PatPfund

It gets mentioned a lot because Larnach and Wallner (especially Wallner now that he seems to run with backhoe-like speed) are marginal-to-poor OFs, and 1B exists at the bottom of the defensive spectrum just above DH. It's great to say there are "real life reasons" they can't do it, but what are they? Lack of interest? Look, if Wallner can't hit he's out of baseball, but if he is gets back just a little bit (but not all the way to Nelson Cruz territory), he's going to need to play in the field, and he's not an OF any more. 1B isn't rocket science, but if he doesn't want to make the effort, maybe he can get a job selling Lady Kenmores at Sears.

Option Wallner to St Paul, and let him work on his swing and how to play 1B. And maybe try him in the bullpen there (used to be a pitcher; maybe a better road back there than as a hitter or especially an OF). Bring up Emma and start him. The time is also really short for Outman (I'd cut him today and start auditioning Saints OFs starting with Gabby). Bringing up an OF without sending one down also lets you move Mendez to AAA. Royce doesn't hit well enough for 1B; Twins should send him or Lee down to get better when they call up Culpepper.

Of course they should call up Emma. Need room? DFA Outman. (And WHEN he clears waivers, you DON'T send him to St Paul, you say 'thanks' and call up Hendry Mendez from Wichita to the Saints.) "He needs to play every day." Yep, in RF, and you either have Wallner grab some pine or send him to St Paul (yes, he has 1 option year left, and he's not a rookie, and it's been rough for a long time now). There may even be a rough start and a need to work on some stuff again in AAA, but that's just another reason to make the move now. This is Rodriguez's last option year, and dude hasn't even been to the majors yet. It is getting awful close to 'use him or lose him' time, so it might be worth finding out what we have.

Every team needs a good utility player, but do we really need three (Kreidler, Gray, Clemens)? Is Outman OK, because he hardly plays, or does he hardly play because he's (not really) OK? If you are just playing game-to-game I guess keeping Kreidler around for a bit is fine, but... Emmanuel Rodriguez is on his final option year, and would immediately be the best defensive OF on the Twins not named Buxton along with an offensive upside better than any OF but Buxton. If not now, when? After he is out of options? If you need to play him everyday, bench/send down Wallner and his MLB leading 33 Ks (in 80 PAs) for a badly needed reset. But, yeah, cut Outman; he never should have gone north with the team.

Only 5 players in MLB history have won a batting title as a rookie, and only two since the start of the 20th century; Tony Oliva in '64 and Ichiro in 2001. Only Oliva also won in his second year (including the 3 NL 19th Century guys), so I'm guessing that's not happening again. (Oliva, Carew, and Killebrew in the same lineup was pretty fab.)

One of my favorite Twins of recent years; love the bulldog mentality that is driving him to work on the new stuff. I just don't think it is going to work, and in fact will get worse as the weather warms, and the hitters settle in. Gone (or IL) by June unless I'm wrong, though on the bright side, I'm often wrong.

Lee going to St Paul is not some kind of death sentence; lots of players get sent down and come back (and it isn't like the 40-man is made of giant barriers). The guy looks like he could be a solid player, but he clearly needs some work at the plate, and that doesn't have to happen at the MLB level. I could see him in St Paul by mid-May (or much sooner), but I also think it is far more likely he is on the 26-man in August than Gray, Kreidler, Arcia, Outman, or Clemens.

Sorry, but there are clear solutions internally. You could call up Culpepper, who would be an improvement on defense, and likely add speed and hitting to the lineup as well. Maybe he is "below average" defensively, but we know Lee is WELL below that. (Maybe send Lee down in that setup; he could use a hitting reset, then come back as the utility guy.) You could also cut Outman (not because he is 0-12 this year, but because he's been bad for years), and DFA Larnach (who won't get claimed at his pay, but we could always hope) or Clemens, call up Roden and Emma, and buy a 1B glove for Wallner, which would add needed offense, and give the OF a major defensive boost. It might also give us a solution at 1B (can't see how it would worse, and Wallner would be a massive target with legitimate 1B pop).

They'd probably sell more tickets embracing the rebuild; the Opening Day roster is laden with marginal MLB talent (Larnach, Outman, Gray, Clemens half the relief staff) "blocking" upside youth (Emma and Roden ready now, Culpepper and Gonzalez maybe after a month of AAA at SS and 1B, Prielipp after MLB meltdowns create a void). Losing isn't fun, but watching off-the-charts athletes compete always comes with 'can you believe he did that!' possibilities. The Twins are starting the year (by choice) with too many of those types of players in St Paul. (Should make for fun Saints games, though!)

If he were on a bubble, this would get him cut, but it's Lewis not Kreidler (or Outman), so you hope it is just adjustment to the new swing, keep an eye on it, and if needed in a few weeks, consider a (hopefully short) trip to St Paul.

Anything can happen, but a strong disagree that this is a 'make or break' year specifically BECAUSE of the state of the franchise. The Twins are as weak around the infield as I can remember in recent history, and while Culpepper may push Lee off SS, Lee's floor is still far better than any other potential utility player on the 40-man, and I'm far more confident he'll be on the '27 opening day roster than nearly half the 26-man roster that goes to Baltimore (Ober, Larnach, Outman, Clemens, Bell, Jeffers, the entire bullpen; oh wait, that is MORE than half and I didn't even guess about Lewis).

This team is bad defensively by choice. Roden has shown he is ready for an extended MLB tryout, he was acquired as part of trade for a serious asset, and his defense is FAR better than Larnach's. Emmanuel Rodriguez is fully ready for MLB now as well (you can't teach how to stay healthy in AAA), and his offense and defense are far beyond James Outman's right now. DFA Outman and Larnach and when (not if, especially for Larnach at the goofy salary the Twins gave him) they clear waivers, you can offer them a St Paul gig. Give Lee about a month to show if he is better defensively, and if it isn't working, call up Culpepper, move Lee to Utility, and shed whichever poor glove/marginal bat we pick to fill that spot. I'm not worried about Keaschall at all. It may not work out, but I was pretty sure Lewis would settle in with reps uninterrupted by constant injuries; he did, and I expect Keaschall will do the same. And maybe Wallner will be better by enough to stick in RF for now, but he likely isn't there next year, so buy him a big glove, and work him out at 1B (with Larnach theoretically gone, DH would then open predominantly for Bell.) A lot of this might not work out, but if we are likely to be bad anyway, I'd rather see the team explore actual upside instead poor mediocrity.

It might not have paid off, but I would have given Hendricks at least a couple weeks run in the regular season if only because there is some potential upside (more than in the waiver wire rejects filling other spots in the 'pen). Pretty grim stuff going on down in Ft Myers; isn't this when hope is supposed to Spring eternal?

The OF stuff is pointless; Emmanuel Rodriguez can play better OF, has far more upside offensively, and honestly should be breaking camp with the Twins. Kreidler's only needed talent is on the infield, which is stocked with people who can't field, or can't hit, or both. Hopefully they can shake the AAA tree a little harder. (Culpepper should get AAA time, but as things stand now, I 'd rather see him getting starts with the Twins, and Brooks Lee being the utility guy than the other options listed here.)

I get not offering Ober arbitration was a bit of a hot take, BUT… this team has a budget issue, and paying Ober (who may be washed up) and Larnach (who is MLB-mediocre on O and defensively unplayable) $9 million is a waste of money. You could have signed Ober for less (with performance bonuses), let Larnach go, and had enough money to sign someone like Littell or Giolito to fill the gap that popped up. @JD-TWINS, technically Ober is 31 this year (his birthday is in July). He turned 30 last year. And, yep, he was hurt last year for over 50% of his innings, and he couldn’t pitch at the start of camp. Not sure how that is a point in your favor. I’m a giant Ober fan; I frankly think he hurt himself trying to extend in ways his body really can’t any more. I have no questions about his hearth and guts, but being a fan doesn’t blind me to the strong possibility his days as a top rotation starter are over. (Check Baseball Reference to see how quickly elite extension Tim Lincecum went from Cy Young level to bad to out of baseball. @jmlease1 I agree Ober was great until he wasn’t, but again, he was still unable to pitch at the start of camp, has underwhelmed in his two appearances so far, and appears to be regressing. Also, not offering arbitration does NOT mean losing a player, especially one with small value on the open market (which is Ober in a nutshell). And FYI, Zack Littell got signed for $3 million this year with a $4 million buyout for next year (so $7 million committed) with the Nationals. I’d bet he has a healthier/better year than Ober. (Because I don’t think the velo is coming back, and I’m afraid one of my favorite Twins will prove unhealthy again or un-useable in the rotation by mid-May.)