JD-TWINS

I don’t understand the “play him in CF or we aren’t getting our value from him….” comments! Played in 46% of games in 7 of 8 years prior to this year. Gotta take a different approach in ‘23. If we just “play him in CF” that % will come into play shortly. He’s not physically right just slotting in at DH, let alone playing CF. If we try to play him in CF he will break down - once this happens we get zero value. Why all the complaining? Now, should he be our only DH? That’s debatable. Personally, I think he needs an IL stint and a total reset “while recovering” for 30 days he needs to get his swing/ batting approach back in time/rhythm. Right now - he doesn’t really look any different than Kepler at the plate - & that’s not good!

I’m way over budget - gotta take Molitor at DH!

Can I get Frank Viola for FREE? How about Correa for FREE? Lyman Bostock for FREE? 3B - Killebrew - $5 SS - Correa - $0 2B - Carew - $5 1B - Morneau - $3 C - Mauer - $5 RF - Oliva - $5 CF - Puckett - $5 LF - Mack - $3 SP - Viola - $0 RP - Reardon - $2 If budget didn’t matter I’d only change the 2 pitchers.

20-25 years ago & he was a unicorn HOF pitcher. Don’t remember him having arm or hip or other physical problems either. If all we needed to do was tell everyone to “throw more & get strong” we’d just go back to a four man rotation when Ober goes down.

Spahn was rangey & Feller decent size as well but Ober is 6’9”. His arm has been a minor part of his injury history - other body parts have failed. Also, can’t take a guy that’s been groomed in today’s “100 pitches = complete game era” & treat him like it’s 1955!!! If Ober throws 6 innings in his next ten starts, he’ll be at 117 innings at September 5th. If he gets there healthy, I’m sure we can skip a start or two down the stretch so he’s ready & able in the play-offs. Am concerned about everyone’s innings - wear & tear is part of the game - any game. Headrick & Maeda should be able to mix in some bullpen games to help with skipping starts or getting everyone an extra day’s rest.

You want him to do some cheers?? Players play - they’re not 14 year olds. Baldelli isn’t giving up HR’s, that’s Ryan……..how’s he supposed to lead Buxton when he swings at anything & K’s in one AB and the next AB he takes 3 straight strikes. How? Jorge Lopez - Moran - Pagan…….these guys need to get outs and Baldelli will look pretty smart. Wouldn’t worry about Rocco …….batters need to start to perform - pitchers need to hold leads……….if players perform, there are very few bad managing issues!

Solano was my “assumed to be traded if he could hold on until Mid-July…” …….otherwise DFA to make room for Walner or Larnach or Polanco. He started great and then declined slowly over 5-6 weeks. Last 15 days or so he’s as good or better than anybody at the plate. Really need his veteran presence and performance, along with Farmer & Taylor, even though they were all slotted as platoon guys. Not getting much from Buxton - CC - Polanco………….none from Kepler - Vazquez - Gallo!! Unless we collapse, Solano should be on the roster through the season. It seems to me that freeing up 3B for Miranda & trading for Lopez has taught fan base to not take hitters for granted (Urshella @ .298 & Arraez @ .395).

Depends who pitches last, you never know - I’ve been down on both of these guys since September 1 last year. I know I’m not alone. …….you are right, Pagan’s issues are focus & command based, no intestinal fortitude. Lopez has no guts either & less focus. He gets hammered ahead in counts with 2 strikes - then he walks a guy on 7 pitches………. one inning perfect, next inning he looks like a 9th grader. I get guys aren’t perfect but he’s almost unstable. What’s up with the big grins after he gives up multiple doubles?? Completely insecure & low confidence & trying to mask with laughter?

‘24 roster without Polanco: Julien/Lee - Farmer - CC - Lewis - Kirilloff Larnach - Walner - Taylor - Gordon/Castro -New high $$ Player Buxton Vazquez - Jeffers No Polanco - Kepler - Gallo - Solano …….save $34 Million for FA outfielder - relief pitcher - extend Gray. (Lee may free up the possibility to trade Julien - Miranda?) Castro may push Gordon to the trade block?…..,,his defensive flexibility and base running are both better than Gordon……hope he can maintain! Am Nick Gordon’s biggest fan but Castro has been very effective. Catcher prospect for Julien may be worthwhile?…….Vazquez may not make it 2 more years?

If he hits .270 & drives in 35-40 runs from July - September, he’ll be back in ‘24. If he can’t get on the field he isn’t worth anything on our roster nor in trade - zero. Therefore, we don’t extend the option unless he’s solid most of the remainder this year. He’s great, affordable depth if he can keep his legs healthy. We have Lee with Julien as the prime possibilities for 2B next year and we’ll have Gordon back & healthy along with Farmer under contract through ‘24. I don’t want to be terribly negative but I don’t see Miranda back on this roster in ‘23 nor going forward. Lewis is the fixture at 3B. Kepler - Miranda - Pagan - Polanco can potentially all go at the deadline just to create space on the 40 man going forward. Obviously, we want to try and get a couple prospects but we’re asking teams to take on $$$ w/o a lot of upside. (if we’re winning) Organization is going to have a hard time, in season, letting Polanco & Kepler go just because of potential team chemistry upset.

Pagan has to go, for the sake of team psyche! It doesn’t matter what his “stuff” may be, he’s got poor command & even worse command when there are pressure situations in play. Can’t go for 6-8 outings w/o giving up a run & then take a bad loss. Same thing 4 or 5 different months of the season. Too high of a price to pay!!! Gotta be a big deflating thing in the locker room!! Needs to go or hit the IL for a month while targeting a trade partner - maybe we give him away for $1,000,000 salary share for balance of ‘23?

Torri Hunter - Lyman Bostock - Tom Brunansky - Shane Mack - Tony O - Kirby Puckett - Caesar Tovar are/were all very productive outfielders & 3 or 4 were gold glove guys at one point of their career. Doesn’t matter what Max’s War might be, he’s washed at the plate!! Can’t get 2 big hits a month and “play good defense” and be a worthwhile player every day in the line-up. Cannot!! DFA.

Kepler singles & homers Saturday & Wallner went 0-5 & struck out 3 times. Max keeps hanging on due to unclear circumstances with him, his competition, other’s health, etc. - would like to see them DFA Kepler & move on with Larnach/Wallner in RF…….maybe a little Castro v. LH pitching? Sunday’s loss separates them from a first place type team with momentum, headed into a 10 game home stand, compared to a lost team that can’t get things rolling. Kepler & especially Pagan - DFA!!

Gotta comment somewhere here. Varland, with the balance of 2023 under his belt, is pretty much a fresh Tyler Mahle. We have Paddack through 2025 - already have risk with him. Ryan is solid & only in year 2 of service. Lopez is signed for 4 years. Ober is 27 & under team control. Can’t worry about balancing results of the/a trade…..that’s not the competition the Twins are in - win some games. I live in Cinti and Steer looks like a hot Miranda in 2022….I hope he sticks. E-Strand looks like he’s going to be a real hitter! They are Reds & we can’t worry about that - resigning Mahle to save face doesn’t help us win. If we sign him for 2 years, we get 1 year of availability & some definite risk he’ll perform well………always a risk with anyone in any contract! Seems to me a better use of the funds, while reducing risk a few percentage points, would be to take the money we would spend on Mahle & give it to Gray as part of a 2 year extension. My assumption is Gray makes $15M now…….take Mahle’s potential $20M for 2 years and give it to Gray over 2 years. Gray is 33 but, unless he gets a serious injury, somebody will pay him $20M plus as a free agent. I’d pay him a little more, potentially, than market and give him $25M for a shorter contract term. Do it (offer it) mid season - in next month, as a near-term security blanket for him. I think that’s a better value and makes sense with the other depth we have. We can afford paying Gray to have him in play for play-offs and only have him throw 150 innings (probably his realistic work load/availability) during each season. Could also not spend anymore on starting pitching and take the $28M from freeing Mahle & Gray and spend it on an upside reliever and a RH outfield bat………will have another $32M coming off the annual spend with Kepler, Gallo, & Polanco…..who’s hurt too much?……..all gone in ‘24. How should we spend the $60M saved with these 5 guys all potentially gone in ‘24?

Agree. He’s got a long way to go but emulating Ryan’s attitude/mental make-up will carry him a long way as well.

Generally, a fine thought! You weren’t in the entertainment industry, the public eye, nor making $300K plus (my assumption). That said, don’t think the firing of coaches is going to solve anything.

Absolutely correct! No team other than the Twins. Our starting pitching stacks up with anyone across baseball. The Pen is far from perfect but on the whole it seems to be adequate over long stretches (occasional disappointment for sure). 2-0 after 2 games in Toronto winning in two completely different ways. 10 game home stand starting Tuesday. No reason to think the White Sox, at 27-35 are going to close on us in the near-term. If Sox go 13-7 again in next 20 games, unlikely, they will be 40-42. Maybe by late August they could be a threat but there are a lot of things that can happen between now & then. Guardians staff, line-up, & their culture worry me way more than the Sox!

I get it but not batting Correa 4th but in that line-up it doesn’t change anything. Lewis (whom I’m a big fan of) came into the game hitting .200 and he got 2 infield hits and had a couple flares to right to earn his 4 hits. Not exactly great 4 hole contact. Baldelli is trying to find a spark - maybe giving Larnach a #3 slot to start gets him going mentally?? There’s no great line-up options with this group of 13 guys!

Let’s hope for a strong finish in St Paul this summer so we actually have some options to consider.

So on the list of “who to blame”, I’d probably put The PLAYERS as the number 1 problem. Gallo - Larnach - Julien & others have been high volume strikeout guys through the varying lengths of their careers. Correa was a .279 career BA guy coming into ‘23 & in his 8th or 9th season. I get coaches are there to help - advise - guide, but if Correa can’t solve something on his own after 65 games that’s pathetic!! Vazquez got $15M/year for 3 years and turned into Phil Roof……he’s been around the Show for many years and a .270 plus career BA guy. 65 games into season………Zero home runs. Figure it out. Buxton has been a just above average offensive performer forever & into his 9th season, nothing new here - extremely hot & cold over the past couple years. He’s a great athlete with some unique talents but not a great hitter. He’s made great defensive plays in previous years to help balance his hitting woes. ALSO, in 7 of 8 previous seasons he only played 46% of the games. Basically, he’s been hiding his offensive deficiencies on the IL! Gallo - same as Buxton. Power KKKKK power hurt KKKKK hurt. Kepler is washed - Popkins nor either of previous 2 batting coaches have been able to reverse this decline over the past 3.5 seasons!! Needs to be DFA’d for the guy that’s obviously deserving of a shot - Wallner - watch out, he K’s a bunch too. Lewis’ approach to contact, (evidenced Friday night) that’s not always pretty, needs to be adopted up & down the line-up…….at least with Farmer - Castro - Taylor - etc……,.I doubt Popkins is coaching Lewis differently than the other 15 guys that have been up this year…….probably not coaching Kirilloff differently either. Those 2 guys have taken responsibility for their performance and they make adjustments. They both happen to be talented & with high expectations. Popkins hasn’t ruined them is my point…..maybe the critics/fans need more players taking a look in the mirror?

Am not sure of Maeda’s availability date……..needs to be in Pen as he’s available in June. Moran has Thielbar’s spot for remainder of June. Space for Moran not an issue in short-term. Thielbar may be at end of his rope? I’d like Balazovic to get some action in the SHOW to see if he may be a better option than Lopez or Pagan, come end of July………Stewart should have the spot in my earlier post occupied by Headrick. Stewart has proved himself very useful when given the opportunity - hoping Balazovic may do the same so we don’t need to live & die with Lopez & Pagan. Best 8 at end of June??? Maeda - Headrick - Moran - Stewart - Jax - Duran ………..Balazovic - Lopez - Pagan - Thielbar

Forgot, slow rollers to 1B!

Worst batted ball BA in the game - not performing…….can only pop out to third or hit weak flies into Left Center so many times per week before everyone checks out on you mentally!!

You know what the FO & Rocco see when they look at the spreadsheet…….? Miranda - terrible, not rebounding quickly Kepler - worst Batted Ball BA in baseball-DFA Larnach - pretty swing, barely watchable Buxton - UP & down & Up & doowwn & up & DOWN Kirriloff - decent player Polanco - decent player Gallo - being Gallo Farmer & Taylor - have played 2X as many games as anticipated going in & justly, fading Correa - Still struggling & now recurring injury Jeffers - decent platoon player (relative to expectations) Lewis - nice 3-4 game stretch…..now brutal Walner - gotta DFA Kepler to get him up long-term Vazquez - didn’t think he’d be a problem Castro - decent platoon player (based on expectations) Gordon - always available…..HURT Julien - .210 BA in opportunities given so far in SHOW Solano - decent platoon/reserve WHAT’s A MANAGER TO DO WITH THIS GROUP?????

Walner is hot & has been for 2-3 weeks. Julien is hitting .210 in the Show. Walner displaces Kepler (worst batted ball average in the sport) & Julien displaces Polanco on his notably better side (LH) which makes little .sense. Walner appears to be a solid option in right & at DH v. RH pitching. One seems clear & the other seems to be wish thinking from the March Baseball Classic.