LA Vikes Fan

I'm with you on that. Move Houston up to AAA and get his feet wet now. Let's see if he's a viable option for 2027 or if he'll need more time to be ready at the plate. From what I read, he ready now to come up and field the SS position in the Bigs.

You're right. They got rid of that. Ignore my musings, everyone.

That's too bad. I feel for the guy to have this happen just as he was getting on the radar. Probably helps us in one way. He didn't impress in his debut but he didn't get a very long leash and he isn't the first guy to stink in his first shot at the Bigs. If he's out for the year, it becomes a lot easier to take him off the 40 man now to open a spot for Jenkins or Ross (or CJ Culpepper, Houston, etc.), get him through the Rule 5 draft, and still have him for next year if another opportunity arises. Maybe he's better the second time around A lot of guys are, including Tori Hunter and Mike Trout. They both stunk their first go around, had to go back down, and then made their mark.

Sing it, brother! Let's give Zoll a chance to make his own mark. I'm keeping my pitchfork in the garage so its handy but I'm going to wait on re-ordering tar. Amazon can get it to me overnight so I should be good.

Something's off with Caratini. I bet you're right. Maye he is the guy that goes on IL to create room for Jenkins next week.

Got ninjaed. This is the right thing. Open up a 40 man spot for Culpepper.

No, gotta be Gray going down or released. Roden just hit a double and is slowly improving. He or Martin goes down when Buxton comes back. One other thought. This is the time of year where basically every MLB player goes on revocable waivers. That means Alex Jackson has been there. Maybe he didn't get claimed. If he didn't he can be assigned down, removed from the 40 man roster, and still be int the org as catching depth.

No it's not. It's a round pastry with fruit and icing on top, isn't it? Goes well with a strong French Roast.

Players keep their rookie status next year if they have 45 days or less on the active roster and 130 ABs or less. Being a rookie allows the Twins to pick up an extra draft pick in the competitive balance round right after Round 1 if (a) the player earns rookie of the year the next season (here 2027), or (2) places in the top 3 in the Cy Young or MVP ballots prior to qualifying for arbitration. A player qualifies for arbitration after 3 years of service time. We can meet these thresholds if we wait until 8/15 to have 45 days of service time or less and manage their ABs to top out at 130, post season ABs don't count. There are 38 games left starting 8/15, so that means 3.42 ABs per game. Easy to stay under without thinking since if they actually play in even 35 of those 38 games, the ABs jump to 3.75 a game and walks, sacrifice flies or bunts, HBP, etc, don't count as ABs. Like everything else in baseball, there is actually a stat on this. The leadoff position in the batting order averages 4.6 PAs game, 4.2 ABs, going down to the ninth spot which averages 3.7 PAs/game, 3.5 ABs. Bottom line is that by bringing someone up on August 15 and even playing them the entire game 90% of the time (almost nobody plays every day), it's pretty easy to stay under the 130 AB threshold. These guys wouldn't play that much so the at-bat threshold is kind of irrelevant. I found 6 players that have earned their team an extra draft pick since this rule came into effect - Julio Rodriguez (Mariners) for finishing as the rookie of the year 2022, Corbin Caroll (Diamondbacks) and Gunnar Anderson (Orioles) in 2023 for rookie of the year awards, Bobby Witt earned one for the Royals in the 2025 draft finishing in the top three MVP while pre-arbitration, Hunter Brown for the Astros in the 2025 draft for finishing in the top three Cy Young balloting pre-arbitration, and the Braves from Drake Baldwin being rookie of the year in 2025. The player has to come north with his team on Opening Day to be eligible for this incentive draft choice. The whole idea is to incentivize clubs to bring their promising players up from the beginning of the season rather than manipulating service time by waiting 45 days before calling them up so their first season doesn't count as a full season for purposes of computing the three years prior to arbitration. Players who are called up during the season who then win the rookie of the year award, which is more than half of the winners, do not qualify their team for this extra draft pick. So in other words, if you try to manipulate the service time by waiting 45 days to call up at hotshot prospect and with the rookie of the year award, save me year on their service time but you don't get the extra high draft pick from them winning the award. The pick is valuable because it usually falls between about number 25 and number 35 in the draft. So, if we think there's any realistic chance that either Jenkins or Culpepper could win the 2027 rookie of the year award or finish in the top three MVP balloting 2027, 2028, or 2029, it makes sense to wait the extra 10 days to have the shot at the draft choice. Here, the decision to wait is relatively easy since they both fairly recently came back from the injured list and need a few games to knock the rust off. That's why I would wait the extra 10 days. This year, the Twins have nine games between today and August 15, so those are the games they would miss.

There you go. The Twins chose a path, they are trying to compete for the division title or a wild card spot in the 2026 and 2027 seasons. Many of us would have chosen a different path but that's the one they chose. Now make decisions based on that choice. Nothing is more of a "half measure" than choosing a lane and then not making moves that might make that lane successful. So let's quit worrying about what might happen if there is a substantial work stoppage in 2027. Let's not fear the risk of loss; let's focus on the possibility of gain. The only place you and I differ is that I think calling up Culpepper and maybe Jenkins could provide a spark and might help this team. It seems like you are a little less hopeful that will occur. Hey, you might be right; I certainly don't know enough to accurately predict what will happen. Having said that, I would call up Culpepper and Jenkins on 8/15, assuming they both continue to hit in AAA for the next 10 days, in place of Gray and Roden unless he all of a sudden one of them gets hot. If one of them does, then Jenkins comes up for the other. Keep Jackson for now, and his spot can be the spot you use to get Buxton on the roster. Buxton can join the roster for Gray if he's available before 8/15, but everything I read suggest he's going to be out at least two or three more weeks. All of this assumes that nobody else gets injured which is usually what happens to open up a spot. Let's all stop the handwringing and make some moves to see if this lane actually works. If it doesn't, at least we tried to make something happen rather than sitting around in limbo which is our usual state.

According to the Athletic, the plan was to have Jenkins replace Larnach if the Houston trade had gone through. I don't think the Twins have any immediate plans for Wallner. You have to assume they tried to trade him at the deadline and found no takers. I think all we can do is hold him until next spring and see if he's improved enough to be a DH with Bell gone (if he's gone) or try to find a trade partner then.

Quick point about Emma. I have read that it is "very likely" that he will get a 4th option year because he is accumulating used option years faster than "full professional seasons", which is defined as more than 90 days on an active roster. IL time does not count towards a "full professional season". Where a player uses up all three option years before he has accumulated five full professional seasons, that player is pretty much automatically granted a 4th option year. Emma has already met the criteria for that additional option year. The bottom line is that him being "out of options after this year" should not be a consideration whether or not to call him up over Jenkins.

Agreed. I think the "risk" of losing significant control time due to an expected long term work stoppage next year is way overblown. The much more likely result is a lot of drama followed by either a shortened spring training and a roughly 140-150 game season, or a last-minute deal that saves the entire season. There is just too much money being made and too much other competition now to take the market risk of any sort of long-term disruption. MLB owners may not be as smart as NFL owners but they aren't that stupid. Next year's CBA negotiation should have little if any impact on whether to call up prospects, particularly after August 15 when they can come up and still retain their rookie status. The possibility of gain here is so much higher than the risk of loss that the risk of loss should be an afterthought at best.

All interesting. I agree with Culpepper for Gray for sure for the reasons you stated. Jenkins for Roden also makes sense although I'm a little more hesitant. I think that we've given Roden a short but fair shot. The two nagging concerns are that Roden has hit the ball hard fairly regularly so you just think there may be more there and I question if Jenkins is quite ready. This is Roden's last real shot with the Twins. Add to that the loss of rookie status if called up before 8/15 and I say we wait another 10 days for Jenkins and to give Roden a little more time. Wallner is a very tough one. He is hitting now in AAA and has hit MLB pitching before. Still, two MAJOR issues with Wallner. The first is he had a huge hole in his swing the upper inside quadrant of the strike zone which made him an easy out. Has he solved that or is he just feasting on lesser pitching and likely to hit .150 in the Bigs again? The second is where do you play him? Bell is actually one of our better hitters right now so the DH spot is only available 1, maybe 2 games a week. There's no way to sugarcoat this, Wallner is a lousy OF. He lessens the defense every time he plays out there. It's even worse when out CF who covered for him is hurt and we really don't have another one, at least not yet. We are in that part of the year where pitching and defense tends to trump offense so Wallner is a big risk. He also doesn't hit LH pitching so he doesn't solve our primary weakness. Maybe platoon him in RF with Martin now, but what do we do when Buxton comes back? We certainly don't want to give Wallner playing time over Keaschall, since Keasch just had a .909 OPS in July and is off to an even hotter start in August (he is the best hitter on the team right now and should be hitting in the 2 hole, but I'll save that rant for another thread). Larnach has seized the LH corner OF spot on the team and squeezed Wallner out. I'd hate to be the starting pitcher and look out to the OF and see Larnach, Keaschall, and Wallner. Ground balls only that day. So, on balance, I would call up Culpepper now for Gray and play him in a 60/40 SS platoon with Kriedler. I'd wait until 8/15 and if Roden hasn't gotten hot, switch him out for Jenkins. I just don't think there's a place for Wallner on this roster for this year absent another injury or maybe 2 since Jenkins is first OF up. He waits to try to win a DH job for 2027 or maybe an offseason trade. Sucks for Wallner, but he played himself into this position.

My bad, just saw that Rojas was sent to St. Paul. That makes sense, stretch him out as a starter. We are going to need at least one more and probably more than that in August and September.

Sorry to see Garver get released. Always like him but a .175/.302/.294 (>506) line with poor defense will get you sent home. They also released Rob Refsnyder, who's been even worse. I saw the Twins activated Hoffmann What was the corresponding move(s)?

Well said. Hey, let's have fun the rest of the season with this team. It might actually be a fun season. Less on Tom Pohlad, more on baseball.

I agree that it can be painful to watch Larnach chase fly balls but I don't think that's Sizemore's fault. I think that's because Larnach simply can't run for crap. The guy has a great skill in putting the bat to the ball but he is not a great athlete by any stretch of the imagination. To call him lumbering is actually a compliment. Still, he runs better than Wallner, who I would describe as more glacial in approach. I'm not sure whose idea it was to put Buxton in center, flank him with those two guys, and expect to have a competent defensive outfield. I hope whoever that was is no longer in a position of authority.

I think this is very insightful. I actually think that may be what Jeffers was trying to accomplish. He wanted to stay with this team for this season because it's a very tight group and he thought they could have some at least modest success, while still giving himself the chance to go on the FA market next year and get a longer-term high-value deal that will set him up for life. This was the way to get that accomplished while still showing some respect to the team that nurtured him through his development and to the guys in the clubhouse. I respect him for doing this if that's what happened. By the way, nothing wrong with Jeffers wanting to go on the FA market next year and get a longer-term high-value deal. These guys are lucky to get one shot set themselves up for life with a big contract. 90% of them never get that opportunity and only a handful get more than one chance. I can't begrudge anyone for taking that shot if they get it. He's earned it and he should take advantage of the opportunity.

What does it even mean to "go big or go home"? I think that is one of those hackneyed business phrases like "creative synergies" or "we're going to think outside the box". I don't think any of these phrases actually mean anything in particular. They are completely contextual. They mean very different things to different people, and mean very different things in different contexts. I actually "liked" your post because I think we agree in concept - the Twins did good things to improve the team but they didn't swing for the fences or take big risks by any stretch. I also agree that this is not the team for which you swing for the fences or take big future risks for this year. Is that "going big" in context? I have absolutely no idea. Nor do I care. All I know is the team is better today than it was yesterday and that will make the season more fun.

It's funny, I find myself "liking" the first 3 posts, even thought they express pretty different viewpoints on whether this deadline was better, whether it was an "improvement" or a "drastic change". And I think those two phrases explain the difference in viewpoints. Was the Twins behavior this deadline an "improvement" over the last couple of years? Absolutely for the reasons explained in the article and I don't think anyone can cogently argue otherwise. Was that behavior a "drastic change"? Absolutely not. A drastic change would have been emptying the farm system for a pitcher like Skubal, trading multiple top 15 ranked prospects for a Soriano and Zeferjahn package, or trading serious prospects for guys like Luis Arraez or Adley Rutschman. So in a sense, everybody is basically correct – this was an improvement but not emblematic of a drastic change. I would argue that the Twins took exactly the right of approach, although I might quibble a little about value given versus value received. To start off with, this team is decent but it is not a contender or even really very good. The Twins' record very accurately reflects what they are, a slightly above average team with enough holes that brings them back to average or slightly below. This is not a team that you empty the farm system to augment. It's a team where you try to fill some of the holes, see if that lifts you to an above average team, and try to take advantage of the weak division and league to sneak into the playoffs and add some excitement at the end of the season. This team simply isn't good enough for you to mortgage the future in the hopes of reaching the World Series or even the league championship series. Maybe that team is next year if guys like Jenkins, Emma, and Culpepper come up and immediately produce, maybe it's in 2028 after they've had some seasoning and have been joined by the likes of Houston and Quick, or maybe it's never for this group. One thing we know for sure, it ain't this year. I like what they did. The bullpen was a clear weakness and they traded for two of the top five relievers traded (maybe even two of the top three with the Weaver being the other), and three of the top eight traded. They did it by giving up one good prospect in Hill, one decent/maybe possible MLB prospect in Klein, and a bunch of lottery tickets with upside. In return, they got Hoffman who was the closer for a World Series team last year, Minter who was in the Braves bullpen when they won the World Series in 2021 and had seven strikeouts in 4.2 innings in that WS, and Nance who had a 1.99 ERA in 2025 and also pitched in last year's World Series. They also picked up a starter who has been a middle to back end rotation guy in the past and is now kind of a crapshoot. Not a bad haul for not giving up a whole lot. If that's not an improvement over the last couple of years, I don't know what is. Whether it's a "go big or go home" moment (whatever that's trite phrase actually means) depends entirely on your perspective. Now it's up to the players. To get to 85 wins they need to go 29 – 20 the rest of the way, a .592 winning percentage. 85 wins should get them into the playoffs and has a better than 50/50 chance of winning the division. They were 15 – 9 in July, so essentially the need to repeat July twice in August and September. Is it possible? Absolutely, they've shown they can play at that level. Is it likely? I wouldn't say it's the most likely result, I see it more as a 50/50 proposition. I think their record from this point forward is going to be heavily dependent on the bullpen's performance which is in turn dependent on the three bullpen arms they just got, continued performance from the rotation (something very much in doubt), and Lewis, Keaschall, Bell, Jeffers, Lee, and Clemens all having an OPS of at least.750 for the rest of the season with at least three of them over .800. At this point, anything we get from Buxton has to be considered gravy. All possible, but failure in one area probably dooms them to a .500 or less season. Still, all in all, much better than at least I thought going in and much more interesting to watch. Usually by this point in the season, I started to tune out the Twins and focus my attention more on the Dodgers inexorable run to yet another division title (yawn) but this year I will keep with Twins, at least for now. Big step up.

Gomer Pyle is a Marine! Seriously, they made Jim Nabors an honorary Marine due to the success of Gomer Pyle, USMC. Fortunately, that was during the "don't ask, don't tell" days, if yo catch my drift ...

Exactly my thinking, and frankly that scares a little bit (LOL). We needed another late inning guy and Hoffman has done that and done it well in the past, including the last 2 months. He's a little like Griffin Jax was, a very good to great 7th and 8th inning guy who turns into a pumpkin in a save situation. I see Minter and he handling a lot the 8th inning duties with Morris in the 8th and about 1/3 of the save situations, and Gomez taking the other 2/3 of the save situations.

If that's what Hill is and we have Hoffmann next year with Toronto paying some of the bill, then the payout is fine for him.

Hoffmann had a 0.75 ERA in June and 1.93 in July. Still, giving up Hill seems like a lot.