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JD-TWINS

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  1. JD-TWINS
    Who wants an apparently broken down 2B making $10M & a career .190 hitter making $11M????
  2. JD-TWINS
    Last outing it was the 2nd inning & then he was fine through the 6th. Just gets waaay too fine and his waste pitches are worthless…….starts the ball 14” off the ground and it travels 56 feet and hits at front of batter’s box. I’d say 1/3 of his pitches were sliders outside & half of those were bounced……over a dozen balls bounced. Can’t routinely get ahead and then throw 2 of next 3 pitches wide in the dirt……there’s no way a hitter is going to offer at a pitch that never sniffs the zone out of his hand!!! Then you hang a couple curveballs in the zone and you’re down 2 runs in 10 minutes. Last game he walked guys and gave up 5 singles……4 were soft grounders or flares….all in one inning. I think 6 runs in the 2nd - right? At any rate it was as ugly as last night. 4.35 ERA since May 1. His stuff is too good for that to be the case. Needs to change his approach when ahead with hitters….,can’t just waste 2 pitches in nearly every AB!
  3. JD-TWINS
    Kuechel …..6 innings - 94 pitches - no walks! Only 1 earned run. 3rd good start & interesting as an option to competently eat innings from Late July - September!!
  4. JD-TWINS
    Goldschmidt for 2 years seems pretty reasonable for $26M/year. Again, with Gray - Mahle - Kepler - Polanco - Gallo - Maeda gone in ‘24 we free up $65M from this year’s budget. Plant Kirilloff in LF & Wallner in RF. Lewis-Julien-CC with Goldschmidt, we’d (on paper) have the best offensive infield in the game. Jeffers at C. Rotate Buxton in CF & DH with the expectation of 100 games. Castro - Taylor - Farmer - Solano - Vazquez……a bunch of bench veterans ready to win immediately. I would offer the SS we got from Miami & SWR & Winder & Moran.
  5. JD-TWINS
    SWR - Winder - possibly Varland………..this group doesn’t net much back to Twins! Gotta hang on to Festa & Raya!! Paddack may be a fit in a group trade - doubtful of his market value before getting some innings.
  6. JD-TWINS
    ……..or how about the All-Star pitcher enticing someone into a ground ball? Manager isn’t pitching…….if he brings Balazovic in after a run or two he gets blasted when Balazovic gives up a single and Gray’s runs score….”should leave starter in Rocco”……..players have to play well!
  7. JD-TWINS
    CF that may fit……Grichuk from Colorado……Fairchild from Cincinnati??
  8. JD-TWINS
    Sometimes it’s the 3rd inning or some other. His problem is focus and connecting that to command. He talks about losing it after every game. Jeffers blocked 8 pitches in one inning last night……completely lost on mound!!! Great STUFF - sucks to watch!
  9. JD-TWINS
    Kepler - double & HR………still, Solano works a walk to load bases & Max swings at first pitch??? ……slow roller to 1B.
  10. JD-TWINS
    Rocco’s philosophy hasn’t wavered a bit. Gray pitched the same way last year & was treated accordingly……he’d be cruising and give up a hit and a walk in a one run game and Rocco would pull him in the 5th or 6th & Gray would pop off in the press. If guys are somewhat under control Rocco is fine with them - if not - they are replaced. If he had the ‘23 staff last year they would have seen a lot more innings - no philosophy change because a competitive pitcher bitches in the press! Sonny - quit throwing the ball into the ground!!
  11. JD-TWINS
    4.35 ERA since May 1. He’s league average because he can’t seem to elevate his slider to start knee/thigh high and then break down from there. Jeffers had 8 blocked pitches in one inning - zero command. …….get him a run and back in 6th, score to 4-3 & in 6th he walks lead-off and then spikes one in the ground to score the guy from 3rd. Been skeptical of Julien because of the strikeout history & defense…..that’s gone. Gotta ride him in the line-up 5 of 6 days per week!! Polanco can fit in as needed. Some DH from him works v. RH pitching. Batting Buxton down in order is just moving the out in the line-up…….Please IL him for 3-4 weeks to see if 2 full weeks off & a couple re-hab weeks help him become average.
  12. JD-TWINS
    A straight 6-man rotation is nuts because we don’t expect/want starters to go longer in games, just to have more rest between starts and thus less overall innings. Nuts, because we tax the bullpen as often but with one less arm in the Pen. My assumption is that Kuechel is out of options at this point in his career - right? Kuechel in long relief role to help stretch the Pen makes sense - he could face 8-9 guys per outing (nobody sees him twice, as they would as a starter) from middle 6th through 8th as an example. This helps freshen the rest of the Pen. He needs to be up or he’s gone by July 31……can’t imagine he signed a deal that allows us to trade him to wherever we like! I like the “tired arm”, 10 day IL stints, for each of our 5 starters over the next 30 - 45 days!! Can use Kuechel to make this happen along with Varland (options). Could take a whole week of no arm activity and then a bullpen session and their regular start 3 days later. Details don’t matter - they’d have needed rest prior to September. If we can build a lead in Division there may be more opportunity for rest later in September? Need to get 86 wins for the Division (fair?) so we need to go 38-30 from here on out. As mentioned a few times “can’t afford to give away games with experiments”. Need to have a plan though on getting starters a breath going forward.
  13. JD-TWINS
    Don’t think there would be any interest. Why would any of those teams want Buxton? Goldschmidt has 2 years left - Arenado has 5 years left, maybe 6. Both can hit! What’s the upside with Buxton on any team right now? Everyone else sees he can’t play defense and he all too often looks miserable at the plate. Bellinger has 2 1/2 months left on a one year deal - he costs $4M more/year than Buck this year but he can play defense & hit. San Diego has plenty of payroll to handle - trying to sign Soto for 1/2 Billion. We may need to get him playing 1B over next year to be able to have some line-up flexibility. It’s a bad situation!
  14. JD-TWINS
    Hope he can do it - unfortunately, it’s going to take reps to play first. I see somewhere else here he’s played LF 15-20 games in minors. Competency at one of those two spots would be great sooner than later. With the obvious log jam in ‘23 at 2B it seems odd there was no flex in his defensive position at all at AAA. Seemed odd as it was happening??? Not sure what his arm’s like after 2019 arm problem/surgery. Keeping him away from 3B due to that, apparently. Long-term maybe he can smooth out at 2B with some fall ball and early spring training work?
  15. JD-TWINS
    Larnach has been given chances - 600 plus AB’s in the Show. Love his look - his play, batting, is below average. Wallner K’s 35% of the time in big leagues so not getting him in line-up as a slow footed OF isn’t a terrible decision. Has potential. Going into ‘23, Gotta give Gallo & Kepler a runway (1/2 season)…….that’s done and either or both of them can/should go. Julien’s job is to hit RH pitching - Farmer’s is to hit LH pitching…..nothing wrong with those two things & them sharing 2B. Buxton to DL is the cleanest move to get Wallner/Julien/Polanco all on the roster. Trading Polanco - Kepler - Gallo, all 3 could give us a fresh feel for the last 2 months. Or, we could IL Buxton until August 15 & play Polanco/Julien/Wallner at 2B & RF as well as at DH. LH pitching, we put Kirilloff into OF and Solano at 1B with Farmer at 3B & Polanco batting RH at 2B. Gotta move 2 of 3 vets off our roster…..Gallo/Kepler/Polanco, IMO. Another move is to trade for Grichuk of Colorado or Bellinger of Chicago to play CF 80% of the time August- September.
  16. JD-TWINS
    Gotta agree that Buxton to the IL for 30 days makes sense! Can’t get less from the DH spot. Gives him 2 weeks back up with Twins late August to see if we can carry him on playoff squad. Wallner - Julien - Polanco (exchange roster spot with Byron) can man the DH role along with Solano. This combination has to improve our results! Lewis - CC - Julien - Kirilloff by mid-August as our infield. Could really use a jolt in OF!! As many have said multiple times, seems like we can’t carry both Gallo & Kepler. TRADE: Andrew Grichuk from Colorado. He can play all 3 OF positions. 18 doubles & .300 BA in 2023………career .250 BA. Can’t be a huge market for him - most good/decent teams have effective OF play & associated offense already. Hoping, Polanco & Gallo & Kepler are gone at break……. Playoff line-up v. LH pitcher: CC - Grichuk - Lewis - Farmer - Solano - Jeffers - Kirilloff - (healthy) Buxton DH - Taylor V. RH pitcher: CC - Julien - Kirilloff - Wallner - Solano or Buxton DH - Lewis - Castro - Grichuk - Vazquez 4 starters in playoffs: Pen: have Maeda going into Pen & Kuechel taking Sands spot……..Headrick/Thielbar taking Lopez/Pagan spots. Moran - Ortega - Balazovic - Jax - Duran Grichuk trade reasonable option/solution?
  17. JD-TWINS
    Do we sign Gray? 2024 - 26 man: Julien & Farmer at 2B CC & Farmer at SS Lewis & Farmer at 3B Kirilloff & Solano at 1B Wallner - Castro - Taylor - FA signing - guy from system (Martin/Rodriguez?) or trade piece?…….OF needs to upgrade!!! Vazquez & Jeffers at C Buxton/Solano - DH Dropping salary from Gray - Mahle - Maeda - Gallo - Kepler - Polanco………$65 MILLION from existing budget that will be freed up……use $ on OF guy and a depth starter and MAYBE a depth reliever. Am seeing this year that relief CAN be built off others scrap pile & with internal system options. More youth v. keeping Solano? Is Taylor blocking someone? I like vets that have done it & aren’t expensive………these guys could be signed for this year’s number plus $2.5M …. $10M total. Not too costly to DFA either! Is this COMPETITIVE?? Julien/Kirilloff/Lewis all ready April 1 & security in their positions. Paddack - Ryan - Ober - Lopez - Varland (Gray? or an inexpensive Maeda or a FA at $15-$18M) Headrick - Stewart - Ortega - Balazovic - Moran - Jax - Duran (Thielbar is probably done)……..some add from system or a FA at $8M or less. Can’t imagine Lopez or Pagan remain. Extend Ryan & Duran & consider Ober……may need 3 months of ‘24 on Ober prior to offer.
  18. JD-TWINS
    The “let’s see what we have for the future” approach is for after you are eliminated from post season, IMO. AAA and Spring Training is for evaluating, not the Show in August when you are in first place in your Division - right? We outta have a pretty fair idea of who Varland & SWR are by now! Not a real big proponent of signing Gray v. some other potential FA arm in off-season……his salary must be approaching $15M now - we are paying Maeda $5-$7M - Mahle $12M…..generally good numbers. Not signing Mahle nor Maeda in ‘24 are nearly certainties…….this leaves $$$ for Gray within this year’s current budget. We also trim Polanco - Gallo - Kepler at a minimum after ‘23, that’s $34M or in a close range saved from this year’s budget………spots filled with guys in our system. Sign Gray for $23.5/year for 2 years and have $40M plus leftover from the existing budget. One way to go. I make the offer to Gray now to see where his head’s at - the security he gains & confidence shown in him could propel him through the remainder of this year & forward!
  19. JD-TWINS
    I don’t understand dismantling the league’s best overall starting staff prior to letting guys like Lewis heal - Polanco as well. Wallner gives us a potential new look if not only addition by subtraction (Gallo or Kepler). Hope is an unknown with an upside…….panic is not good in any sense. Not trying to put down fans that are skeptical - but it seems not supporting decisions/a path until it comes to fruition is just……… Trading Gray is going to yield very little value. I think that’s real whether we are panicked or hopeful. Can we get to 86 wins? Seriously - that’s 8 games over .500 and getting close to unattainable by the Guradians. If so, we host a first round series. With our starters & Thielbar/Stewart/Maeda displacing some of our questionable guys in the Pen, we have a shot at advancing! We’re 2-10 v. Tampa, Baltimore, & Atlanta. Lost 2 in extra innings v. Orioles and a couple tough ones in the other 2 series. We aren’t in Tampa nor Atlanta’s league in the playoffs - granted. Probably able to compete with anyone else in the game though……don’t think that’s just based on hope.
  20. JD-TWINS
    Trade DEADLINE is 13 days away, not another month. Can’t imagine we aren’t still competitive in the AL Central in 2 weeks, so we need to go for the Division title. Another contributor mentioned that we’d be fine in the playoffs with Lopez - Ryan - Ober…….Way too many possible HR’s with Lopez & Ryan. I really like them both & understand there are no perfect players but they have both shown major weaknesses at various spots (lately in particular). Ober seems rock solid to date but after another 12-13 starts, who knows. Need to hang on to the veteran presence with Gray. You & other contributor mention the lack of probable value we can get for Gray - agreed. If he’s a FA next year we aren’t going to get anything of real value for a 2 month rental. His comments about his potential future actions don’t really play into our reality. Taking calls is part of the everyday routine for the FO…….no reason not to do this but as we’ve both mentioned, a worthwhile offer probably doesn’t/won’t exist.
  21. JD-TWINS
    Relative to fighting off pitches…….he got an RBI yesterday after a 10 pitch AB for a walk. No reason to give him an award, but it seems to be much better than taking 3 strikes in a row!
  22. JD-TWINS
    I get it - his most recent swoon. He has had to tip his hat to opposing outfielder 3 times in past handful of games. An HR - single - double mixed in over those games & he’s at his typical, ugly .205 with a high Slugging%. I wish there was a better short-term answer but with Lewis out & Polanco out, I don’t see any.
  23. JD-TWINS
    Jax was NEEDED to extinguish any upstart in the 7th! The A’s had comeback 4 times prior in the game. He can’t throw into a second inning after throwing the night before. Ortega did a nice job, & if anything, I thought he may get the 9th. Duran did his job. Jax may be able to get an out or 2 today after only throwing 6 pitches Saturday. Disagree on any issues with how the Pen’s been used through the 2 games we won. Need a starter to perform or BP will get burned up on any team…….Maeda’s 3 inning debacle on Friday got the problems started.
  24. JD-TWINS
    Hit a 109 MPH rocket to 3B Saturday - he’s had some terrible AB’s in the past couple games but from the “team only meeting” to the All-star game he had some hits - few K’s - 3-4 times robbed on D of big hits, couple times in 2 days at the Wall v. Baltimore. We don’t have a better definitive option. He only plays if the team thinks he can contribute - nothing to do with $$$.
  25. JD-TWINS
    We’re thin in the Pen today - let’s go Joe! Agreed - O’s are a solid club! Four former Twins on their staff makes it sting a little bit…….We win 2 of 6 in the 2 series v. Baltimore and lost 2 of those in extra innings…….it’s not like they crushed us. An aside - the Braves were in the middle of a streak of 20 games averaging 7.2 runs per game when we came into Georgia………I think we gave up 2 - 3 - 6 runs over the 3 game sweep. Great club - results not that terrible. Tampa & Braves swept us……6 losses to them & 4 to Baltimore. Other than those, we’ve been very competitive in other series with teams that have a wide range of ability! Don’t understand the attitudes that dismiss any chance for us in a playoff series?
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