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Realignment in the NCAA has produced conferences that are less regional in order to have games in multiple time zones that benefit the TV contracts that each major conference receives the revenues from. I don't see how division reaignment can be evaluated without knowing more about the location of the expansion teams. How can realignment preceed expansion? I love the balanced schedule and would rather do away with divisions all together and only have an eastern & western division with an equal number of top teams in each making the playoffs. Why does MLB need divisions at all when each team can play each other 4, 5 or 6 times and play a truely balanced schedule without any bias towards any division rivals. Why should anyone care about preserving a 162 game schedule when that's an arbitrary number? Each team could also simply play a balanced schedule with the best teams in each league making the playoffs. There can be a small scheduling bias amoing the east or west or the number of home games don't need to be equal or the home team for a rubber match can be rotated or decided by a coin toss on the field .I think the MLB could benefit by getting away from regional divisions in favor of balanced schedules. Nix the 3 divisions, they aren't needed and only interfere with a balanced schedule. The only truely fair schedule is when all schedules are balanced. No team should miss the playoffs because they play the Dodgers or Yankees too many times by being in the same stupid division. I could also favor just having the standings for each league with the UVWXYZ teams making the playoffs. No one needs divisions at all because they're discriminatory and rig the playoff system. If I'm sick of having divisions then I'll bet that other fans are too. With a balanced schedule it may not even matter which league a team is in. The cream simply rises to the top and makes the playoffs.

Thanks for the correction. So it was Gardenhire that had the talk with Morneau that helped to turn his hitting around. That it was Gardenhire doesn't change the fact that Morneau hit .239 playing in 141 games in 2005 and then hit .321 playing in 157 games in 2006. That just goes to show how much a player can improve from one season to the next. So much BS from the naysayers who think that players & the team can't dramatically improve from one season to the next. If they're saying that a team can't go from last one year to being first the next then think again because that only shows that they have a selective memory of negativism regarding the Twins history & about the Pohlads too. More fans should learn how to think outside of the box in order to not always be so pessimistic about the Twins future. More should actually try to learn from the past that anything is possible..

I remember when Justin Morneau really sucked at hitting. One day Tom Kelly sat down and had a talk with him and toid him he'd better start hitting and you know what, he did. The players need to rise to the occasion and meet expctations or they're going to be gone. Especially if thy ever want to hook uo with a better team someday to get a big payday.

It's too easy to be a part of the mob mentality which ends up becoming myopic What does payroll have to do with playing baseball? Correa's large contract didn't really help the team win very much did it? It sure didn't help his hitting or fielding to improve much did it? He had trouble even staying on the field. What folks don't seem to appreciate is the potential for young players to grow. For some young players it's like turning on a light switch. One day they suddenly just get it & begin to hit. If folks really want to predict next year's weather then they should at least read the Farmers Almanac. I've heard that it's totally reliable at predicting the weather. With it you can even acurately predict how much the rings will grow on all of the trees next year. Maybe some of the players will start to use the torpedo bat. Or maybe some will begin using the ax handle bat like when Kurt Suzuki did and started pounding the ball. The Twins aren't going to trade Joe or Pablo. They can sell tickets which puts fans in the seats and smiles on their faces. Trading them would be bad for business. Fans shouldn't be predicting the worse for the Twins next season when they haven't first consulted the Farmer's Almanac. They could at least wait until after the All Star break to see how the season goes. That's why they play the games.

I love the Twins period and will continue to do so. All this while the Pohlads have owned the team for most of my lifetime. I don't care for all of the trash talking fans and their personal conflicts about why the team hasn't won a world series and/or playoff games. The owners have been transparent about the financial problems with the team & the reasons why. I agree with the author that there are silver linings and too many fans have displayed ugly contempt for them. Too bad, go root for another team. The Twins are going to kick some azz someday and then they'll jump back on the bandwgon about how they've been lifetimeTwins fans. Go fly a kite because I l love the Twins and don't care who owns the team. I like the FO too and I really believe that they try to do the best job that they can. Everyone is human and bound to make mistakes. For now the team is better off just the way it is. If anyone doesn't like it then go sue God and STFU in the process. Twins fans want to be able to enjoy their team without all of the hate & ignorance that they display. Now they want to badmouth the investors too. They're white knights. Get over it, watch the team play ball & appreciate whatever games they can win. Look at how long the Red Sox were cursed. Go root for the Yankees if you want to hate the Pohlads so much & get lost. Rant over.

Whether he becomes a winner or not, I look forward to seeing him get his feet wet in the bigs. It looks like he has a live arm & can make up for some of hose who were traded. I hope the FO gives him a shot soon.

There seems to be some sound observations being made. The hype doesn't bother me & only helps to be optimistic about the future possibilities. Twins fans deserve to be happy about something....anything really. May as well be happy about Luke & be able to look forward wih some positivity.

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Just nix any thoughts of trading Joe. Nothing is worse for a player's psyche then to hear about trade talk concerning himself. He's capable of pitching a no-no someday if given a chance. I'd rather see that he remains a Twin-4-ever. This is all crazy talk because like CC, Ryan sells tickets & keeps hope alive.

Acquiring Wong would seem to be a nightmare scenario, a streaky fly by night non-MLB viable catcher that won't be able to hold his own. If he can't professionally hit & catch by now then leave him where he lies. Goodness gracious sakes alive. Please sign a game ready pro & not someone from the scrap heap.

Mauer was also a starting high school quarterback. What QB hasn't had his cage rattled more than once?

If you want to play with Carlos Correa then you'd better know how to play the game. End of story.

I didn't realize that the Ishiba brothers were Chisox investors to begin with. Was that ommitted from most of the media hype? Did floating the idea of buying the Twins allow him to get a better deal on buying more shares of the Chisox? Maybe just using interest in the Twins for leverage? Whatever it is, it is what it is.

A short article on MLB dot com about some of the top international prospects that the Twins signed. https://www.mlb.com/milb/news/twins-2025-international-signings?=mlb-pipeline-coverage

InsideTwins live with Marc Genosky 01/22/25 - Inside Twins featuring Rocco Baldelli | Inside Twins... WWW.FACEBOOK.COM Inside Twins returns with Twins Manager Rocco Baldelli. Inside Twins airs every Wednesday until Spring Training. Tune In for news, stories and we'll...

CC is more popular than the Pohlads and the players like him more than Rocco, Soon they'll both be gone & CC will still be in the clubhouse. I'm sure that he chats to all of the players on a regular basis about everything from A to Z. Everything is good in his world so his state of mind is doing just fine & dandy. There's no need to make his state of mind sound like a Peyton Place. That's exacty why he has a no trade clause because all he needs to do is focus on playing baseball. He can only control that which he can control & doesn't waste time on the stuff that he can't. He has an ironclad contract & that gives him great peace of mind. The fans should be more like him & not have a worry in the world.

Tradijng Vasquez without a viable backup will lead the new owners to roll some heads in the FO. What a way to sabotage the team. Who would want to lose their job by making that move? If folks want to watch AAA baseball players then go watch the Saints play.

I'm happy for Joe Ryan. Sometimes I think that he's under appreciated. I'm looking forward to him pitching a no hitter someday. He's capable of pitching a gem. Give that Deadhead some more money & eventually Twins fans will be Dancin' in the Streets!

CC would want tons of more money to allow a trade & he hasn't proven that he can deliver the goods due to his recent injury woes. He won't allow a trade to send him where he may get boo'd. He's comfortable enough with TC & I don't foresee any team offering him more money than if he stays. He can choose to outlast the Pohlads & stick with Buck, Lewis & the rest. When push comes to shove, CC determines his own fate & not the FO. The Twins would not be stupid enough to trade him. What's the FO going to do, split the premium with him? Hee Haw! As a mattor of fact, CC would only endear himself even more to Twins fans by saying no to any trade that the FO concocts. How about this for a new nickname for TC - The Cripples! 😆

In 2024, Prato made ZERO errors playing 29 games at 2B (236.2 innings) In 2024, Prato made 8 errors in 42 games at 3B (342 innings) In 2024, Prato made zero errors in 3 games at SS (18.2 innings), 1 error in 9 games playing LF (66.2 innings) & zero errors in 21 games playing RF (167 innings). Prato played SS in college. https://www.milb.com/player/anthony-prato-668791?stats=career-r-fielding-minors&year=2024

The Twins do have a player that could replace Castro, Anthony Prato. His OBP last season with the Saints was .370. He's played 3B, 2B, SS, LF, RF. https://www.milb.com/player/anthony-prato-668791?stats=career-r-fielding-minors&year=2024

The question that I want answered is whether Willi can produce in a season when the Twins stars are not injured, If he can produce along with the stars playing then his value will continue to rise. But if he only plays his best when the stars are injured then it means that his stock isn't worth as much as the hype suggests. I'm more of a wait & see how much that he's worth before signing him to any kind of extension. For comparison, the Twins traded Eduardo Nunez to the Giants after he become an All-star and he was a better hitter than Willie.

The Twins certainly can sign him in 2026 as a free agent which is how they signed Correa. As far as comparing WAR of players competing for playing time, those stats are all in the past tense & don't account for any future progress. Who would have thought that Arraez would have become a batting champion? Every MLB team treats players like they're expendable because they are. It's a meat market & I'm not sure that the Twins are convinced that they need to sign Wilie to a 3 year extension. Right now he has another year to prove himself because he's not going to take any pay cuts & there are other players that they need to make decisions about, both vets & prospects. I'm hopeful that they'll keep Willie for 2025 but beyond that I expect some new blood will be joining the team. Just wait & see if the team is sold & if Willie can improve his worth next year or not. IMO there;s no outstanding reason to rush an extension but there are reasons for the process to go slowly.

IMO the Twins will pay Willie's arbitration salary next year & keep him. But beyond that he needs to prove that the bottom won't drop out again. Players of his caliber seem to perform better when they're on short term prove it deals. I doubt that the Twins will have room for him in 2 years if they want to take full advantage of their farm system by bringing up the best prospects. The chronically injured players need to prove that they can be more durable too so the FO will wait before extending Willie to see how it all pans out.

Here's the 2024 Forbes list of valuation rankings of all MLB teams. https://www.forbes.com/lists/mlb-valuations/