Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

JD-TWINS

Verified Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    4,896

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    4

 Content Type 

Profiles

News

Minnesota Twins Videos

2026 Minnesota Twins Top Prospects Ranking

2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

Minnesota Twins Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

Guides & Resources

2023 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

The Minnesota Twins Players Project

2024 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

2025 Minnesota Twins Draft Pick Tracker

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by JD-TWINS

  1. JD-TWINS
    IMO, they are committed to Rojas from Toronto and Roden was as much of a flyer as Outman. Can he hit???? …..doubt they hang on to both he & Outman for more than a couple months as it seems higher upside youth will be pushing. No clue on options available for either? Gonzalez & not far behind, Jenkins in May - June eat up a couple OF spots. I’m HOPEFUL that one of their last 3 #1 picks at SS can actually be ready by later May as well. Not sure on Fitzgerald’s options? Lawyerson has been close enough to keep…… Ohl seems to be on the fringe of enough stuff to be consistently effective, IMO…….less confident in him than even Tonkin.
  2. JD-TWINS
    Don’t want to hear about Julien’s high OBP ……. his league leading “strikeouts looking” in ‘24 and mild improvement in ‘25 (less AB’s) negate any value of working pitchers for walks. He can’t hit with ANY reliability. Clemens hits for same poor BA!! His OBP is 30-60 points less depending upon which year of Julien’s career one looks at, while he had a pretty good power season. Clemens is probably the 13th guy on the roster due to defensive flexibility/cost/continuity……gotta get a regular, better hitter, at 1B!! Fitzgerald - Vazquez - Julien - Miranda gotta all be gone from 40 man……might bring Vazquez back for $4M?? Hatch - Lawyerson - Ohl - Misiewicz are all questionable 40 man guys…….Tonkin? Kiersey - Outman - McCusker - Roden are all one step out the door relative to 40 man….to be filled by Youth!
  3. JD-TWINS
    Definitely need pieces in PEN! I’m assuming Funderburk has earned a spot over last 2 months and Topa - Sands are in as well. Raya - Prielipp - Rojas - Matthews - Festa - Adams………..re-sign Thielbar? Couple other FA signings? First Base & PEN have to be the Focus for ‘26. Abel or Bradley - Lopez/Ryan/Ober/SWR Catcher, arguably still a hole……..the kid that came up last 3 weeks seems to be serviceable ……. nobody is going to like this, but Vazquez, for $5-$6M may not be a terrible choice.
  4. JD-TWINS
    All good! …….. BUT Clemens is not an acceptable MLB starter going forward (realism), 13th guy on the roster in ‘26 because he can play 4 positions and is durable, OK. Not a starter on a GOOD team. I’m not a Clemens hater but he had his BEST year and had a .284 OBP. 19 HR’s are significant in 342 AB but he hit 3 in one game (big game!) & he was at .205 BA and rallied to hit .216. ………Lewis - Lee OBP are not good either but theoretically they had down years (Lewis) or are learning (Lee).
  5. JD-TWINS
    “You need to spend money & get good players” Spending money at “a reasonable rate” (i.e. $154M in ‘23) is a pretty big factor in getting the players. The GM/President doesn’t decide on the spend level of an organization. If $$ spent went the right direction, modestly, in ‘24, the results of last 2 years would have been different (4-4.5%/yr.)……….imagine if payroll increased $7M/yr each year since ……… $161M & $168M the past 2 seasons. They are more likely to be above .500 at deadline, and trades of relievers don’t happen at end of July and Team is giving Guardians & Tigers problems. Can’t reduce spending from $150M (‘22) - $156M (‘23) - $130M (‘24) - $138M (‘25) & expect a bunch of positive moves from the GM.
  6. JD-TWINS
    Generally, I agree completely. I didn’t like trading Varland (3-4 more years of control) but Rojas seems to be a worthwhile risk to take for your 3rd/4th best reliever. ……. Roden seems like another AAAA guy, IMO. Abel & Bradley are both upside guys along with Rojas. The odds of 2 of them being productive are pretty strong! Complaining about “all the trades” is just emotional nonsense due to a terrible outcome to the season. Understandable. Can’t abandon logic though, as you point out. Paddack - Coulombe - Bader - Castro were all getting traded if not competitive enough at deadline. All impending FA’s. Dobnack was always up for trade for 2-3 years. That’s 5 of the eleven guys. Stewart has always been an injury waiting to happen - went to LA & then got put in IL within 2-3 weeks…… FO took a flyer on Outman. Can’t argue that with his fragile physique…….getting off Correa made sense! Duran - Jax - Varland were all tough to see go but the returns were at least reasonable even if not embraced by fans.
  7. JD-TWINS
    What’s he supposed to say about the PEN? Write us the “proper statement”. ?????……. ”……,we need to strengthen the PEN both with internal options and by exploring the Free Agent market……” Just as basic & empty as saying nothing. People at TD (many to most) thinking that any professional sports organization owes its fans details of the specifics on personnel plans is nuts. The bullpen obviously has to be addressed. Until a budget is established by (the real problem) OWNERSHIP, there’s no plan that can be discussed nor implemented. Prielipp - Rojas - Funderburk are all lefties that can be in the mix. Sands - Topa - Adams - Matthews - Festa - Raya are all in the mix. ………Seems Abel & Bradley, their pedigrees, gets them more in line for the rotation mix. Coulombe - Thielbar are 1 year guys (1 of them) to consider as FA’s that are effective & affordable………Thielbar is having an excellent year with 60 plus appearances and a .86 WHIP & 2.37 ERA……currently $2.75M/yr …….bring him back home for $3.6M?? SWR - Ryan - Lopez - Ober - Bradley/Abel in rotation seems pretty probable. To me, the fate of Matt Wallner and how he gets fixed or tracking in a better direction is a big key for what direction/how the position players shake out. Lewis - Lee - Keaschall - Larnach - Martin - Buxton - Jeffers - Wallner ………. couple FA’s that have offensive track record can help supplement the coming of Gonzalez - Jenkins - Rodriguez. Clemens is “maybe” a 13th guy on the roster in April………next 4 months will be enlightening.
  8. JD-TWINS
    Not sure what you’re saying here? Varland - Jax - Duran are all guys I’d rather have than any reliever that will be available via FA or via trade. Am I agreeing with you? Paddack - Stewart - Coulombe - Dobnack made up about $14M annualized in their salaries and two are ineffective and other two were hurt, so moving any or all of them made sense and their flaws have materialized over last 8 weeks…………Getting off France - Bader - Castro - Correa all made sense as well, with Ober - Lopez - Festa - SWR - Matthews all missing time at varying lengths & therefore not being able to compete. The 3 relievers mentioned right away would all be solid contributors going forward ……. trading any one of them I would have understood - all 3, that’s created a problem going forward.
  9. JD-TWINS
    Pagan makes $8M/yr, last 2 years, and just got his 30th Save yesterday. Marte stole a HR in RF to get Emilio his save! Cannot pay him $8-$10M and then fret every time he comes into the game! Jax at $3-$4 in ‘26 & Duran at maybe $8M…….didn’t want to pay them so the spending potential on PEN is bleak, IMO. Williams at $8.6M this year. His WHIP isn’t terrible - striking out 13.3 per 9 innings. His Walks are down in ‘25. Can’t imagine some Team doesn’t pay him at least that much going forward. ……. he’s taken more lumps since coming back from injury last year with a bunch of losses …. ERA is up 2.75 runs in ‘25 but. IMO, the ‘20-‘23 stats will carry his future paycheck……….he’s not the same guy after last year’s injury! Matthews - Prielipp - Raya - Adams - Funderburk - Sands - Topa - FA’s x 2 ….. can this work??
  10. JD-TWINS
    Cody can’t play everyday (75% of starts v. all righties) on a good MLB Club. IMO, he may get a shot at the 13th roster spot due to his position flexibility. He’ll be 30 and in his best season, by far, he’s carrying a .291 OBP. His OPS+ is 101 & that’s with 19 HR’s. Probably deserves a shot out of Spring Training but can’t be considered the primary guy at any position! Gonzalez & Jenkins both have a real shot with Big Club by June 1st…….. seems to be Fedko weighed against Martin in the Spring. Seems Martin has done enough over last few weeks to earn an OF spot (1 of 5) in ‘26, at least to start. ‘26 OF: Martin - Buxton - Larnach or Wallner - Gonzalez - Jenkins by June 1st.
  11. JD-TWINS
    Outman was #3 in N.L ROY voting in ‘23. …… I haven’t quit on him yet - Roden, personally, I have no interest in going forward.
  12. JD-TWINS
    Why trade a really good, committed guy that just had his best season ever and has played over 100 games in back to back years? As you point out, he’s very affordable and that’s not changing. I have him on the field as much as possible for the next 4-5 years. Atlanta wanted him and openly made it known (through channels) to the Twins at the All-Star Break, and Georgia is his home - he didn’t want Twins to entertain the trade. Martin - Larnach - Wallner on the periphery for ‘26………. Jenkins - Gonzalez - Rodriguez are coming ……. Churning veterans (continuously) that can play, for “prospects”, isn’t a plan to a winning Club…….it’s just musical chairs. I see the same comments about Lopez and Ryan - two more guys that can play at known costs for 2-3 years…………..why trade them to get a guy that “might be the next Ryan?”
  13. JD-TWINS
    In August-September of ‘24 the TD following had determined the Twins players needed a new voice and the hitting coach was a bum………..same this year with a new hitting coach. Odd? Toronto fired a guy and hired David Popkins. He has got 4 guys in Toronto that are at .300 or very close AND producing runs. 7 guys hitting .265 or higher……… so does Toronto have players that take responsibility for their own improvement while working with their new coach or is it just dumb luck that (after the Twin’s hitters collapsed in ‘24) Toronto has improved immensely in ‘25 with Popkins over their ‘24 campaign? Sighting different styles amongst hitters seems silly to me as every line-up I’ve ever seen has 5/6 different looks with their everyday hitters……Matt Wallner needs to get to work in the off-season, period. His list of holes and poor habits need to be fixed by him. You & I could each give him 3/4 things to change from our couch……HE needs to get it through his head he needs to make changes…….coaches don’t step into the batter’s box……..my point is he’s getting coached & has been coached & nobody suggested what he’s doing is the right way!!! Organizations let players that have had success continue to do what makes them feel comfortable and do what has brought them prior success……until it isn’t working, clearly. Players play and they are responsible for results!!
  14. JD-TWINS
    Am not a big rules guy but my assumption is they would burn a year of control for an 8-9 game look? Not very smart if that’s the case. I think the call-up would be more to appease curious fans than it would be if real value for Team/Rodriguez. ……. I too am curious!!
  15. JD-TWINS
    Opponent’s starting pitching & MLB best bullpen for last month had nothing to do with the lack of run production? It was all the Manager not being able to motivate the guys - for sure!
  16. JD-TWINS
    Hurt fielding a ground ball - not a typical path to Tommy John.
  17. JD-TWINS
    And you think the Cubs organization was/is concerned with $1M (maximum) scouting department personnel spend?
  18. JD-TWINS
    My understanding was Pohlad’s wanted $1.7B AND a big chunk of their $400M debt covered. Seems I saw that numerous times. (estimated $2B total) They gave up 20% for $430M. $1.5B sale less the $430M (plus some probable additional “return”) leaves them with just north of $1B. Doesn’t seem like a very effective plan for them.
  19. JD-TWINS
    That’s my point……. they want ROI. Investment isn’t a loan……seems to me they are on the hook with full exposure to varying asset value going forward. Can’t have greatly reduced revenues from your customer base over any length of time and sustain profitability. I get cost reduction for a season but the value of the asset diminishes if they have a greatly reduced fan interest. The savings on salary get off-set by 300,000 less people in the stands per season and thousands of fewer TV paid viewerships and reduced memorabilia/clothing sales …… over time, while the asset’s value is diminished. The investors don’t want 20% of an additional $35M - $50M in bottom line for a year or two (which I don’t see being attainable) before it dwindles against $430M of $$ sunk. They want to make money on a pending sale! If the asset doesn’t appreciate on a fairly steep rate they don’t see a good return, maybe for a decade or more……. that’s not their timing model. If Organization squeezes a $60M bottom line for a year or two by reducing payroll more and not spending anything, that’s $12M/yr for the $430M invested……. not attractive ……..The asset has to appreciate for them to be whole! Maybe the strategy from investors is to stagnate the asset value for a bit so they can get the other 80% on the cheap in upcoming years? Not saying the investors are rah rah fans but if a product isn’t attractive the bottom line shrinks pretty quickly…..even with revenue sharing.
  20. JD-TWINS
    Maybe they want some fresh faces in the Scouting Dept? …….. the $1m savings doesn’t add up in anyone’s book……..technology is being used with much lower paid IT guys being used across the game. I don’t see this move having any bearing on how they would spend on roster. If nobody comes to the park - nobody buys TV subscriptions, there’s no profits to help get investors whole. If they fire the Coaching Staff on October 5th nobody is going to think there will be zero coaches next year due to a $$ savings move. Nobody spends $400M on a sinking ship approach - has to be an expectation to be competitive via modest spending!
  21. JD-TWINS
    ‘26 PEN Scenario: Prielipp - Sands - Raya - Funderburk - Topa - Adams - Matthews - Hensley (or like) & the spend is $8M more than today. ’26 ROTATION Scenario: Lopez - Ryan - SWR - Ober - Bradley/Abel/Festa ………. one of which may end up in PEN. Hensley may not be the guy? Somebody will be out there as a FA…….,to me, Matthews is another Varland with a bigger pitch mix. In short bursts from PEN he’d have elite velocity and brings backend upside!! Adams is best suited for an inning at a time. To me, this staff works!!
  22. JD-TWINS
    The details I don’t understand with all the negativity on spending for ‘26 (from pundits and fans alike)……….$400M of investment and an ownership stake doesn’t happen from anyone without EXPECTATIONS! If Team doesn’t spend nobody will buy TV packages/tickets/swag/etc. ………. there has to be some expectation (caveat) for “competitiveness” in ‘26 with the investors - has to be. Nobody gives Pohlad’s $400M as a charitable act - right? They are at $95M total now for ‘26………. there may be a defensive FA Catcher available for $4M - a 1B option at 15M - FA relievers at average of $5M x 2………..that’s $29M. I think they could easily go to $135M……that’s $40M over current total salary………also, it’s $20M less than they spent in 2023…..3 seasons later. I know nearly everyone here (rightfully so) passionately dislikes the current majority owners and their lack of spending & mediocre management ………cannot create interest for a future Sale nor “make a profit”, with a non-competitive Club!!
  23. JD-TWINS
    Kelly - Presley - Ozuna are all on very backside of their careers…….Presley might be available for $2.5M & then may be of interest on a 1 year deal. My assumption is Naylor is more expensive than other guys & probably too much risk v reward due to needed length of his deal? To me, Arraez sucks as a less-off hitter because he has zero speed and doesn’t bring any energy to the Top of the line-up. He’s adequate at 1B & could obviously DH as desired. I would pay him as much as $14-$16M/yr for 3 years if he’d go for it ……. and I’d bat him 5th in line-up every day for about 150 games. He’s 175-200 hits/year and he’d be a minimum of 90 RBI guy batting in middle of line-up……..previous RBI totals don’t matter because he’s been hitting in the wrong spot for his skill set, IMO. Buxton - Keaschall - Larnach - Lewis - Arraez - Jeffers - Wallner - Lee - Martin ……. this line-up could use some additional juice either at 1B or DH…….but, I think with 2 FA PEN guys and a healthy rotation, this line-up is very competitive………. Gonzalez - Rodriguez - Jenkins can possibly supplement OF from June forward? Again, to me, Arraez (or anyone) that can provide 175-190 hits from the #5 spot in the line-up will produce a bunch of runs!! Don’t need HR’s with RISP - need balls in play and the ability to keep innings going - not a gut that strikes out 25-35% of the time but hits 30HR in a “162 game fantasy season”. As little as I like him, there’s no doubt that Lee has 20 HR power. He’s SLOWLY getting better at the plate and I think that his progress will slowly continue - no need for Gleybar Torres . Keaschall to 1B or DH and occasional Corner OF ……. freeing 2B for Lee, regularly. I’d prefer one of the recent #1 Picks at SS early in ‘26.
  24. JD-TWINS
    Arraez has 168 hits and is hitting .287 - he’s got 3 batting titles prior. ……. not sure what constitutes a good season???
  25. JD-TWINS
    My comment was, if they haven’t shared a plan forward or made real moves by December, “let them have it”………Am not “carrying water” for an ownership family I can’t stand. Am being realistic. The Timberwolves don’t share their player strategy - nor do the other 2 franchises in the Twin Cities, so why would the baseball Team?… P&G doesn’t share their strategic moves with thousands of employees…….. The Board knows and some leaders of divisions……..the rank & file aren’t apprised of strategic moves until they are ready to be marketed. With a piss poor ownership group that reduces spending from ‘23, TWICE in the following 2 seasons, particularly after committing $35M/yr to one guy………it makes it pretty difficult for ANYONE sitting in the GM/President seat……so blaming Falvey can be justified in some specific cases but the REAL blame lies with the ownership. None of the blame placing means that anyone “owes the fans, nor Byron Buxton, or any player” a map of what they think they are planning to do going forward. Correa had a no trade so “to dump his salary amidst the process of giving up in ‘25” they had to have a discussion with him - not because they think he’s some super wise soul nor because they owed him anything. They wanted him to do them a favor.
×
×
  • Create New...