BillyBallLives

Tigers started their rebuild in 2017. Q #1 Are you ready for 5-7 years of pain before seeing the fruit, and even that's not guaranteed? If yes..... Q #2 Do you trust Falvey and Rocco to pull it off?

Anyone want to play a round of Imagine IF? Just having some fun y'all. I'll show myself to the door. ----- Setting: Late July 2025. Target Field. Some private meeting space. The Minnesota Twins have just dropped four straight. Fan morale is low. Media is circling like vultures. A decision must be made: Buy or Sell? --- [Joe Pohlad – Owner]: Alright. Enough dilly-dallying. I need to know—are we buying or selling at the deadline? [Derek Falvey – President of Baseball Operations]: That depends. Do you mean “buy” like spend actual money, or “buy” like... pick up another DFA guy with a 6.40 ERA and call it a reclamation project? [Rocco Baldelli – Manager] (rubbing his temples): Can we define “deadline” first? Because our bullpen expired in May. [Joe Pohlad]: Okay, funny. But let’s be real. We’re .500 again. Half our lineup is hitting under .220, the bullpen’s in flames, and attendance is down 12%. Fans are calling us “mid.” What are we doing? [Falvey]: Look. If we squint really hard, we’re technically still in the Wild Card race. [Rocco]: So is a squirrel trying to cross I-94. Doesn’t mean he’s gonna make it. [Joe] (ignoring Rocco): Alright, Derek—what are our trade options? [Falvey]: Well, we could move France. Or maybe Castro. Get some prospects. Blow it up. Reset the window. Or... [Rocco] (cutting in): Or we could finally do what every playoff team does—get a solid reliever, another starter, and a legit bat. Not some guy in Triple-A with 20 big-league at-bats and a .191 average. [Falvey]: We have a starter. He’s just… in Double-A right now. He throws 102. Probably needs another year. [Joe]: So… you’re saying we’re sellers? [Falvey]: No, I’m saying we’re wait-and-see-ers. Maybe lean “buy-lite.” [Rocco]: We “buy-lite” every year. It’s like trying to plug a leaky dam with chewing gum. [Joe]: Guys. I just greenlit new sponsorships. We can’t tank right now. The “Cherry Berry 9th-Inning Freeze” promo depends on late-game excitement. [Rocco]: There is no late-game excitement. Our ninth innings are like funerals. [Falvey] (flipping through papers): Okay… what if we traded a mid-tier prospect for a middle reliever with a 3.90 ERA and called it “aggressive”? [Joe]: You’re just describing Dylan Floro again. [Rocco]: If we’re selling, be honest. If we’re buying, buy. Just don’t call standing still “strategy.” [Falvey] (sighing): Alright. We’ll do what we always do. Trade a struggling starter for a reliever who used to be good… and pray it’s 2022 again. [Joe]: Perfect. Let’s announce we’re “committed to winning” while doing nothing. [Rocco]: You want me to say that in the press conference? [Joe]: No. Just say we “believe in the guys in this room.” [Falvey]: That’s our deadline move. Belief. --- [End Scene] Meanwhile, Jorge Alcalá strikes out the side for the Red Sox. And Twins Twitter implodes. 💥

Pohlad's think of the Twins as the best Triple-A team in the majors. Baseball is not in their blood. They only bleed green.

I say "Go Rocco, and take Carlos with you". :)

Never say quit right? Look at the 1914 Boston Braves. The 1914 Boston Braves pulled off one of the greatest turnarounds in baseball history. They were dead last on July 4th, 15 games under .500. But they caught fire, surged all the way to first place by Labor Day, and then swept the powerhouse Philadelphia A's in the World Series—a team that had won 3 of the last 4 titles. Twins fans, here is your dose of hope: Never say never. Even a lifeless, underperforming team can turn legendary if they get hot at the right time. What do you all think? Either I'm "on something" or "on to something?"

"Over 26 innings pitched, Gillispie ran up an 8.65 ERA, 5.69 FIP, and a 23-to-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio." At least Connor will have no problem making friends in the Twins organization. He'll fit in with the rest of them quite well.

Plenty of successful pitchers have had rocky early years before figuring it out. Blake Snell Lucas Giolito Carlos Rodón Tyler Glasnow Kevin Gausman The key is whether the system fosters adjustments and resilience. So far, that’s still a question. The bigger concern? Outside of Ryan and Duran, the Twins don’t seem to be producing many impact arms. There’s depth, but not dominance. And if pitching was Falvey’s supposed strength, we should be seeing more top-tier results by now.

Totally agree—name one legit championship team in the last 20 years that didn’t have a shortstop who could either hit, lead, or at least change a game defensively. You can’t. It’s a cornerstone position. The Twins getting Carlos Correa looked like a splash… but ended up a belly flop. His contract is a giant anchor: 6 years, $200 million (signed in Jan 2023) Has opt-outs removed, full no-trade clause, and he's already showing durability issues Still owed $125M+ through 2028 And the bat? OPS under .700, trending the wrong way At this point, C4 isn’t even close to “clutch” or “core.” More like: C4= Costly. Cold. Clogged. Correa. Honestly, it will be beyond lucky if a team does take that contract.

I’m starting to think Falvey’s operating under the “Cricket Wireless GM Plan”—limited minutes, no data, and every trade call drops after 30 seconds. Either that or the Pohlad family slapped a child lock on the trade phone after the Mahle deal. “Sorry, Derek, you’ve used up your annual ‘let’s trade three prospects for a pitcher with elbow tightness’ quota.”

It’s hard to argue with Matthew’s take. When an offense is this flat, with no consistent spark, it makes complete sense to give the most productive bat in Triple-A a serious look. Gasper isn’t just hot—he’s shown sustained success at that level. That should at least earn another chance. Do I think he’s a long-term MLB guy? Probably not. But given the Twins' current options, why not go with the one actually producing?

This tracks only Sacrifice Hits....but an indication none the less. Rocco is locked in.....no doubt about that. https://www.teamrankings.com/mlb/stat/sacrifice-hits-per-game

Many good comments in the thread...let me summarize with four words. Baldelli Ball = Boring Baseball

Very good points. This one in particular. The stark contrast between the Phils and Dodger is just off the charts....but lets wait until September on the arms in Philly. That will be a sure tell.

"ALL" did was Nola stubbed his toe. Meanwhile, the Dodgers’ staff looks like they just went twelve rounds with Mike Tyson… in his prime.

Agreed, "all" staffs do suffer. Yet, it’s easy to toss around the word “ALL” when talking about pitcher injuries, but I think that oversimplifies what’s actually a complex and varied situation across MLB. Sure, injuries are a reality for most teams—but not all are hit equally, and that distinction matters. Just look at the current state of the Dodgers and Yankees compared to the Mets and Phillies. While the Dodgers are juggling more than a dozen injured arms, and the Yankees have lost key starters like Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil, the Mets and Phillies seem to be navigating the season with relatively healthy rotations. That raises an important question: is this just luck, or are some teams actually doing something better? Are the Mets and Phillies simply catching a break, or are their training, workload management, and pitcher development strategies making a real difference? It’s worth exploring rather than accepting the idea that "ALL" pitching staffs are doomed to break down. If some clubs are clearly outperforming others in keeping their arms healthy, there may be lessons there that go beyond crossing fingers and hoping for the best.

Great points, MadTown—I’m with you 100%. The injury issues we’re seeing with the Twins feel like part of a much larger trend across MLB. Burnes and Woodruff are prime examples. It really highlights the importance of good development and recovery programs—whether that’s through team staff or other organizations. The more tools pitchers have to stay healthy, the better. Let’s hope our guys bounce back strong.

Lets connect the dots. The Twins have struggled to keep their pitching staff healthy. Pablo López is currently out, Zebby Matthews was recently sidelined, Bailey Ober’s velocity has dipped, and Justin Topa and Ronny Henriquez have missed time. Chris Paddack has a history of significant injuries, and Joe Ryan missed a large portion of last season. The trend raises concerns about the overall durability of the staff.

It didn't include: “cold summer in Omaha"

The Twins couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a boat—and they’re swinging like they’re trying to miss.

If history repeats itself, which it already has several times with Lewis. He won't get thru May without ending up on the DL again. 2025 is his 4th season as a Twin, yet he's only played in 152 games. About 30% of all games since 2022. What's more insane, Bobby Witt Jr. ...enter mlb in 2022 as did Lewis. Witt has played in 97% of games since. He's missed a total of 17 games since 2022. What these players share in common. 1. Both drafted out of high school in the first round. Lewis #1 in 2017, Witt #2 in 2019 2. Both are infielders. 3. Both enter mlb in 2022 Just stating facts. Blast me if you want.

It's who he is. 2023...hit into 30. 14th most in MLB history. Still...FO resigned him to a mega contract.???

For 4.4 seconds I thought: "Bucks career is over. Surely he's injured." But he jumped up and said. "We'll see you tomorrow night."

Good decisions vs bad ones... that’s really what it comes down to. And when you look at Falvey’s whole track record, I honestly don’t know how you could give him anything better than a C. The one that still ticks me off the most? The Pressly trade. Pressly was just starting to figure it out, and the Astros spotted a small tweak, helped him unlock it, and boom—dude turns into a beast. Meanwhile, the Twins had him right there and totally whiffed on it. Falvey and his crew basically gave him away. They didn’t wait, didn’t develop him, just pulled the trigger way too soon and handed Houston a steal. And what’d we get? Two guys who’ve done next to nothing in the bigs. That trade still stings.

...and included FREE PARKING!!!

Road Trip...you nailed it. Mark it on your calendars now...Dec 1st 2026 @ 11:59 pm...MLBPA contract expires. Going to see another billionaire vs millionaire warfare. Greed may finally kill this great game.