentary type guys who could hit #5- #7 on a contending team in Buxton, Correa, Jeffers and maybe even France, (2) "young" guys who need to hit 6-9 as they develop (if they develop) in Larnach, Julien, Lee, and Keirsey, and (3) guys who are what they are and it ain't that great in Bader, Vasquez, and Castro - all bottom third hitters. What's left? Very inexperienced guys who MIGHT someday be middle of the order bats in Wallner, Lewis, and Keaschall. That's it. That's what we got. To make things even worse, there is no one at AAA who is tearing it up and requires a promotion and that includes Emma, McCusker, Miranda and Martin (last 2 are hurt to be fair). There is no cavalry riding over the hill. There really isn't much we can do here. Play Keaschall pretty much every day, same for Wallner and Lewis when they get back. Hope Buxton stays hot and that Larnach and Julien find enough to at least be serviceable. The bottom line is that this is a bottom half, probably bottom third, offense and it's like to stay there unless Keascahll, Lewis, and Wallner all hit and hit big. The odds here are not great.

The most likely result here is that Keaschall will come up, show some potential, but not be ready for Bigs. Notching wrong with that. If we get lucky, he will be ready and can help us with the OBP and speed we need while his power develops. The key is he needs to play, and play almost every day so we can see what we got. No need to force time for Castro or Bride - force time for Keaschall.

We also have to remember that Buxton and Correa are "stars" in large part because of their defense, not their offense. They are both really lead dogs on the field, but supporting players in the batter's box. Lewis is a key to the offense if he can hit like he did in the first half of 2024 - he hit .292/.354/.685 (1.039) before the AS break. That's the guy we need or even 85-90% of that guy. Buxton and Correa are streaky, nice offensive players who can compliment a Lewis at his best, or really, 2 Lewises. I know i sound like a broken record but the problem with this offense is we don't have any hitter who is good enough to hit 1, 2, 3, or 4 in a championship contending lineup except for Lewis and maybe Wallner. Both are hurt. I don't see anyone on the roster likely to be that guy in the future. Julien could be a nice complimentary bat, Jeffers is already at his peak, and France and Bader are pleasant surprise - all great for the 6, 7, or 8 hole. Lee might be a solid bat hitting 5 or 6. but again, not a lead dog. The 2 players I personally had hoped would really develop into that missing offensive piece were Larnach and Miranda and they have both completely crashed and burned so far this year. Maybe Keaschall is the second coming of Shannon Stewart and be that needed bat in the 1 or 2 hole? A guy can dream ... This year looks the same because it is the same. We still haven't solved out main problem; we need a bat and we need one bad. We haven't had that guy since Nelson Cruz. Oh, and by the way, fire Rocco. Why? Because this ain't working and doesn't look like its going to work, and Rocco seems incapable of changing that narrative. Besides, we got to do something.

I say DH tomorrow against the RH, 2B on Saturday against Sale. Hitting 7 or 8 to start out with.