JD-TWINS

I would assume Emilio’s ERA jumped a bit after the HR last night in the 8th, while getting only one out………that’s 27 runs per 9 innings. Kepler seems to be getting past his 2 hits per week phase……solid performer with a little XBH pop lately. Very encouraging. Pagan needs bases empty to start when he throws. Should write it down on dugout wall!

We don’t need 100MPH and light experience with too many walks……old school maybe, but I don’t see the Sox nor Detroit helping us out & neither of those guys get me excited. Robertson would be best option but probably sought after by many other clubs………Fulmer is a guy trending the right way for 2 months and there’s a familiarity on both sides. We need a guy to throw an inning every 2nd or 3rd game. Fulmer seems safe!

Wallner - Taylor/Castro - Kepler for the rest of the year in the OF. Larnach is gone Friday when Buxton comes back. Lewis/Castro/Farmer - CC - Julien/Polanco/ Julien - Kirilloff/Solano Vazquez/Jeffers Buxton My slant on our play-off roster above. Not sure who goes up & down between now & September 1 (roster expansion)……assuming Wallner sent down or Buxton to IL. Depends on how soon Lewis & Polanco are ready.

Celestino??? Gotta quit (as a group) typing Celistino in as a guy we want on the west side of the river!! Larnach looks great in uniform but doesn’t consistently hit when given a chance. Trade offerings…..Larnach - Gordon - Miranda - Celestino - Contreras - Martin (if needed) - Gallo (can’t be interest) - SWR - Headrick. I’m sure there are 2-3 other younger SS draft pick - trade acquisition guys we can offer as well. Lee - Festa - Roya - Rodriguez are the untouchable fellas. Need 26 & 40 man roster room & a relief pitcher! Gotta be active with trades.

Didn’t see Kepler misplay anything? Anyway, you’re right, he’s going nowhere. Wallner down until Sept. 1 roster expansion - or Gallo is DFA’d - or Buxton with the 30 day IL stint for month of August???

Wallner - Castro/Taylor - Kepler rest of season in OF. Lewis/Farmer/Castro - CC - Polanco/Julien/Farmer - Kirilloff/Solano in IF. Vazquez/Jeffers Buxton Isn’t this our best 13 - obviously? If we don’t add anyone at deadline, these 13 have to be the play-off roster! Who we move down between now and September 1 so we can have a full compliment (Gallo) in September with the roster expansion, I can’t debate. Can’t be Taylor/Farmer/Solano due to service time. Can’t demote Castro! Essentially it has to be Wallner if they don’t DFA or trade Gallo. Buxton to IL for most of August? Can anyone build an argument for keeping Gallo over anyone else?

Gallo will be gone in 6 days……..time for being real & “not the nice guys”……..no more time to hope he’s going to turn it around!

Wouldn’t it be interesting but also potentially a very good strategic move to go with Ober-Lopez-Ryan-Maeda as our 4 playoff starters. Thus Sonny Gray to the Pen. He could pitch 2 innings every other game…….he’s almost un-hittable for that length of outing. His approach would be a complete change v. whoever started! He could be devastating in innings 6-7 & we only need our Pen to cover 2 innings. He could go 2 innings game 1, for example …….sit game 2……then an off day………ready for game 3 if needed. I know it sounds a little crazy but his ERA is 4.00 plus for last 3 months………he typically has one bad inning and is lights out in other innings. Knowing he’s going 2 innings would let him be more aggressive as needed, with his fastball. Gotta get there first.

Trading Polanco makes sense IF there’s value immediately with a return player/pitcher. I think you have a great imagination if you think the Cards would trade Nolan Arenado for Polanco. Maybe a prospect pitcher along with Winder & Polanco. Maybe? We don’t need nor want Nolan Arenado. Goldschmidt to Twins…….Kirilloff to LF, would be fantastic. We give up Winder - Moran - Polanco…….although I doubt Cards want an aging guy like Polanco…….might have to go single or AA for a prospect pitcher as well? Bottom line is everyone knows Polanco’s health/availability has been terrible. He makes $12M going forward - don’t see anyone other than a team like Milwaukee wanting Polanco. They need offense. He could drop in at 2B for Turang and give them an upgrade & they are in a playoff push. Somebody that needs a 2B upgrade for playoffs is the target team.

Understood. He may be just a rental …..probably an 80% chance he’s just a rental. The potential for a deep playoff run, coupled with Boras relationship with CC & thus our front office may give us a shot? We can pay him with Mahle & Gray’s expiring salaries. Possible good 3 year signing. Maybe just a rental, however, with Polanco - Lewis - Bellinger blended into our line-up for last 2 months it may get us to the 2nd Division winner slot? Certainly makes us competitive with anyone in the playoffs!!

Maeda may be our best looking starter by the middle of August? 2.50ERA over last 5 starts. Looking dominant. Fresh, surgically repaired arm! Can’t afford to move him.

Don’t think he should be pushed forward into the first slot in a play-off series……doesn’t seem fair to him. I can’t imagine going past a game 3 in any series without him starting a game though! He’s mentally & mechanically rock solid! Excellent control nearly every time out. If the season ends & we’re in a battle to the wire and he’s up next due to how rest falls, I have no problem throwing him first. Maeda with a 2.5 ERA over last 5 starts………Ober……….Gray, Ryan, Lopez is awfully good v. anyone. There are flaws with the latter 3 & am hoping they can make adjustments from here on out!!

I agree - Maeda deserved a win in one of the last two outings…….Pen can’t be perfect. Offense needs to come up with a bigger spread than 2-1. Faced a tough opposing pitcher - happy to be fortunate to get past the Jax hanging slider with a win! Seems to be some momentum building in the dugout…….triple from Larnach, Kirilloff again with a bomb to the wall in LF in 9th, & Kepler 3-4. Fun to watch.

Learning experience, I get it, he’s in his mid-20’s playing professionally …..he’s not a Jr. in high school. Making 2 outs on the bases in one game is hard to do……….good news he gets on base at an alarming rate!! Really gone from a fringe guy a month or so ago, with a weak glove, to somebody that’s forced himself into the line-up……he’s exciting in the box.

Great question! If we bring Kuechel for Sands that seems simple in another week…….Thielbar & Stewart displace who?? Maybe no Kuechel & Sands opens one spot. Ortega - Balazovic - Pagan all seemed to have earned a spot! Balazovic may have options, not sure on Ortega? Could move down for short period to give others a look? Jax - Duran are in………Moran seems to make sense on the hill 75-80% of the time, good enough? They really seem to want to support Jorge - it’s the right thing to do. He looked sharp against Mariners last night. Great stuff. The ability to command his pitches along with his emotional state is up in the air……….do we trade him (Try) to give him a runway somewhere else & to open a roster spot? Moran - Sands - Lopez - Ortega seem to be the candidates to be displaced. Careful for what we wish for via acquisition!

Out at 3rd was careless. Probably shouldn’t get picked off at 1B either…..2 outs on the bases in same game screams “is this guy very bright?” ……can’t give away outs!

CC - Farmer - Lewis - Solano - Buxton (DH) - Jeffers - Kirilloff (RF) - Castro - Taylor……..the Twins line-up v. LH pitching. Do we need a RH bat? I’d take a big swing & trade Martin & SWR for Bellinger. CC - Julien - Kirilloff - Kepler - Bellinger - Wallner - Polanco - Lewis - Vazquez…….the Twins new line-up v. RH pitching. Buxton sits until we can expand roster in September……..once playoffs start we shift to 4 starters………Kenta goes to Pen and we drop to 12 pitchers total………..Polanco & Lewis batting 7th & 8th!!!

Headrick - Thielbar - Stewart can help “strengthen the middle of our bullpen…..” so I’m not sure how hard we look for relief help. I’d love to see Robertson here to help with the backend and push late inning guys to. Fairchild would be easy pickens out of Reds AAA system. RH former starting CF with a .743 OPS in ‘23. No room in Cincinnati for him. Grichuk out of Colorado would cost a bit but probably worth the upgrade in CF and at the plate. Bellinger for Martin & SWR is worth considering!!!

Didn’t seem to have a feel for his best pitch - the slider. He looked really sharp against the other guys he faced……really good stuff (sinker/fastball) just missed with a hung, spinning slider. I still like him with a little bit of rest - essentially never asked to go 3 days in a row. Got the win……JORGE off the scrap pile!!!!!!!

BUY: Larnach - SWR & a young AA or below SS talent/prospect……….. for Cody Bellinger of Cubs…..having an exceptional year & Boras is his agent. Maybe CC could have some pull? SWR & young prospect at A or lower for Stuart Fairchild of the Reds? Fast - .240 BA - .743 OPS this season & can play any OF position with CF being the norm …….currently at AAA. Only need one of these two - Bellinger would be a big shot in the arm for this year. Fairchild has a shot at developing into a decent to above average CF with some years of control left. V. RH pitching: CC - JulienDH - Kirilloff - Polanco - Bellinger - Wallner - Kepler - Jeffers - Castro3B Buxton - Farmer - Lewis - Vazquez on the bench. Gallo/Solano/Taylor would all have to go away…………maybe Buxton to long-term IL to keep Solano or Taylor active?

Kirilloff is routinely moved to the OF & Solano at 1B when facing LH pitching? Sometimes guys don’t match up well & get pinch hit for…….,,Larnach & Wallner …….if they “can’t hit MLB pitching” we can’t develop them in the Show - the games count. Larnach has over 600 AB’s in MLB & Wallner is now getting a 3rd shot this year……. seems they are getting a chance to show their potential to me. Can’t defend Buxton! .

In defense of the FO - I don’t think anyone thought Castro would perform such (signed for IF depth……OF too out of Spring Training) that he has no chance of being optioned - this is part of the jamb in the OF right now.

Larnach has to develop his bat - organizational failure is an excuse! He has had injuries that have bought him extra time…….this year needs to be a positive step forward and it’s not shaping up like that. Wish him the best. He appears to be another Kirilloff but he’s got to prove it with results. If we can’t get proper value, whatever that may be, don’t move him.

Cannot believe I’m saying this but if Kepler plays average baseball, offensively, .230 BA & .730 OPS & 20 plus HR he is very likely back in 2024 as we wait for Gordon/Wallner/Larnach situation to sort out. 1 & probably 2 of those guys are gone to start ‘24. Kepler seems to have cemented himself in RF for remainder of this season. Castro is too valuable with flex defense and speed to move. Taylor has too much value on D and can’t hit well enough to attract any suitors. I honestly think that Gallo may stick through the season……..his August may allow us (FO) to feel it’s OK to DFA him. I think he’s untradable …… can’t imagine anyone desiring a .159 BA with 10 RBI since middle of May!!! Why do the Twins? Seemed they were going to try him in CF over the weekend before the last minute scratch. Can’t sweat the clubhouse vibe at the expense of a usable piece down the stretch……without an improbable uptick, should DFA prior to September 1 if we can’t move him by deadline. Gallo in CF - Castro at 3B………Polanco at 2B - Julien at DH……..Wallner in LF & Kepler in RF - Kirilloff at 1B……….that’s a nice line-up with Joey in as the upside risk guy! Gets us a bridge to Lewis coming back strong. Larnach or Wallner?? Larnach looks the part! Wallner seems to be still on the ascent v. Larnach’s results in ‘23 - right? Wallner - Castro/Gallo - Kepler is our OF v. RH pitching. They seem to want to give Wallner a real look. When talking trade we probably let the trade partner pick which guy they want (Larnach/Wallner) v. us offering and creating position of weakness - we can always say no. Not a high priority other than potentially opening a 40 man spot because of that need.

Gotta beat somebody - we play the same teams as the Guardians & other teams in the Division. Beat Houston - Boston - NY - etc. ……can cherry pick results for either side of the argument…….they are 53-48 and still haven’t jelled for any real length of time. Polanco - Lewis - Thielbar - Stewart should all contribute to a push forward down the stretch.