Rod Carews Birthday

The issue with all three of these is the length of the contracts and whether the players involved will “age out” of their production. While that is always the risk, it’s one that will always be true to a certain extent with any free agent signing. As far as these players go, I think Lowe is just old and I’m not sure second base is the position we really want to fill, while Bednar just plain old costs too much for a reliever on this size of payroll. However, given the scarcity of available quality catchers both in free agency and in the Twins’ system, a three year deal for Jeffers could make a lot of sense. It would be long enough to bridge to the young talent (hopefully) and would keep his bat - that is less likely to age as quickly as the catchers glove — around as a potential DH or 1B in the last year of his contract, all without tying up the payroll too long term.

The definitive answer is "it depends". The Twins are going to need to find a way to add a (or some) big bat somewhere. The only positions that are seemingly wide open for that are DH, 1B and C. In the other five positions you would need to replace them with someone who is a better hitter, and in a couple of cases maybe a better glove also. So. . . it depends on what kind of player they can sign. If we're satisfied with who we have in house, then fine, we don't need to bring anybody in. Remember, this was a below .500 team last year. However, if we're not (and I'm not), then I think we could really use someone to fill the DH role on a regular basis. That big bat could also be at catcher (where could we find one of those?) or 1B (which would also be a great idea -- how about two?). However, somewhere a domino needs to fall. The team isn't going to improve just by rotating the deck chairs on the Titanic, you've got to add somebody somewhere, and DH might be the easiest and cheapest way to do that.

Maybe I am alone on this, but who would have thought that of those five players, Larnach would have the best career as a Twin? I certainly wouldn't have!

It seems entirely reasonable to give all three of these guys an extended look. The sample size so far means very little, and all of them (even Emma) have shown flashes of being very good. Investing the time and energy into these three is an excellent use of resources. If everything goes well for them, we might be threatening for a playoff spot. If it goes poorly, we are no worse off than we were this year. PLEASE do not sign or trade for an outfielder!

The difference between the pitchers is too extreme for them to be intertwined. The decision on Ober is rooted in his diminished arsenal and his likelihood of success (or not) in 2027. He’s a smart pitcher, but the skills just aren’t there for continued success. The Twins need to trade him for whatever they can get, even if it is very little, and re-purpose his salary into the rest of the team for next year. If you can’t make that happen, it’s time to DFA Ober. Keeping him does nothing for the team’s ability to trade Ryan — he simply can’t replace him. Ryan, on the other hand, has value — probably less than we would like him to have, but he’s a good solid starting pitcher who is likely an integral part of the staff. Trading Ryan means that you have faith that Lopez will return to form, that Kremer will be at least as good as Ober (and he was better at the end of 2026), and that the younger guys will continue to progress. Make the decision on Ryan based on return (both now and at the deadline) and the rest of the rotation, but Ober shouldn’t really be a factor in projecting the rotation for 2027.

So we should replace the guys currently playing first base with a guy of pretty much the same quality? Aim higher or go with youth!

And yet, the logo of the MLB Players Alumni Association was overtly designed to be a likeness of his swing. The actual MLB logo was NOT actually designed after his silhouette, according to the artist, but that would seem to be a situation similar to the Ghostbusters theme not being based on another tune. In Ray Parker Jr.’s case, even if the intent wasn’t there, the song was probably playing in the background while he wrote it. In the same manner, the artist on the MLB logo seems to have been channeling his inner Killebrew as well, even if he doesn’t want anybody to know that. Much like with Jerry West, the NBA logo player, Killebrew was a great player whose persona was something to attach to in perpetuity. YMMV, but that’s the direction I go with this.

Both of these players need to go for different reasons. Larnach had a solid season, but rolling the dice with the raft of outfielders the Twins possess has much more upside and has the potential to be much more helpful long term. Lewis on the other hand has been pretty much a mess for too long to consider him a solution at first base or anywhere else. Trade value for each is very limited. If I were the Twins, I would start speed dialing around the league to see what could be out there. If nobody bites, it’s non tender time. It may seem like giving them away for nothing, but if we can get better players in their (former) roles, the team is better for it.

You can’t expect to improve unless we find better players. Keeping everyone around because it makes us feel good or because we like them is a bad idea. Ober is no longer an mlb starter and would be a very expensive experiment in the bullpen. Larnach is an averagish player in an outfield with many better choices. Lewis isn’t a starting level first baseman and doesn’t appear to have the right mindset to be a utility player. The problem with tendering these guys with the plan of trading them is that their value is mighty low. Kremer seems worthy of a fifth starter spot and can provide stability there. Sands and Nance are cheap enough to put in the bullpen mix next spring. Ryan, Clemens, and Bradley are no brainers. The only significant tough call is Banda. He’s lefthanded and seemingly decent, but he’s not cheap and coming off an injury. I probably keep him and hope for the best.

Once he got to third base, he seemed like a pretty solid player. We'll see if his bat takes another step forward, which would make him closer to an all-star, or a step back which makes him last year's version of Brooks Lee. I'm not personally a huge fan because I got turned off waiting for him to be something above mediocre, but I will admit he at least has me interested to see his development going forward. Good for him! If only a few others (ahem. . . . Lewis. . . Wallner. . . Martin. . . Matthews. . . et al) would take that step forward.

Non tender Ober. The $7M or so saved will get a good reliever - better than Ober would be out of the pen. Kremer is your #5. The other spot besides the big three should be one of Prielipp/Abel/ Matthews, with two held as backup in St Paul

In a ridiculously small sample size of one game, how did Sabato look with the glove? Did he look lumbering or comfortable? It would be wonderful if he could be the first baseman (assuming his bat plays, which it may not in the majors) next year.

I think that it's time for the Twins to part ways with Royce Lewis. His offense is well below par and his defense has been "acceptable" at best, but really only if his offense were better. I'm not sure what value he has left, possibly for a bullpen arm or for another team's change of scenery candidate? Or, as a throw in to a larger deal if there is one to be made. As other posters have indicated, his bat really doesn't play at first base, and if things go according to plan, the move to second base is only a stopgap until (hopefully) Marek Houston comes up -- and not a great stopgap at that. At best, he's a utility infielder who can move around and play acceptable defense, but we already have a guy like that in Clemens, who is probably a more flexible defender and seems to be a better bat. I'm also not sure that Lewis would adapt well to a utility role off the bench. Right now, I think he still looks in the mirror and sees himself as a star(ter). I say give him a chance to do that on somebody else's team.

OK. So you clearly think it IS ridiculous to bring him back based on performance. That's fair. I do choose to argue the overall stat line, and I know that there are MUCH worse ways to spend money than on Josh Bell. I'm not actually advocating for his return because he no longer fits the roster, but I don't think that money was thrown out the window. YMMV

It's not ridiculous. He was certainly productive, he seems like a good guy. and I would rather have him than Larnach. $10M seems like a pretty steep price though for a team with a small payroll. That being said, I think that the team is better served to have the DH spot open for a rotation of players (like Buxton) and the additional flexibility on the bench that having a full-time DH prevents. I just hope we have enough good hitters to make that true. Thank him for his excellent service and wish him well on his next stop.