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Kwak

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Everything posted by Kwak

  1. Kwak
    "Winning" Park in the posting auction was "a shot-in-the-dark". There was no way they knew they would have the highest bid and they can't be certain of when or how much he will contribute. Basically, Park is "an option"--the thing that Ryan speaks so highly of--"options". The fact that Arcia was never promoted back to the Twins (even in September!) is illuminating--Arcia's star doesn't sparkle anymore. He will have a decent chance at redemption but the lack of "options" combined with spotty performance has "taken its' toll". It is doubtful he ends 2016 with the Twins. 1B isn't "in the cards" for Arcia--there are many other candidates who have actually played the position.
  2. Kwak
    Sano wasn't mentioned (I did that), Vargas and Arcia don't hit as well as the "Cereal Box", and Park was the guy who they had to obtain--ergo, the point of the post!.
  3. Kwak
    Reading this article makes it clear why the Twins were aggressive in bidding for Park--the cupboard is bare. I do believe that Sano should be added to this list due to the high probability that he may become the regular 1B.
  4. Kwak
    The Twins rarely jettison detritus until they determine that it can't be exchanged for someone (anyone) else. So, Arcia will get "his shot", just like Nolasco will get "starts". Differences between them: Arcia is cheap, his "record of success in MLB" is short, and Arcia has no utility in a bench role; Nolasco has had several productive years in MLB, he's very expensive, and value is possible in a bullpen role. Mastro and Benson are "mercy" signings--Twins expectations for these two is "Good Bye, Good Luck, and Happy Trails".
  5. Kwak
    "Defense-first"--management speak for "we really don't have catchers that can hit...". But, they keep trying. Maybe someday they will find someone.
  6. Kwak
    Everybody can climb off their high-horse, pull their shorts out of their crack, (relieving the "wedgie") and take a deep breathe--Chapman won't be pitching for the sanctimonious, righteous Twins, but for the "damnYankees". It serves them right!
  7. Kwak
    Character issues aside--Chapman makes no sense for the Twins--at best, he is an expensive short-term rental before he declares free-agency. The cost, just to have him, is huge. If said money is available, it could be far better spent elsewhere than on a closer.
  8. Kwak
    If the Yankees want him--it won't be for a short-term rental--they will pay to keep him. The "pieces" they sent are easily replaced (by much better players!) in the free-agent market. But the Twins...? In an auction Minnesota would be backed into a corner to trade players they can't afford to replace in the open market--so they will quit bidding and say "too much". And the Twins will be right!. The Twins painted themselves into a corner with that huge contract for Nathan (emulating the Yankees of spending huge for an excellent closer)--and when Nathan went down in 2010 disaster struck. Twice. fist the loss of Nathan for the big year of 2010 and second when panic struck and the Twin traded to obtain Matt Capps to replace Nathan. I don't think the Twins will make the mistake of a giant contract for a closer again. All this adds up to the Twins not going to try to out-spend the Yankees for Chapman.
  9. Kwak
    What makes people think that a Twins offer wouldn't be exceeded by a better offer from NY?
  10. Kwak
    Relief pitching isn't and wasn't the Twins #1 problem. There are several candidates in the minors to be cycled through the twins in search of an improved bullpen. Trading regulars for part-timers is foolish--especially for those teams that live on a budget! The Twins all too frequently failed to "add on" to leads to finish-off opponents or at least make the bullpens task much easier. The offense needs to step-up in these situations! The other is the Twins aversion to starting pitching. Clearly, the FO "crunched the numbers" and learned that starting pitchers cost more per inning than comparable relief pitchers. This caused the "P2C" theory and the reliance on mediocre starters combined with an army of relief pitchers. The bench is shorted, requiring "flexibility" at the cost of quality and the use of the excuse of "inadequate" relief pitchers. The root cause is the belief in mediocrity at the start and the deleterious snowball effect through the rest of the Active Roster. That problem can only be solved (without a change in philosophy) by exceptional performance by young, cost-controlled (cheap) players. That philosophy is unsustainable--but for now, is possible if they (Sano, Park, Duffey, Buxton) live up to the fantasy projections established. True, they might do so, but it's quite a long shot. Wasting quality regular players like Gibson for bit players (relief pitchers) would make accomplishing that goal more difficult, not less difficult. Therefore trading Gibson for relief pitching should be rejected--immediately!
  11. Kwak
    Exactly what were these adjustments that you claim to have been made? When did the Twins admit to changing Meyer's form? I don't recall any statement to said "changing". Where does this "somebody 'fouled-up' Meyer" excuse come from?--rather than the more likely PHL "soured" on Meyer and sought a trade partner (sucker) to unload Meyer for someone "useful"?
  12. Kwak
    The question isn't "whose to blame"?--because prospects fail frequently. The discussion is really about preconceived notion of what a starting pitcher should look like and throw like. The tall, lanky, flamethrower fits the "poster model" of a pitcher while the (roughly) average-sized finesse-style pitcher does not. When Meyer (and later) May were acquired they were anointed as future rotation saviors--and the type of pitcher that the Twins should have been acquiring all through the years. When those two struggled for consistent, good results as starting pitchers, that became a slap-in-the-face to the model. Since there wasn't success--there must be someone to blame. If there is any blame it is on the naive poster who believed that all who fit the poster model will/should succeed, despite the overwhelming evidence that most guys disappoint if not outright fail.
  13. Kwak
    September's rotation is likely their best. Santana, Duffey, Hughes, Gibson, and Milone. Most likely, Nolasco is slated for 2-3 starts instead of one of the above five for the purpose of rangefinding.
  14. Kwak
    I decided to finish your point: 6.. Guys who don't belong in categories 1-5--Twins Pitchers.
  15. Kwak
    No. Instead of: May really isn't better than Milone as a starting pitcher? Instead of braying "...only 25 starts...", consider most pitchers don't get that long of a leash--especially after the 2014 that May produced; May projects as a "shut-down" short-relief pitcher, maybe even future closer; Milone is likely best utilized exactly where is at--back of the rotation starter. If that concept yields a lower payroll?--so be it--it's not a bad outcome. Plus any saved money can be used elsewhere.
  16. Kwak
    My memory of a "typical Glen Perkins start" is different--first two innings fine; nicked in the third, battled effectively in the 4th and 5th, gets hurt in the 6th and sees the 7th from the dugout.
  17. Kwak
    Last year May started 14 games, he had 8 starts of 6 to 7 innings (none longer), but all were "quality starts". The point raised that the Twins "just discovered" the 6 inning start followed by 3 + RPs is bogus--it has been almost de regueur for the Twins for many years.
  18. Kwak
    Much of the premise of this thread revolves around how TD posters latch onto a Twins prospect projecting him to reach the top. It goes beyond pom pom waving to shouting from the rafters. But, Milhone wasn't that guy. He came to the Twins as a MLB pitcher (who was pushed down) to make way for newly acquired pitched who were deemed "much better" by their new team (OAK). Whereas May (and others) came to the Twins as "saviors"--which unfortunately didn't happen. If Santana wasn't suspended we wouldn't be having this discussion--May would have been in the bullpen the entire 2015 season. So, no, Milhone isn't sexy (or great!)--but will (most likely) be dependable in taking the ball every 5th game and give the Twins a reasonable chance to win. Is Milhone blocking anyone? I'm not sure. But if the Twins place two (or three!) rookies in the rotation in April and things fall apart...Yikes! Especially if the OF contains has two unproven players.
  19. Kwak
    Ah, but one of the reasons that caused the replacement of Smith as GM was his proposal to spend $20+MM on free-agent pitching [because the cupboard was bare]. Ryan pointed-out that he built winning teams with a (much) smaller payroll. Ryan returned as GM....
  20. Kwak
    My! How things have changed--there used to be at least one thread per year concerning Mauer and his election to the HOF! I guess those days are over. There is another scenario the pom pom wavers have omitted--the one where Mauer out-hits most of the team by being merely league average. A possible stat: the team's (by batters!) have a higher strikeout average than batting average. All of a sudden, the focus of ineptitude isn't on Mauer.
  21. Kwak
    I believe any change in "aggressiveness" is from ownership--not from Ryan. Remember a year ago last october and the press conference? "...$85MM [budget] is about right...". Before the year was out about $25MM was committed for 2015 (then add the additional years of Santana's contract) and Santana, Hunter, and Stauffer were signed as free-agents. Hmm. Ownership changed their mind--Ryan just filled their orders.
  22. Kwak
    He might get traded in July.
  23. Kwak
    Since they will begin the season with: a questionable OF, a mediocre rotation that might not include Duffey, a bullpen that is iffy, and the opponents are fully aware of Dozier's hitting, April will be a losing month. May will not be the "turnaround" like last year. The team will toy with a .500 record until the bullpen is torn apart (like every year) due to overuse caused by short starts and the use of too many RP's per game--then things get tough. Salvation comes in September with an expanded roster--but only enough to avoid a total eclipse. 75 wins.
  24. Kwak
    May is likely (and I think correctly) viewed as the future closer. Perkins is almost through in that role. Jepson is: already $5MM, not as dependable as he used to be (why he was available!), and will be a free agent. After '06, May will be: under Twins control, inexpensive (to downright cheap), likely just as dependable, and perhaps still improving. As a starter, he's mid 20's and is nothing special, and there's better on the way. Bullpen is correct for May.
  25. Kwak
    Amazing how people get so worked-up about guys they hope they never see play--yet they pant at the prospect of Arcia in the Twins OF!
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