Kipp35

I want what you're having!

I hope you are 100% correct, for this season. In the past I feel they believed that they were in contention, but that won't be the case in 2022. Best way to sore up that budget would be: Rodon (SP), Story (SS), Suzuki (OF) and fill in with trades...

The only reason I am suggesting Polanco is, except for the MASH unit that is Buxton (and baby Jesus [Mauer]), we don't throw big money at our own players. If they had a track record at spending to keep their own talent, I would be right there with you, and it would be exciting. But remember, we just let our best pitcher go because we ASSUMED we could not resign him and decided to focus on the St. Paul Saint MVP, Buxton. I would LOVE to bring Story in and let those two play together. we would have the top IF in MLB (if Kirlloff moves to 1B). Still would not answer our pitching, and with who we have, we could play without an IF because the balls will be smashed to the OF anyway. I still want Lewis and Martin up here to see what we have. And it would be amazing to have them fill in sparingly behind that IF, along with Miranda (3B). But, we still have a lot of holes (SP, RP and OF) that cannot be filled in FA due to their inactivity and the focus on Buxton. Kepler and Donaldson are also named as trade bait. But, Kepler isn't someone a team is going to unload a haul for and Donaldson would require us still paying a large portion of his contract, so what's the point? I offered Polanco as a choice due to his teams control and the haul we could most certainly demand for him. Please don't confuse that with me saying I want him gone, because I don't! I would LOVE an IF consisting of: 1B - Kirlloff 2B - Polanco SS - Story 3B - Donaldson That is an outstanding IF. But again, they may just be cut-off persons for all the balls blasted into the OF due to this pitching staff.

If the Twins are serious about anything, they could look at brining in Suzuki on an extended contract and Pederson on a short deal. Lower risk and you would have depth to evaluate: Martin, Celestino, Wallner and if the mood hits them, Urbina, if he hits better. He is very young (19) but he is FAST, plays CF and showing tremendous progress for his little professional experience! Often, those international players are a bit more advanced than our homegrown ones. But another player not mentioned that can play, at least the corner OF, is Trevor Story. Still a lot of money, but would be for a guy that could step in just about anywhere and be solid in the field and have production at the plate. we could be looking at filling a corner spot permanently and 100+ games in CF, not to mention that SS is a hole.

You're making a statement assuming that they even care to spend what they did in 2021. Maybe they decide to roll on the cheep this year and make a bigger splash next year... oh wait, neverminded this is the Twins we are talking about. But, do see them only spending what the CBA dictates that minimally spend.

He would be our only blue chip trade piece to bring in players we would not otherwise be able to acquire. Namely, top pitching.

What I would like to see is leave Polanco alone at 2B, especially this season. We are not playing for the playoffs or the World Series this year, anyway. It would be great to have Polanco come out this year and once again show durability and production, as he did last year. No one is going to want to hear this; but he could be a deadline piece to acquire several pieces in return. One of those could be our future 2B, an ACE for the rotation, or BOTH! If we move on without Polanco [trade], we should be able to use Arraez, Gordon and Miranda (who is better suited for 3B) at 2B. This still allows Lewis and Martin to cover SS. We would have a young and dynamic corps, up the middle. Let them build chemistry together. If the Twins go out on a limb and do something completely unlike them and acquire Trevor Story (which would take a multi-year deal for $$$), that is your 2B going forward, especially if/when we deal Polanco. Story could start the season at SS until the deadline. It would add longevity to Story's career moving to 2B, get him to play everyday, and a trade of Polanco would bring back huge pieces while Martin and Lewis can still be evaluated at SS.

I have been stating I see them doing option #3, and it is the only that makes sense with their lack of anything early, before the lockout. They have decided that Buxton is what they plan to build around, but it would be nice in one of those deals to get back a young CF'erd that can step in for 100-120 games a season for Buxton, and not cost too much.

Very well said. I too am old enough to remember the last stoppage. It wasn't good then and isn't good now. In a time where this country needs things is can rely on to unite us, we have more division. I am not bold enough to say that 'I will never watch another game!' because I know that would be a lie, I love baseball too much for that. I will say that over the past couple of season's have watch FAR less, as the Twins have their own network you have to pay a premium subscription in order to get, and I just can't afford that. I listen to the games on the radio while I am doing other things or driving in the car, but that is far more passive. I have not been to the ballpark in more than two years, because as you stated, I cannot afford it. I have four kids and 'cheep seats' are still pricey when you have to buy them in a group of six. Add in food, drinks and souvenirs, I'm just not willing on refinance my house for a day out with the family. I echo your statement, get back to the table and do what is best. What is best, is get fans back to the game they love. If you lose us, what difference does it make what the CBA says, you won't be able to do what you do. I think everyone should be paid well for doing a good job, no matter the profession. But, how much more are we actually talking about here? The owners own a company, and I feel they too should earn every dollar they can from the business they presumably love. But again, at what costs? They [Twins] have their new TV deal which has driven Twins fans to radio, the tickets are costly and will only get more expensive now. The costs are always passed onto the consumer, and in this case that is the fans. Very sad times, right now.

You had me until you mention Timmy Laudner as a catcher that could hit "pretty well". He's a career .225 hitter with 77 HR's over 9 seasons. He did make the All Star team in 1988 by batting .251 with 13 HRs. but would call him one of out better hitting catchers. I do agree with everything else you said, I just would have swapped Laudner for someone like AJ Pierzynski or Terry Steinbach ?

No problem, thanks for the opportunity. And again, all of this is just my opinion and I in no way believe anyone will listen to anything I have to say, (opinions and buttholes; everyone has them) but here goes: First, the budget is going to depend greatly on what the floor of the cap is decided during the CBA. But, I believe strongly the Twins will, and should stay pretty close to that base for 2022, because I feel we are not just one or two pieces away from a championship... we need to rebuild. As of now, the Twins are sitting at roughly $74.5mm. I am not sure what that base will need to be for 2022, but if it is $80 as many have projected, I would say the Twins will/should do very little more going forward aside from trading. I have commented that I like the trade suggestions on this site with the Mets. But, I would say we move into 2022 (rebuilding) by seeing what we have in the minors before we leverage too much capital at aging players. Rodon would make some sense if the contract could factor in protections for injuries he is already know for with incentives. We could have him through the rebuild as an anchor of the rotation, if healthy. 1B-Sano, 2B-Polonco/Arraez, SS-Lewis/Martin, 3B-Donaldson/Miranda, C-Garver/Jeffers LF-Kirlloff/Larnach, CF-Buxton/Martin/Celestino, RF-Kepler/Rooker SP-Bundy/Balazovic/Rodon*/Jax/Ober/Woods-Richardson/Canterino BP-Alcala/Cotton/Duran(SP)/Enlow/Moran/Strotman/Thielbar/Thorpe/Duffy/Dobnak This is without trades, which is the only way I would see the Twins brining in talent. This way, the Twins would not be heavily leveraged (except for Buxton and Donaldson and the later should be dealt) going into 2023. They would then be able to hit FA early and hard to fill true holes on the team with actual money in reserves to do so. If we sign Trevor Story and/or Rodon, it is not like those two are going to plug into this team and all of a sudden catapult us into the playoffs and past the Yankees... or anyone in our own division. If the floor established by the CBA is closer to $110-120mm, I would say let's go after both Story and Rodon, but would still shy away from taking on bad contracts, unless we can get a haul. As an example, I am thinking of a lot of Toronto's farm system (Groshans and Lopez) or Seattle's young crop of studs like Handcock, Rodriguez and Williamson. If they want us to take on bad deals, then they need to give us players that make us believe this is a marriage and not a one night stand. Story can play a lot more than SS and could be a huge asset as we rebuild, but not unless the Twins have to spend that money. I would still like to see trade with the Mets and even the A's at that point, but still feel we would be renting the A's pitchers for a rebuilding year, and that makes no sense. I hope this answers your ask about what my vision is of the team. It changes a lot after this season when we can really know what we have spent years "developing" in our farm system. At some point these players need to **** or get off the pot. We keep hearing how this player or that player is SO close, but we need to wait. Now is the time to see if they really are; ready, close or, not at all...

I love the Mets option. I think that would bring solid return.

Because, for $15mm the St. Paul Saints are going to have a heck of a CF'er for rehab assignments, but that doesn't help the Twins. So, $15mm to Buxton and what to another guy to play 100-120 games per season in his absence? Maybe in the next seven years we get one (1) full season from him; try to remember he has played over 100 games (140 in 2017) just once in the past seven years! If he would have been paid $15mm this couple of years, he would have made: 2021 = $245,901.64 per game 2020 = $250,000 (60 games, played in 65%) 2019 = $172,413.79 per game... maybe a deal? Still only 87 games. 2018 = $535,714.29 per game Not sure about you, but that is not good economics for a 'small market' team in the middle of rebuilding. Someone has to play that position in his absence. I also hate the idea of having him DH. That is NOT why he was given this contract, it was supposed to be due to his ability as a five tool player. The past is our only way of judging what the future will bring. The past seven years shows a guy with HUGE potential, if not for.... We are paying non-Twins money for a player that is projected (based on past seven years) of playing in just 48% of games. That is less than half! That money could have gone toward pitching or to someone with less "potential" but far more production having played in far more games over the past seven years.

I am with you as a lifetime Twins fan. But, being a lifetime Twins fan has proved to me that as long as the Pohlad's own this team, we will be working with coupons in regards to signing FA's. We constantly attempt to get everyone at a 'deal' and to do that means we wait until all the other teams with money take who they want and we get what's left. I have gone on record that the Buxton signing will go down as one of the top 5 worst decisions the Twins have ever made, but it's done, we have to figure out what we can do with what we have left. I would say fans should not hold their collective breaths for a competitive team in 2022, but we should look for signs that we are improving.

Lets not forget, along with a SS being key, we are going to need a solid CF to play the 100-120 games that Buxton will miss each year. We're talking big money for position players!

First, "I simply cannot see a team extending an MVP-caliber center fielder and not continuing to build around him." This quote from the article is in reference to the Buxton extension. The answer to this non-question is; we cannot build around him with anything but scraps because we are now financially tied to him. He will be playing rehab games in St. Paul for the next seven seasons, so not only are we going to have to find players for the holes we currently have, we are going to have to find a suitable fill-in for all the time Buxton is going to miss, Cave was apparently not the answer to that, Kepler needs to remain in the corners. We will have to sign someone to play around 100 games per season in place of Buxton. That is not going to be cheap! Next, "Twins trade OF Trevor Larnach to Oakland for RHP Chris Bassitt". So, we are to trade one of our rising, power hitting stars for a rental? He [Larnach] played in just 79 games last year and was just getting his feet wet with MLB pitching. I know the Twins don't want to admit they too are rebuilding, but they are. Part of rebuilding is ensuring you hang on to the young talent you have. That brings me to the next option... "Twins trade INF Luis Arraez and INF Keoni Cavaco to Oakland for RHP Frankie Montas". Luis Arraez needs to stop being treated as a 'utility guy' and just be given an opportunity to take a spot, everyday. The guy is a pure hitter and should be an anchor at the top of our lineup. I would not mind at all acquiring Montas, but again, not at the expense of tools and young talent the Twins desperately need. Finally, "The Twins trade C Mitch Garver to Oakland for LHP Sean Manaea". Can someone tell me a power hitting catcher we can get to replace Garver? They must be a dime-a-dozen if his name is being added in a trade for a guy that has injury issues (maybe he could share a room with Buxton during rehab assignments) and at 91MPH, that is the equivalent to underhand throw now in MLB. We will really need CF help with Buxton repeatedly out (see first paragraph). Just seems we are offering suggestions of trades for the sake of trades. What betters the Twins? What makes them competitive now and in the future? What can we acquire that won't strap the team? These are questions that other clubs ask all the time, not 'I want to make a deal because I want a pitcher... you, you look nice and I will give the team something I will never get back for you!' A team like the Rays trade players they know they cannot resign when they have two years left, because that adds value for that player. They don't want to see that person go necessarily, but it is a decision they has to be made for the betterment of the club. And, in return, they typically get a haul. That is why they can continue to compete in a division with the Yankees and Red Sox that over pay for everyone and Toronto that has drafted incredibly well.

We should be happy to get Wally the Beer Man back with how cash strapped the powers that be just made us with this Buxton signing. I was mocked last offseason in chats because I said the Twins were not going to make the playoffs due to the poor decisions they made... remind me again where we ended up. Not claiming to be a smart man, because I am not, but it will be status quo if these guys do not start making smart decisions. Buxton was shopped at the trade deadline and no one wanted him. I know that was due in part to our asking price, but that should be a sign, shouldn't it? We [Twins] value him more than ANY other MLB team does... Yep, IF he stays healthy, he MIGHT put up amazing numbers... that should not be how you staff an MLB team; with if's and might's. Some risk is in fact good, but $100mm with incentives $180-190mm is not a managed risk, it's a blunder. They were free with the very little money we have as a small market team with this re-signing, but now history tells us they will attempt to go after top free agents with discounted prices and not land ANYONE. It will take deep into the spring before we sign someone of note and that player will be someone who has over valued his own talent, and that is why he is still available. This is so frustrating, the Twins should break back out the cardboard cutouts of fans they uses in 2020, because we have another 'disappointing' season like this year, no one will come.

I won't blame anyone for getting hit on the hand and fracturing a bone; what are you going to do. But, it's not like that was his first injury either. Here is his breakdown (pun intended): 2015 - played in 46 games and sprained his thumb 2016 - played in 92 games and bruised his knee and had back spasms 2017 - Although he played 140 games, missed time for groin and migraine headaches 2018 - Played just 28 games and had migraines, broken toe and sprained wrist 2019 - Played in 87 games and suffered bruised wrist, concussion, shoulder issue 2020 - Played 39 games (shortened season anyway just 60 games) but missed with an ankle contusion (a bruised ankle). He only missed 21 games that season but, that was still 35% of the season. 2021 - played 61 games, missed 40 games with a tight hip and the rest because a broken bone in his hand he got just a few games after his return. Again, not all of these are his fault, but where do you draw the line? Apparently the Twins look at a player who played just 493 games out of 1032 total games in his career, (just 48% of the games) and draw the line at $100mm guaranteed (with incentives grows to $180-190mm). This is Joe Mauer all over again. The team will not be able to bring players in because we are cash strapped to Buxton for the next seven years.