spanman2

I love the fact that the essay has to start with a definition of satire!  That was my biggest laugh - I almost spilled my salsa when I saw that.

Fake news.  Applebees nachos are awful.  
I can’t stand by quietly.  Whether satire or not, the idea may take hold and impact someone’s life.  If I save just one person from ordering Applebees nachos, it’s worth it.

I'll go with Jaffe and his evaluations of Mauer, which pins him as the 7th best catcher in baseball history. I don't know about that exact placement but I believe Joe definitely belongs in next year. 

Mauer will get in but not first ballot.  It will take a couple years.  
Dont get me started on the voters that send in a blank ballot.

Would you extend this player?
Averages for first four seasons: Ave: .316; OBP: .366, OPS: .770.
Total plate appearances: 1,889. Age at the end of year 4: 25.
Compare to Arraez.
Arraez first four seasons averages: BA: .314; OBP: 0.374; OPS: .774 
Arraez total PAs: 1,569. Age at the end of year 4: 25
I’m not saying Arraez will have a career like the player above; however, their first four seasons overall have been pretty comparable at the plate. I’d extend him.
Oh, the player is Tony Gwynn

Can't be mad at all. It's much better for baseball to have Cutch back as a pirate.

Stuck the landing. Well done. 

Same old. Down to stems and seeds again. 

WOW...very interesting.  Appreciate the share!

I've felt this way for years, but this offseason really pushed me over the edge - that MLB does not care about most of its teams.  This article on MLB.com seals it in my opinion.
https://www.mlb.com/news/carlos-correa-mets-deal-takeaways
Item #5 on this list *really* irks me.  Really - the best offseason ever?  What is you are a fan of the 22 teams that can't spend up to (or blow away) the Luxury Tax?  Do you really feel that this was the best offseason ever?  Of that's right - your not in LA or NY or Philly or Chicago so you do not matter to MLB.
MLB BASEBALL IS SOOOOOO BROKEN RIGHT NOW!  I have been a fan of the game and of the Twins for over 50 years and have never been so frustrated with the state of the game.  The average team can not compete and the average fan can no longer afford to attend games.
Not sure what the fans of most of the teams have to look forward to this summer...

How dare you provide perspective!

Obvious new CEO Joe Pohlad was given one directive as he was given the reins. Don't overspend and keep payroll under last year's. Make a profit under circumstance!
So far A+!

I think the Pohlads and FO have decided that they really don't own/operate a MLB team as much as they own an "Entertainment Destination" like ValleyFair or MoA's Nickelodean Universe that just happens to have 'professional' baseball as one of the rides/amenities. In doing so, they've disgusted the actual baseball fans, and are now starting to see that no matter how many foods/bars/flashing lights/loud music you add, it's become "been there/done that" for the casual TF visitor, no different than going to the Ren Fest a couple years in a row, then saying 'nothing changes except the price keeps going up', and then stop going. It gets to the point where the cost aspect almost isn't relevant; as others have stated, can't even give tickets away, the value vs. the effort just isn't worth it  --- even for free. 

Good comments all.  The FO has played us again.  Many fans are gullible ( yes me included) that things may be changing.  Yes they are for the worse.  This FO has messed up a lot of things.  Not signing Correa was a wise prudent decision.  But letting good mid tier free agents sign with other teams while waiting on Correa is a crucial mistake.  But they have done this a lot.  Wait until most of the quality free agents sign elsewhere and bemoan the fact there aren't too many left to choose from is classic Twins.  Yes we are a gullible lot us Twins fans.  Oh yes we did sign Joey Gallo to a one year 11 mill contract.  He with the .199 career average and a strikeout rate higher than Sano.  Oh please.  What a messed up organization.

A step back isn’t an option, it’s an inevitability.
They never had all their eggs in the Correa basket.  They just wanted us to think that.  How do I know?
They offered 10 years 285.  How that relates to historical Twins’ contracts, etc. doesn’t matter.  They weren’t even in the ballpark.
If they put all of their eggs in that basket, they’re completely incompetent.  You can’t reach these heights in the baseball world and be that idiotic.  This was intentional.  It’s a tactic we’ve seen them employ numerous times now.  They “focus” on one player.  Come in second place. Let the whole world know they tried so hard they almost died.  Then “oops, all that’s left is Joey Gallo on a 1 year deal.”
Theres just no way a reasonable person thinks that deal gets the job after seeing all of the other SS deals out there.  They knew it wouldn’t.
Another dead giveaway this was BS from the beginning:  the Pohlads expresses their burning desire to bring Correa back.  They just wanted it so dang badly.  Honestly guys. They’re seriously serious about spending so much money…..Thou doth protest too much.
Looks to me like they’re desperately trying to cut salary and convince fans they’re doing otherwise at the same time.  Aka, swindling us.  There’s a fair amount of people who buy it.  Some even openly gaslight and coerce others through insults into thinking the attempts were legit, and that they’re just geniuses staying the only path the victory.  But, many are rightfully seeing through this charade and are getting fed up.  We’ve watched this same story for 30 years.
They’re dangerously close to decimating this base more than already have.  Levels of fan apathy never before seen here.  Mix that in a bowl with an economy going down the crapper…..that stadium is going to be empty.
 

The 2 biggest words you said in this article are “TV Contract.”  You simply cannot step back now with tv contract negotiations looming. You need to to have a competitive team with as many eyes watching your games as you can going into the negotiations. A good TV contract can be a game changer for the future success of the franchise. 

I think they just ran out of leftovers from the Metrodome a few years back...

As I tried to imply when I said "summarize", it's a complex and nearly intractable problem, and I certainly don't claim to have the answers.
This is an issue that goes above Falvey and Levine.  I would say Dave St Peter should be thinking in these strategic terms, except I can't for the life of me figure out what he does at work on a typical day, except to sign the paychecks of the guys in charge of making sure enough hot dogs and beer are ordered.  Another poster above suggested Mike Veeck, which is along the lines I'm thinking (I posted something about a month ago concerning "fun"), and if you go back to Mike's daddy Bill, well Bill was renowned for going into the cheap seats and talking with fans.  I have real doubts St Peter has ever done this.  IMO Joe Pohlad should, as market research; executives ought to get their hands dirty and really, *deeply* understand their markets.
Markets.  I come from a field (software development) where marketing isn't a dirty word.  Product marketing is its own subniche in the marketing world, and they work closely with the product side to construct plans for what will fill marketing demands, and then translate for Sales so they can convey the message to customers. You NEVER expect Sales to come up with solutions like we're talking about - they have enough to do when matching product to the customer's needs, "where the rubber meets the road."  As with my understanding of Analytics as a field, I see no evidence that the Twins treat marketing as where significant investment toward high-end talent is called for, anything greater in scope than taking pictures of the players and getting those to news outlets.  Product Marketing, if properly hired, should be empowered to tell FalVine, "no, you can't trade Arraez," if that's the solution they have to the overall marketing plan, and should be prepared to take it up to the top level for a decision if they can't see eye to eye.
One of the principles I learned in product marketing was to devise half a dozen or so "personas" to exemplify the variety of customers we are trying to satisfy.  Apparently that became second nature for me, because that $100 family of 4 is exactly a persona, one that I would then want to explore in such depth that I can write a realistic story about their day going to the ballpark, probably down to the detail of whether their Toyota is a Corolla or a Camry and how old a model.  Bill Veeck could have written a dozen related stories of the 1940s version of this family, in his sleep.  There are certainly other personas - the fat cat wanting to impress a client in a luxury box, etc. although the high-end ones I fear are already well-enough covered.
It doesn't matter what ideas I may propose, but I want to feel that Joe Pohlad will throw out previous approaches and start with a clean sheet of paper. Certainly fielding a winning team needs to be part of the strategy, but in a 30-team league with other franchises trying to make their own fan bases strong, it can't be the only part, not year-in and year-out, because then it's a zero-sum game, whereas I want every fan base to be strong.  Now I'm definitely repeating myself.

So, he prefers the Yankees ... does that mean if he doesn't go there, he's going to have a piss poor attitude a la Lance Lynne from a few years ago when he doesn't get what he wants?
That said, he'll be going to the Yankees.

13 years? Lmao baseball is ridiculous. They’ll need to install a hand rail going down the first base line for the last year of his contract 

I agree with Tom, that NYY rumor is a bunch of Boras smoke. All this delay is trying to milk the teams, just like Swanson is a counter move. It's getting tiring, a day of recognings I hope will soon come.

Would just like this to end so we can put a stop to the incessant and voluminous speculation.

At some point, this team is going to have to start clearing out the glut of corner position types.  It makes sense to move members of the old core that are blocking younger players.  If Kepler can bring back useful pitching in return, dealing him makes a ton of sense.

I don't see the Twins going 10 years.  I don't disagree with your assessment at all on what he wants.   

Does baseball even have ceilings anymore?  It feels as though we are in an open air stadium when it comes to player salaries.  We always know where the floor is, but I lost sight of the ceiling long ago.