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whosafraidofluigirussolo

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Everything posted by whosafraidofluigirussolo

  1. whosafraidofluigirussolo
    Just found this thread after reading the latest minor league report. This may fall in the category of "don't complain about a free site," but I read the report on mobile and the ads are out of control. Between in-line ads and pop-ups there was almost never a moment when I didn't have one in my field of vision. At one point there was one pop-up on top of another pop-up. A pop-up appeared literally on top of this comment field as I was writing and I couldn't avoid tapping on it and getting redirected to a new ad page. Again, maybe not appropriate to complain about this given that you all make so much available for free, but this experience with the ads is starting to push the bounds of usability.
  2. whosafraidofluigirussolo
    Yes, his MLB career line: .228/.313/.313 However, his AAA career line: .295/.372/.437 Of course there are always players who run that kind of disparity between AAA and MLB numbers and never break through in the majors (giving us the shorthand "AAAA guy.") But it seems like there's at least some base of skills to know what he's doing at the plate. Maybe Refsnyder becomes the rare AAA veteran who finally figures it out at MLB, or maybe not, but it seems like there's no reason not to give him some run as long as he's hitting and the roster is still banged up.
  3. whosafraidofluigirussolo
    I saw that and wondered whether the logic was something like this: If an opposing left-handed starter means dropping Arraez from the top of the lineup, then dropping him all the way to the 9th slot makes him effectively a second leadoff hitter later in the game, including when almost inevitably facing a right-handed reliever. Of course the depth makes a difference too!
  4. whosafraidofluigirussolo
    A counterpoint to this might be: if Astudillo isn't the first backup option anywhere defensively (C or IF), then what he offers offensively takes on more importance in the decision whether to keep him on the roster. With his tendency to make a lot of contact (coupled with his ability to field any of several positions for at least an inning or two) he could have some specific value as a pinch hitter. As an atypical sort of "offense-first" or at least offense-equal-to-defense utility player he might have more value than Riddle.
  5. whosafraidofluigirussolo
    Does Law have an opt-out that means the Twins would lose him if he didn't make the club? If not, it's hard for me to see them forcing a tough 40-man decision just to take Law over Stashak on opening day.
  6. whosafraidofluigirussolo
    I don't mean to be "writing police," especially on a free site (thanks for your writing everyone!) but it was hard not to notice that there were 3 full paragraphs talking about Tim Anderson without mentioning him by name...?
  7. whosafraidofluigirussolo
    If Dobnak is the likely 6th starter, he might be sent to AAA to start there and stay stretched out.
  8. whosafraidofluigirussolo
    The Twins appear to be done with big ticket signings, so that would likely rule out a Jake Odorizzi reunion. Darren Wolfson's KSTP had Minnesota with an offer out to a starter however. The language Falvey used in that clip definitely suggests that they're done with big signings, but it's a little vague and slippery in a sports executive way. Maybe I'm projecting my own take onto that, but it feels like there's no point to bringing in a starter who isn't either at Odorizzi/Paxton's level or available on a minor-league deal. With spring training so close and given the Twins' penchant for the late offseason strike, I still wonder whether Odo and/or Paxton might be the starter with an active offer.
  9. whosafraidofluigirussolo
    I don't think it's politics that people usually are talking about when they talk about personality issues with Bauer.
  10. whosafraidofluigirussolo
    Too bad to lose Wade, but I guess we'll see what Anderson turns into. I thought Wade's plate discipline skills were a good complement to the Twins offense, and he might take over from Cave as the main 4th outfield option at some point. Eventually any of those guys might have jumped Wade to fill in as a regular, yes, but other than Rooker they might not get pushed to that extent early this season. (Though this move probably makes Rooker more likely to open the season in the bigs.) I wonder if another backup OF option is coming, maybe on a non-roster invite.
  11. whosafraidofluigirussolo
    We don't really know what budget constraints they're working with, but if Clippard or another addition is in the budget, then Gibaut and Waddell won't stop it from happening.
  12. whosafraidofluigirussolo
    The Twins still haven't announced this signing, have they? What might the holdup be?
  13. whosafraidofluigirussolo
    I think Duran has been playing consistently a level higher in the minors than Balazovic, so it seems more likely he's the first of them to reach the majors...? Not expecting significant impact from Balazovic or Duran seems about right. I don't subscribe to the Athletic any more, but Larnach wasn't on Law's list last year either. Sometimes one evaluator just disagrees with others on a given player, and Law seems unafraid to diverge from common opinions.
  14. whosafraidofluigirussolo
    Not excited by this signing, but two things I see going for it: 1. I had a vague impression of Happ as an older player at the end of the line, but some of the pitch data in this article above and this evaluation by Gleeman make me think there's more there 2. Last offseason, the Twins acquired more starting pitching than it looked like they needed. Some of those acquisitions were meant to raise the ceiling of the rotation and some were aimed more to raise the floor and to make sure there was depth on hand. I wouldn't be surprised if this was the latter kind of move, one that ensures another rotation spot is covered even if they don't get anyone else, but doesn't preclude a bigger addition.
  15. whosafraidofluigirussolo
    I think the response of "Why didn't the Twins get this guy? They don't really want to win!" can be a bit much and kind of knee-jerk at times, but I'm getting to the point of thinking, just sign somebody good!... Especially with Yates and the report of the Twins being a "finalist" for a guy who got a pretty reasonable contract. It would be nice to see them target a premium player at a position of need and just do what was needed to get that player.
  16. whosafraidofluigirussolo
    Off the top of my head, without thinking about it too hard, without looking at the lists above, and quite possibly forgetting something obvious: 1. Maeda 2. Kepler 3. Berríos 4. Buxton 5. Kirilloff 6. Arráez 7. Lewis 8. Polanco 9. Duffey 10. Balazovic 11. Larnach 12. Durán 13. Jeffers 14. Rogers 15. Sanó 16. Garver 17. Rooker 18. Alcalá 19. Pineda 20. Sabato Also considered Donaldson, Dobnak, and Stashak to go somewhere in the last 4 slots or so. Edit: On a second look at my list, the gap between Kirilloff and other prospects seemed unwarranted. He gets a premium for being basically MLB-ready, but I moved him down and the Balazovic/Larnach/Durán cluster up slightly.
  17. whosafraidofluigirussolo
    I like the list, but number 13 had me wondering. What kind of trade could the Twins make with the Dodgers at this point that would strengthen the Dodgers without setting the Twins back?
  18. whosafraidofluigirussolo
    It seems like some of the talk nationally about the Cubs retooling or rebuilding has been that they can't or shouldn't trade Báez or Bryant because they had rough years in 2020 and the return won't be worth it. However, if the Cubs really are motivated to sell, and that rough recent patch plus only one year of control left limits the price, then this is a very interesting idea. Báez is a good shortstop, but IIRC he's also played some 2B and 3B, so this could be another plus. I know the idea if the Twins acquire another middle infielder is to move Polanco or Arráez to super-utility, but it's not guaranteed that that move would go smoothly, so having another player with positional versatility isn't a bad thing.
  19. whosafraidofluigirussolo
    In terms of value over multiple years given up, I think there have been worse recet Twins trades, but in terms of getting value back and thought process informing the trade, man, that Hardy deal was brutal.
  20. whosafraidofluigirussolo
    And at least two of those players - Pollock and Reddick - were playing on contracts they signed as unrestricted free agents and when they were perceived as being at the height of their value. That Eddie isn't perceived as at the height of his value says something about how the valuation of players has changed since those contracts. But also he's just at a different point in his travel through baseball's financial landscape (regardless of how fair or unfair that landscape may be) than several of these players were.
  21. whosafraidofluigirussolo
    Interesting that you say Tanaka is likely returning in pinstripes and Paxton will need to be pried from the Yankees - I don't really see those two as such foundational pieces there that returning to the Yankees would be a foregone conclusion, or that other teams would have difficulty entering the bidding.
  22. whosafraidofluigirussolo
    The Yankees non-tendered JA Happ today too. I'm not sure there will be a lot of upside among the non-tendered players (position players or pitchers) but there probably will be more interesting names in that pool than in the usual offseason. Happ sounds more appealing than about half this list at first glance.
  23. whosafraidofluigirussolo
    Is Tomás Telis still in the Twins system? A new backup catcher doesn't need to be a young prospect. Telis could probably handle the backup gig if Astudillo and Avila left. The article notes that Garver just finished his fourth season as an argument that he's still relatively early in his major-league career, but even that overstates his experience a bit, since he spent a lot of 2017 season in the minors.
  24. whosafraidofluigirussolo
    A lot of free agency forecasting articles have cited that the DH will continue to exist in both leagues in 2021. No one has said this publicly yet, right? Do we know when an announcement might happen? As far as Cruz goes, at any rate, totally agree with: Would be hesitant to resign Cruz on a two year deal and would love to have him back for one. There might be some recency bias with Romo's struggles in the playoffs causing some of us to think his season was worse than it really was, but it seems like picking up his option is a big risk of paying for decline. The buyout isn't an onerous amount. Use what would be Romo's salary to give Clippard a little raise if he wants to come back. I hope the Twins engage May about a deal, but I think someone else will end up offering him more - although depending on how teams behave after this oddball season, the middle of the free-agent market where he is might get squeezed. But he's young enough and successful enough that I think someone will pay him. I imagine Odorizzi may want another one-year contract to play a healthy year and then hit the market again, and I imagine the Twins might prefer to sign him for multiple years, but I'd be happy to see either if he wants to return. He's fairly young, he has something to prove about his health, and he had the best season of his career in MN. It seems to make a lot of sense.
  25. whosafraidofluigirussolo
    I suppose it's possible that if Donaldson were healthy, neither Astudillo nor Kirilloff would be on this series roster and they might have had a spot for another pitcher? They're sort of replacing Donaldson with both players - Astudillo for the ability to play 3B (mainly as a depth option if Marwin has to start there) and Kirilloff theoretically to replace some pop on the roster.
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