Rod Carews Birthday

I absolutely can't wait until this becomes an actual problem. All of those minor league players are somewhat projectable but definitely not guaranteed successes. I really want to see more than four infielders all raking and all fielding their positions, AND getting frustrated because they aren't getting enough playing time/at bats. That would be fantastic! We can gleefully pick one or more to trade at that point. I'll buy my WS tickets in advance!

Ah the glitchiness of statistics! Certainly SSS does contribute, but it's still crazy. Will it continue? Who knows. Equally crazy are the SSS numbers for some of the hitters we might like to acquire. Will they stand up? Yikes! Now I might be getting paranoid! The fact that we are this bad with the bases loaded and still in first place with an OK run differential is pretty encouraging. Just a little bit of improvement would go a long way in helping the offense break out.

This is really good news. Having a potential veteran insurance policy is nice, even if he might not be quite ready. I would want him able to eat innings if somebody got hurt or as stated earlier by @Nine of twelve, would be quite a contrast in the middle innings.

He's a little bit of a wild card, but seems like he would definitely be worth a shot. He could take over in CF and be an offensive improvement over MAT while not being a disaster on defense. He is "ANOTHER" lefty outfielder, but he has been at least league average in his career against the same sided pitching. If we do trade for him, it would behoove the team to temper the expectations. His 2019 is not any more sustainable nor indicative of future success than Max Kepler's 2019. If a prospect or two around #20 would make this happen, I say do it. Refresh me on "mutual options". There's a mutual option out there for 2024. Does this mean that if either one wants to exercise the option it's a done deal, or do both sides need to agree to do it? If he's good, I would want to keep him. If he's not, he may want to keep us!

We don't need no ED-ucation. . . We don't need no birth control. . . No dark sarcasm in the classroom. . . Teachers. . . leave those kids alone! Thanks for the great laugh!! There have been some great Eds in Twins lore.

As the youth say. . . I can't even. . . (said with a sigh and a head flipped backwards). . .

Dougie and Nelson. That would be entertaining, if entertaining is watching a dumpster fire. Neither are ready for the job they would be given and the team would be very likely to be unsuccessful. I liked both a lot, in their time, and that time has passed.

I'm going with Lewis at #1. He will solidify some infield defense and if he continues to hit will be a huge upgrade over who we have been trotting out there since his injury. Theilbar and Stewart are #'s 2/3 in any order. Both are important and will add a lot if they are true to form. I think Paddack is a wild card. If he is on the comeback/rehab trail, he could be a very effective arm in the bullpen even if it isn't in high leverage. Innings still need to be covered. I'm a Polanco fan, but I'm not sure his return has much effect on the team. He is a better defender (a little) than Julien, but Julien is doing everything we could imagine on offense, which is probably as much as/more than Polanco has ever provided for the team. If there is a team in need of a second baseman, Polanco would have some value in a trade, whether for a relief pitcher or a right handed bat. Remember, if we make a trade, somebody has to leave the roster. As for Gordon. . . he was a nice story last year, but this year Castro is giving us a better version, offensively and defensively of a good utility player than Gordon provided. To me, he is best utilized as a sweetener thrown in to a trade for a relief pitcher. Again, frees up a roster spot for a new player from a trade.

Sign me up for any of these guys, provided the price is right, with Lane Thomas seemingly the most interesting. That being said, the Twins have a couple of guys that should be given a shot in the outfield (even though they are lefties) that would cost them nothing, and thus far have not been willing to look seriously at Larnach or Wallner. Unless the theory is that these guys would come from the outside so they must be better options, I don't see the Twins making a move like this. Sure wish they would.

While Tony O's injury seems like it was more straight-forward (with a cause and a date), I'm guessing that had the internet (TD) been around, lots of speculation would have ruled the day. People were also more willing to accept the explanation that had been offered. Imagine what the speculation on the Tony Conigliaro injury would have been. Now, everybody's an expert and knows more than the people who are paid to do these jobs. That's not directed at you at all. It's unfortunately just fact -- for all of us, including me most of the time. I think we are dreaming if we think Buxton will see the outfield this season, and I'm guessing that next season is 50/50 at best. He's immensely more valuable when he can play CF, but if he can only do it for a few games before his knee(s?) break down and he's out for the rest of the season it doesn't really seem worth it. People who are much smarter than I am about medicine and baseball are going to make those decisions, and that's how it should be.

I really can't imagine this would happen, but I would happily deal Miranda and Larnach/Julien for Arenado. If Lewis moves over to 2B, then he takes over there long term and you don't need Julien. If everyone (Polanco, Lewis) is healthy, you still are one man long, but that doesn't seem like an imminent situation. I have a feeling that they won't care much about a returning hitter, so which other pitcher could you send? SWR? Varland? Headrick? Festa? Is there any chance that this works on their end? Not sure, but it would certainly help the Twins.

Firing the hitting coach (Popkins) probably won't make a big difference, but it would be very hard to argue that firing him could result in worse performance than we are already getting. I think it's time, and it sends the message that people recognize the problem and are paying attention.

Sign me up for any of the relief pitchers -- even two of them! Unfortunately, I'm not sure how much any of the bats out there move the needle, which is really frustrating. If you can find a difference making bat, you have to go for it. The pitching staff is way too good to just punt on the year. I find it frustrating that people are stuck on world series or bust when it comes to the season. We may not get to the world series with this group, but as we all know, anything can happen in the playoffs, especially when you can pitch. The 87 and 91 teams weren't juggernauts by any means and we will all remember those teams forever.

Who cares? It's here. I don't care how it was assembled. Try to enjoy it. Let's hope they don't break it.

If this is really the case, then we obviously need to invest in some Joe Ryan masks and tell the rest of the team that he is pitching every game! Think they'd catch on? I do think that it is a shame that only one pitcher from the statistically best staff in the league manages to get to the all star game. I'm not saying the Twins are some sort of juggernaut and deserve 6 spots on the all star roster, but one seems a little bit stingy to me. As for best since 1965, I would put the 2006 staff at certain points that year close to it, but the OP is probably right in the assessment. It kind of shocks the system!

People get excited about SSS all the time! At least I hope they do! At any rate, we would be definitely sell high!

Trade him TODAY. He is in the middle of the only hot streak he will likely experience this year. You could maybe get TWO bags of balls instead of only one, but it will open up the spot for Wallner.

My version of a good trade deadline would be as follows: 1. Trade Max Kepler RIGHT NOW. He's a little hot the past few days. Don't be fooled by that. He's still the same guy as in the past, but maybe someone will bite. It can be a low level flyer prospect or even just some cash. Offer to eat the contract (this year's) if it will help the return. If not, DFA him or do the trade and DFA suggested by @Western SD Fan. Immediately insert Matt Wallner into his spot on the field and in the lineup. We need to see what we have there. 2. Do not trade Pagan. We don't have a ready replacement right now, as I don't think the Twins are willing to put any starters in the bullpen. I know that all of his appearances are scary. He is much better than nobody or "random minor league guy." 3. Trade Polanco if you can get a good return. He's not that healthy right now, but someone may bite based on a good track record. If you don't trade him, definitely pick up the option and trade him this offseason. 4. Only trade Sonny Gray if you are blown away, which seems unlikely. You can QO him for next year or get a nice draft pick if you keep him. 5. Trade Gordon. He's no better than Castro with less positional flexibility and he's not a switch hitter. Plus, you have some time left pre-arb with Castro. 6. We have a surplus big left handed bat. Include Larnach in a trade for a big right handed bat. It will take more, but he's a good start. I think that will do enough to remain in contention this season, while checking out some of the young guys for the future and figuring out next season. This is probably three more things than will actually happen, but a guy can dream. I also think that IF Buxton and Correa come around with the bats a bit more, we may be surprised at how good this team can become. Again, a guy can dream.

Ted, I'm guessing that the comments have come in about as expected, which is overwhelmingly negative about Rocco and the front office. I do not share your level of enthusiasm on this being the magic moment, but it certainly could be. I also know, however, that the manager always gets too much credit and too much blame. Plus, we can only react to what we hear in a media session after the game. We really don't know what happens in the privacy of the locker room or the manager's office. Because we don't see it, doesn't mean it didn't happen -- in fact, it's probably more effective that way since we can't hit, field, or pitch for the players.

That is definitely true. Amazing that Castro was a cast off from one of the lesser teams in the league, but comes to MN and does quite well. Shockingly, he seems to doing as well as the more obvious Twins stars like Buxton and Correa. Saying the right thing at the right time in the right way to the right person is never to be underestimated. One would think that if Castro can do it, so can those other guys, but apparently that would be incorrect. Or, maybe sometimes it’s just dumb luck.

This is an exceedingly difficult question to answer — in reality it’s two questions. One is what to think of a young player and how quickly to make that decision. The second is how to know that an older player is “done”. I think that the second is an easier call, although teams and their fans sometimes can’t bring themselves to admit it, whether for reasons of contract or loyalty. Sometimes there are players like Verlander who fade and have a comeback, but it’s relatively rare. I also wonder what the underlying stats would have looked like through his down period would have looked like. I wonder if they were still OK, but I don’t know that. I know that with hitters, the numbers usually fall off the table when they are done. At the end of the day, Father Time is undefeated, so in the end, we all know what it looks like. Projecting the arc of a younger player is so much more difficult. Since he hasn’t ever been a star, we don’t know if he will progress that far or not. For hitters, some have put forward 500 or 1000 plate appearances as a magic number. That seems reasonable, although it’s still not a sure thing. Brent Rooker only has about 500 right now, and Baddoo and Wade, Jr. are still less than 1000, so the jury is still out. For pitchers, I think all bets are off. It seems that every year new pitchers get discovered that hadn’t been successful before. This is especially true for former (washed up?) starters becoming relievers - think Brock Stewart. Sometimes pitchers (more than hitters) can re-invent themselves and make their entire game about one either new or tremendously effective pitch, like Sergio Romo or even Mariano Rivera. Very difficult questions. Great post!

Love me some Willi Castro. He's a fun player to watch and an obvious asset. The fact that he is leading position players in WAR is frightening. There is a list of about 6 or 7 players that should be ahead of him on this -- starting with the obvious Buxton and Correa, but also including Polanco, Vazquez, Miranda, Gallo, and maybe more. I do think the pitching staff can hang together, but I fear it might not be enough.

Exactly. You have to keep putting things in the beginning of the pipeline in order to get things out of the end, and they seem to be doing that pretty well. We'll see how it all pans out.

My interest is about the same as it has always been. I try to listen to as many games as I can get time for and always check the box score for that night's results. I enjoy watching the Twins, knowing that they are unlikely to be world beaters, but enjoying the game for what it is. This year, I'm enjoying better pitching than I've seen in a long while, but the offense has disappointed quite a lot. I enjoyed the 1987 and 1991 teams immensely, but probably paid about the same attention to them as I do now. Go Twins!

Not sure you mean 2006, as that was the staff that had Santana, Radke, and Liriano on it. Your point about the group that came up with Garza (whose career stats aren't that impressive either) -- Baker, Slowey, Blackburn, etc -- is well taken however. Baker was solid for a couple of years, but none of those guys really had a long productive career. Pitching has pretty much always been the soft spot for the Twins franchise. I agree that the goal should be to develop quality starting pitching, but it obviously isn't a very easy task. I'm hoping that this time, with new people in charge of it, will be different. Time will tell.