LA Vikes Fan

I do find this interesting. I live in LA and the Dodgers sell 2.5m plus season tickets, get 3.7m in attendance, and could sell more, The Angels aren't far behind and they regularly stink. Both teams relentlessly market - coaching clinics, players out in the community, TV commercials, bobble head days, giveaways, deals with the local little leagues, tickets for the disadvantaged, t-shirt giveaways, etc. They drive engagement even though their TV situation is also messed up and not available except on cable and not on all systems. The Dodgers also have some disadvantages beause the stadium is old and outdated, the parking stinks, the tickets are expensive, there is little to no way to get there on public transportation, and it's a hassle to go to the game with the traffic and the parking. Add to that the other summertime options in LA with the beaches, mountains, weekend posts in driving distance, etc. and it's a tough marketplace. Yes, the Southern Cal area is doing well economically but I haven't heard that the Twins Cities is suffering. Maybe I'm wrong there. We all should understand that the days when sports could market themselves just by holding the games are long over. That is particularly true for baseball. The Twins need to push the product and push it hard to be successful. Are they not doing that?

I don't live in MN any more and this struck a chord with me. Why is attendance down? I get the frustration with ownership but it turns out that most of the moves are defensible, with, the possible exception of not retaining Sonny Gray since Polanco has been a complete bust in Seattle. More importantly, the team has done a great job integrating young, exciting players into the lineup and the team plays a fun to watch brand of baseball. I also get that they aren't available on TV so maybe that's driving less engagement by the occasional fan, but it shouldn't be impacting the hard core base. Maybe the answer is that the base just isn't big enough. This year's team is fun, and next year's opening day lineup is likely to include a few vets with Jeffers, Lewis, Lee, Miranda, Larnach and/or Wallner, and Martin all playing significant roles. , The rotation has 4 guys under 30, and we have a closer who throws 100 plus mph. This team seems like a good entertainment product worth watching in person. It also seems like a team worth emotional investment since they are likely to be competitive for the next few years. Put this team in Anaheim and they would draw 3 million easy. This a conundrum to those of us not living in MN. Hopefully this will change over the next month and into next year or the team will slide backward.

Agreed. Love the idea Ted, and applaud your creativity but the Angels aren't trading Detmer for Kirlloff. Detmer is far more valuable as a hard throwing controllable LH starter with at least some early success to go with this year's step back. . We would have to add a quality prospect like Maatthews, Corey Lewis or Culppeper to make the deal happen. Would love to see the trade made because controllable starting pitching is so valuable and we would would be trading from a position of surplus (LH OF/1B), but just don't see it.

Good to hear. He may the trade chip this year with the way Lee, Lewis, and Miranda are playing above him and Keaschall and Schobel below him. He may be the surplus to trade from and possibly get us a solid starting pitcher. Even better, package him with a lower minors guy with upside and get a starter controllable beyond 2024. Like Julien but it's hard to see where he plays in the next few unless there's another bad injury.

I agree that Plan A is to get a #2 or good #3 starter. We can then move Paddack to the BP for the rest of the year and even have Varland available for Bp duty. Solves both problems. The issue of course is prospect cost and salary. Flaherty and Kikuchi are within reason on salary, as is Tyler Anderson, but are you willing to give up a Julien, Keaschall, Corey Lewis, Andrew Morris type to get them? Tough to swallow and that's probably the price depending on which one you want. We should absolutely be trying for this while moving forward with what I think should be Plan B - A shutdown bullpen. Go after a rental reliever like Estevez, Yates, Tanner Scott, Erceg or even Michael Kopech. Think about adding a secondary bullpen piece like Chafin or Matt Moore. All should be available for a prospect outside the top 10, the latter two for a prospect outside the top 25. By playoff time, you have the added reliever(s), Stewart, Paddack, SWR, and maybe Topa and/or Varland in the pen instead of Funderburk and Okert, with a 4 man rotation and 8-9 man bullpen. You can limit starter innings to 2 times through the order and have the BP depth to stay strong. Hopefully we are looking at one or the other approach.

Agree, guys toxic. Huge PR downside for signing him, even worse if he doesn’t perform. Very little upside because even if he plays well, your the team that signs a guy accused off abusing unconscious women. He’s toast.

Vasquez is the DH so they can replace him with a LH hitter when we get into the bullpen. Better than replacing Jeffers. BTW, last 4 games Vasquez is .255/.278/.451 (.729), Kepler .255/.291/.294 (.585), Larnach .173/.271/.346(.617). Maybe Vasquez is the right choice.

Catching Cleveland is the playoff key IMHO. The Twins can go somewhere in the playoffs if we can win the AL Central and get the number two seed. Then, we need to hope that the number three seed AL West division Champion, Seattle or Houston, beats their wildcard opponent. That would put us against either Seattle or Houston with home-field advantage in the at ALDS. Win there, and all of our sudden were in the ALCS against one of Baltimore, Cleveland, or the Yankees. We would have a chance to win one series against those three teams, but not more than one. The baseball playoffs are frankly kind of getting like the NFL playoffs. Seeding is key because it really determines who you play and who you play is critical on whether you have a chance to advance. Love the way the Twins are playing this year, but I just don't see them getting to the World Series as a wildcard having to beat the Yankees in the wildcard, then Cleveland or Baltimore in the ALDS, and then Cleveland or Baltimore in the ALCS. Catch Cleveland, win the division with a better record than the AL West winner, and all of a sudden there is a path to the World Series were you only have to beat Houston or Seattle, and then one of Baltimore, Cleveland, or the Yankees in one series. That we can do. Hey, a guy can dream, right?

Agree with everything you say except that I think to get to the ALCS the Twins need to win the AL Central and get the #2 seed. That way they would get the AL West winner (Seattle or Houston) if they beat the wild card in the ALDS round. More importantly, they avoid Cleveland, Baltimore, and the Yankees until the ALCS. To do that I think they will need to win 95-97 games. That means going 44-25 or 42-27 the rest of the way. That's a 60-63% winning percentage. It's possible if they don't have any more major injuries.

The issue is at the top. Ryan, Ober, and SWR are actually pretty competent 2-4 guys in a playoff rotation IF they continue to pitch as they are now. The issue is who can match up against a true #1 like Gerrit Cole, Corbin Burnes, or even a 2024 Seth Lugo, Luis Castillo, or a healthy Verlander. The playoff rotation is a good as Pablo Lopez pitches. I think the rest actually works. Ryan has been a strong #2 this year. He faded last season, but he was hurt. Ober has made a big step up so far this year. If they continue like this, they can be the #2 and #3 guys. Almost all #4 guys are crapshoots in the playoffs and I like what we've seen so far from SWR. But Pablo, not happening right now. He's the key. Last year's second half and playoff Pablo would be good enough. By the way, Cleveland has the same problem, No established #1.

You very well might be right about that. I wouldn't give up a high end prospect for him. But I would give up a prospect not in the top 15.

I would like to see a rotation add but it's only likely possible with someone on a lesser contract like Tyler Anderson or Erik Fedde, and the prospect cost is going to be high on both, Not holding my breath. No Kikuchi for me. A bullpen add would really help and it doesn't have to be a high end piece liek Estevez or Tanner Scott They would both be great but again, the prospect cost will be high. I'd be happy with Kirby Yates, Aroldis Chapman, or Lucas Erceg if we don't have to overspend too badly. Heck, even Chafin or Beeks might help. No need to augment the lineup at trade deadline pricing.

I think we sometimes fail to celebrate the good as we strive for the great. The Twins are 53-40 with 3 games left to the ASB. That equates to 92 plus wins. And that's after playing what appears to be the tougher half of the schedule. The Twins have been a very good team so far this year. That's something we should celebrate. Not only that, we've done a great job of incorporating a solid to very good youthful core going forward. The pitching staff has Lopez, Ryan, and Ober in the rotation followed by a couple of possibilities in SWR and Paddack. We have Duran, Jax, and Sands in the BP, Both areas need depth but the top pieces are there. The lineup is even better. We could drop all of the veteran depth and roll with a core of Lewis, Lee, Miranda, Correa, Buxton, Castro, and Jeffers next year. Larnach, Wallner, and Martin are more iffy but may pan out, and that's without even thinking about Julien, Keirsey, or Camargo, and there's more farther down. This team is light years ahead of where it was 3-5 years ago. This all seems less exciting because Cleveland is playing at a 101 win pace. We would be more excited about the Twins if Cleveland was going to win 85 games. Still, if someone had said I can give you a deal where the Twins will win 90-95 games this year, all I would have said where do I sign? Fun first half and a real shot at an even more fun second half. Yeah, injuries could kill the team and yeah, those of you in the viewing area are getting totally hosed by the TV situation (I'm in California so I can watch all the games on MLB.com except when they paly the Dodgers or Angels). All in all, good times. I hope they last.

I don't want to jinx the guy, but Kepler's better second-half may have already begun. He is slashing .375/.425/.417 (.792) over the last seven games. His on-base percentage and slugging percentage have been steadily rising over the last 25 games. It looks to me like he has gone back to the "hit live drives, use the middle of the field, and hit ground balls through the left side" approach that really worked for him last year in the second half. I disagree that he started to sell out for power in the second half last year, I think it's just the reverse. He stopped selling out for power in the 2024 second half and became a line drive hitter. Hence all the doubles and higher batting average, and lookee here, he still had some home runs. I'm not surprised that his launch angle is higher this year because I think he was back to selling out to hit home runs at the start of the season. That's the same thing that killed him in 2020 until the second half of 2023. Now, the statistics and the eye test both suggest to me that he's back to being the line drive hitter that best suits his game and the results are beginning to show. I've also seen several games where he hit two or three line drives but only one of them fell for hit so I think this is sustainable. I think there is a better than 50/50 chance that Kepler will have a second-half with an OPS of over .750 and it could even be much better than that. That's a guy you want to keep around, especially as well as he plays on defense. I was one in the camp last year of "DFA Kepler" but I think the guy actually is worth having around at least through the end of this season. I think the thought of trading him at the deadline for anything less than immediate late inning quality bullpen help would be the definition of insanity. We need him now and should only trade him if we get a significant immediate upgrade in our pitching staff in return. As for re-signing him, that's a much tougher question given who we have in the minors that could potentially replace him. I wouldn't be adverse to a one or two-year deal at around $10 million-$12 million per year, or even a three year deal that started 12 million, then went down to something like 10 million, then went on to something like 7 or 8 million as he ages. He certainly has value as a solid corner outfielder now aging into maybe a good 4th outfielder and that's what guys like that cost, if not more. It's a little tough given all of the outfield candidates we have in the minors but, as one other poster mentioned, all those guys are only prospects at this point. The "only prospects" label includes both Larnach and Wallner IMHO. We don't even at this point have established LF unless Castro gets moved there as he get squeezed out of the infield by Maranda and Lee. Keeping Kepler around for another couple years could make a lot of sense.

Two targets interest me, depending on the price. IF we actually could get Kirby Yates for a "blocked prospect like Severino, I would do that in a heartbeat. Severino is very unlikely to ever be seen in a Twins uniform barring a whole bunch of injuries. He is exactly the type of player we should be looking to deal. Keirsey may fall into that same category unfortunately, although I would like to see him get a shot with the Twins. I just don't see how that can happen this year with Buxton, Kepler, Larnach, Margot, Martin, and now Wallner ahead of him, not to mention Castro who may need an OF spot next year as Lee and Miranda squeeze him out of the IF. Keirsey deserves his shot this year or next and I just don't see him getting that with the Twins unless Larnach or Wallner is traded., Frankly, he would be a perfect trade candidate to a weaker team like the Marlins for BP help. The other guy is Michael Lorenzen. Could be a good #3 or #4 starter for the rest of the year. The Twins have been incredibly lucky not to have any significant injuries in the starting rotation. That probably is not going to last for the rest of the season. Moreover, I think the wheels are going to come off at some point for either Paddack or SWR, or even both, since they just haven't pitched the kind of innings in the last couple years that suggest they can take the ball every fifth day for the next 2 1/2 months. SWR can go to AAA or Paddack to the BP to create a rotation spot if we don't have an injury. Both Lorenzen and Yates have affordable $4.5 million contracts for the season, so the Twins would only be on the hook for 2 to 2.1 million depending on when they were acquired. Both would be good gets at that kind of price IMHO.

You may be right about that and that would leave out an SP addition. That doesn't prevent us from going the other pitching route of trying for a lock down back end by getting another high octane back end reliever for the rest of the year at 2-4m remaining on a contract like Carlos Estevez (6.750m contract, roughly 3m remaining on 7/31), Tanner Scott (5,7m contract, roughly 2.35m remaining), or Kirby Yates if Texas trades him (4.5m contract, roughly 1.8m remaining), or even a lesser light like AJ Puk (1.8m contract, about 800k remaining) or Lucas Erceg (750k contract, 350k remaining). The big question is the cost. I would be willing to trade a top 30, but not top 15 prospect plus an A ball guy for any of the top 3, maybe a 20-30 prospect for Erceg or Puk.

Hey, Stewart is great for those 30 innings a year that he can actually pitch without injury. He's pitched 13 so far. I say let's save those last 15-20 bullets for appearances in August, September and October. I'm fine with him not coming back until August 1 or even August 15. I think if he comes back on July 15 he won't last out the season.

Agreed. IF Wallner and Lee play like this, the choice isn't Wallner v. Margot when Lewis and Martin are ready. The choices are Lewis v. Farmer (easy call), and Margot v. Martin (much tougher call). My guess would be that Farmer is traded to a team that needs a depth IF like the Dodgers, maybe even for that MVP player "cash considerations" and Martin goes back to AAA. Margot is really hitting LH pitching well. I don't see him being DFA'd and I don't see anyone trading for him.

No on those 3. Gausman and Bassitt would be great but I just don't see the Twins paying the prospect price AND taking on a $20m plus contract. Kikuchi is interesting but uninspiring and is only a rental. I have a 2 word answer on what SP the Twins should target- Tyler Anderson of the Angels. Classic crafty LH that needs a good D behind him, pitching very well this year. Good in 2022 in front of a strong Dodger defense, not so great in 2023 in front of a bad Angels defense that is better this year since they found a SS. $13m a year contract through 2025. Angels need OF bats in the worst way, might take a package centered around Larnach and a decent but not top 20 minor league prospect or a better hitting prospect (10-20) plus Keirsey. I like Larnach but he and Wallner are a little redundant and we are going to need an OF spot for Castro when Lewis returns since Lee will probably move to 2B, so we should at least think about trading one of them. I think Wallner has the higher ceiling (and lower floor). While we're at it, we should be talking to the Angels about Carlos Estevez and at least kicking the tires on Luis Rengifo, Both are available and neither should cost a top 10 prospect.

This guy might be worth a shot if the price is a AA or below player without huge upside, but no more than that. I do think we need another LH reliever, someone better than Funderburk or Okert. I just don’t think this guy really fits the bill and there’s a big risk that he just had a hot month or two and is more like the 4.56 ERA guy he’s been lately. I wouldn’t want to give up much to see if he can go back to where he was earlier in the year. Certainly nobody on the top 30 prospect list. I know I keep saying this, but we need to be talking to the Angels about Tyler Anderson and Carlos Estevez. The Angels need OF bats in the worst way so they might be willing to take a package centered around Larnach OR Keirsey plus Schobel or something equivalent. Anderson has a reasonably priced contract for next year. Estevez is just a rental but he has been lights out this season.

Arguably now is the perfect time for Martin to go on the IL and Wallner to get an audition. With the Twins likely facing all RH opposing starters from here until the ASB there should be room to get Wallner starts in 5 of the next 7 with the off day rotating between Santana, Castro, Larnach, Lee, Miranda, and Kepler. Margot and Farmer will be limited to late inning switches to face LH relievers. Margot could go to CF for Buxton once or twice, but I'd see prefer to him planted on the bench against RH pitching and Castro playing CF with Lee at 2B against RH starters. We need to know who can be counted on as a LH hitter against RH pitching in the second half. Here's Wallner's chance to show he can be and move ahead of Larnach. Let's give him his shot. While we're at it, I wouldn't mind giving Julien a shot as long as it doesn't take away ABs from Miranda, Lee, or Wallner.

Beat me to it. Martin to 10 day IL with an oblique strain and Wallner up. Seems like a pretty straight forward "one guy got hurt and another takes his place" kind of deal. As they say, move along Johnny, nothing to see here . . . Will be interesting to see if Wallner starts today. Maybe Correa gets an off day, Lee plays short, Miranda 3B, Wallner in LF and Larnach DH?

Interesting. What did you hear about Wallner? Who's going on the IL/going to AAA?

This initial sounded interesting until I tried to figure out where and how Winker would play. after looking at things, I wouldn't do it because I'd rather have the DH ABs for the one of the Miranda, Lee, Santana and Lewis group or your only playing 2 of the 4 with Castro at 2B. Even worse, to play all 4 of those guys you have to take up 2B, 1B, 3B, and DH, and that means moving Castro to LF so there still isn't a place for Winker, Larnach doesn't play, and all the AAA guys have no place to go. I just don't see how Winker fits unless there's serious injury. Now, if Larnach or Kepler gets traded, then things get much more interesting. I don't see that happening though.

Saw the same. He looks ok behind the plate though.