Western SD Fan

I don't mind the article as it attempts to generate discussion and ask hard questions. I will point out one part of the article that, in my opinion, starts to become too preachy for a TD article. As for the nominees themselves, whereas 14 players of color were nominated in 2022 and 2023 and 12 in 2024, only seven of this year's 30 are people of color. (from article) This next quote is taken from MLB.com's news release of the 30 club nominees defining what the reward entails: The Roberto Clemente Award is the annual recognition of a Major League player who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field. The nominees, announced this morning exclusively on MLB Network, will be recognized in ballparks beginning today, September 15th, Roberto Clemente Day presented by Capital One. Major League Baseball established Roberto Clemente Day in 2002 to honor the late Hall of Famer’s legacy as a humanitarian. Somehow, in that definition, I don't see a requirement that the teams must nominate a person of color. Maybe you read that description different than I do. One reason to nominate different players every year for the award is a chance for those players to showcase their respective causes. I'm sure that the Royals could nominate Salvador Perez every year or the Twins could nominate Pablo Lopez every year (like they did this year). I guarantee there are more than 30 baseball players that are doing great things to help people all over the world. This class of 30 just happen to be the group nominated this current year.

Probably to replace Plouffe. Trevor is the only one willing to be critical of the organization and we can't have that in Pohlad Land.

I don't see how the Twins FO will allow Jenkins to see Target Field until May/June of 2026 as they need to play the age-old game of service time manipulation for at least one more year (next CBA may address this). With the roster we currently have, the opening day roster looks to be Buxton in CF, Martin in LF, and Wallner in RF. Roden will be the 4th outfielder and likely coming in for defense for Wallner in the late innings. If we assume that Jenkins comes up when the FO deems it worthy, I will rather see him in LF first and subbing in CF when Buxton needs a day off or is the DH, similar to Bader's role this year. Let Jenkins learn the role of playing CF in the majors before just handing him the position. If Buxton starts showing additional decline and it doesn't look like the Twins will have a competitive team in 2027, Buxton has a list of five teams that he willing to be traded to at that time. You can negotiate a trade at that point provided Jenkins has really learned the position and ready to take it over.

As with SWR, I can see him playing the 2026 role of Jorge Alcala. A pitcher who needs to make the roster because they have nowhere else to go. I can see SWR starting the season in the rotation while others like Abel and Bradley are building up in St. Paul. The dream would be that all three are doing very well and SWR can somewhat rehabilitate his numbers so they could potentially trade him during the 2026 season. Of the position players, I would rank them in order: Clemens, Julien, Outman, and Miranda. Miranda and Outman should be removed from the 40-man roster in the offseason with the expected return of Roden for next spring. I can see them holding onto one of Clemens or Julien depending on how many roster spots they need in the offseason as there are always upcoming prospects that need to be protected by the 40-man. It would be nice to see if one or both Clemens and Julien would be released and resign them as a spring training invite, similar to Ty France's contract, which was not guaranteed unless he made the team.

I think Lou is onto something. I would potentially use a multi-pronged plan to try to get more people to come to the game. I reviewed the promotions that the Twins currently have, I was actually surprised the amount of reduced meal options that were available. Tuesdays have Dollar a Dog night. Student tickets are available for $5 plus a free Metro Pass on games Monday through Thursday games. On Sundays, kids under 12 get to run the bases plus they have 50% off kids' meals ($4). Reference can be found here: Daily Ticket Specials | Minnesota Twins. I like Lou's idea of kids getting in free but maybe modify it, so kids get in for 50% off of the adult ticket with a max of $20/ticket for the kids. Set off certain sections of the field at each level (1XX, 2XX, 3XX), including the family sections for this concept. This may be completely off base from idea of attracting kids (and parents) to the game, but another way to get people into the stadium is to go the Rockies route. The Rockies have been selling cheap beer and cheap tickets for a few years now and have consistently been in the top half of attendance, including this year for a team that is pushing to be the historically worst team in baseball. My research suggests that for $16 (which includes a $6 concession credit), you get access to The Rooftop, where for 2 hours before 1st pitch you can get $3 beers and $6 craft beers. For a young, drinking-age adult, that is cheaper than any place near the stadium and would likely purchase other concessions as they pre-game for the remaining night out. Will that make these individuals fans for life? Not likely. What it does do is boost attendance and make the stadium a place for people to meet and congregate. Frequently Asked Questions | The Rooftop | Colorado Rockies

I'll give the author a little grace. We are at the end of a bad season and sometimes having thought exercises is necessary to get people thinking about where to put all of the players next year and identifying what the potential offseason needs are, whether they are filled internally or externally. I don't think it's necessarily an attack on Keaschall, but it's all to consider the future for 2026. Maybe you have Keaschall work on his defense in the offseason and see what happens in spring training next year. You can always convert him to 1B if it looks like someone from the minors is ready.

For those of you who think that Buxton isn't committed to winning, let's take a stroll down memory lane. 1. Buxton was one of the players who helped convince Correa to sign with the Twins in 2022. I will agree with many of you that the Correa era in Minnesota was underwhelming. At the time, it was a great surprise to many in MLB circles that Correa signed with the Twins and Buxton was helpful in getting him signed. 2. 2023: It really looked like everything finally came together and by winning the playoff series, it really was looking like a window had opened up for the Twins. The response of "right-sizing" the organization was a gut punch, but even after that, it appeared that the Twins were at least competitive. 3. 2024: The FO thought, poorly, that they had the horses on the ML roster and in AAA to replace Sonny Gray, or someone to Gray's caliber. For 4 months, this team looked competitive. Then Ryan goes down and the AAA pitchers weren't up to the task. The offense forgot how to score, and the collapse happened. The team was competitive until the last few weeks of the season. That's bad luck and bad FO planning, not Buxton's unwillingness to win. 4. All-Star Break 2025: Buxton is asked about potentially being traded. He reasserted his loyalty to the Twins fans and his no-trade clause. Why were you expecting a different answer than what he gave? He's the most nationally recognized member of the Twins at the All-Star game. As of the All-Star Break, the Twins were 47-49 and 4 games back from the WC with a favorable schedule ahead of the trade deadline. Buxton would have no reason to say anything than what he said at the All-Star Game. 5. 2025 Trade Deadline: One thing to remember was that it took a few days for Buxton to make a statement to the media and that he was actually on the road trip to Cleveland when he was on the IL, a rare instance for a player on the IL looking to come back very soon. I would surmise that Falvey had conversations with Buxton near or after the trade deadline explaining what Falvey thought their plan for 2026 was and how Falvey was going to achieve it. Again, soon after the deadline, Buxton was asked about a potential trade and Buxton reiterated that he has a full no-trade clause and wants to be a Twin for life. Again, I ask you. What do you expect him to say? He was just asked the same question less than three weeks before that. I also believe that Buxton has a better grip on the tone of the fanbase than the FO or the ownership dreams of having. He is the face of the franchise and needed to reassure the fans that he wasn't leaving. What has changed since that interview in early August? Well, a lot. He can now see the returns from the trades and how it has affected the team, not only now, but for the recent future. He also sees that he is currently having one of the best seasons of his career. As injury prone as Buxton has been, he may not be sure how many of these seasons he has left in him, and he is correct to call out the FO and ownership that he doesn't want to waste these seasons on a poorly run, rebuilding team. I can also see that he is preparing himself for an upcoming leak that he is ready to break his no-trade clause and is willing to be traded to the five teams written into his contract for 2027-2028 a year earlier in 2026. He's getting out front of that rumor by stating that he wants to win and if the organization writ large (FO and ownership) doesn't want to win, then he wants to go somewhere where they are willing to win. I don't see any problem with that sentiment, and I see many fans would be with him in that sentiment, as sad as it may see to watch him leave the organization as he would be one of the few draws left for the next couple of years. Finally, I'll ask the question in this manner. Have you questioned Mike Trout whether he is committed to winning although he has stayed in Anaheim his entire career? What about Miguel Cabera in Detroit? What about Salvador Perez in Kansas City? Some may say that Salvy won his WS, but that was 10 years ago. Surely, he should have moved on when it came to a KC rebuild because he wants to win. Mike Trout in Anaheim has made sure that the FO is at least appearing like they are trying to put a winning team around him, although poorly executed. The idea the Buxton doesn't want to win seems silly at best..

Fully agree. I tend to question when an organization that is known for rebuilding starting pitchers essentially gives up on a guy and lets him go in a trade. A couple of examples over the last few years are Zach Littel, Zach Eflin, Shane McClanahan. I post this knowing that Bradley had a quality start today, but it is seeming like he is very inconsistent, which is bad for a team that can't produce any runs.

I can see Miranda signing a minor league contract with a team hoping that a change of scenery and coaching staff will help him. Once the Twins DFA him, he can sign anywhere and that team doesn't have to put him on the 40-man roster.

I do find it interesting that Martin has improved as a hitter after he announced that he was changing his swing mechanics back to when he was successful at Vanderbilt. This result makes me wonder if the current and previous Twins coaches (or maybe from upper management) were expecting things out of Martin that he couldn't deliver, such as trying to make him a 15-20 HR guy. I suggest upper management mainly based on the fact that Popkins is doing so well with Toronto. Like many other posters here, I see Martin ahead of Rodon and Outman and likely see Larnach moved during the offseason as well. You can move Wallner to more of a DH role or in RF when someone else needs to play DH for the day. For all the people clamoring for Jenkins, I can see the FO playing the service time game, especially when you are going into CBA negotiations where service time is always a contentious subject between the owners and the players.

I'm glad someone mentioned the MLB and the potential grievance that will come from the MLBPA if the Twins drop payroll too far. I can see a grievance being filed if the Twins drop payroll to the $75-$85 million range as they would have dropped payroll 41-48% from the previous year of approximately $145 million. It will be just too much of a drop without anyone asking too many questions. I also think this would be a poor business decision as they can't go into the next CBA crying poor and demanding a salary cap when it appears that they refuse to field a competitive roster and doesn't appear like they are even trying to field one (MLBPA filing a grievance). I see 2026 as a rebuilding year where a lot of young players will get a chance to see whether they sink or swim as they wade out the season and prepare for an owner's lockout after the season ends. That likely means a payroll of somewhere between $100-$110 million. They're trying to be cheap, but not so cheap they attract attention outside of Twins Territory.

To be fair, I would have said this regardless of Ober's start today. For the group of us that are tired of watching 1-3 bullpen games per week, I don't care how good or bad Ober will be the rest of the season, provided he is healthy. I would rather see Ober out there trying to get 4-6 innings an outing than watch a bullpen game that eventually blows up. The current state of the bullpen has a hard enough time trying to do their job much less trying to cover an entire game. The Twins sent down Abel because they have no confidence in him even getting through 4 innings. We finally have five starters going (Lopez, Ryan, SWR, Ober, and Bradley). Maybe we should give them the rest of the season to try and gel as a unit, so we have some hope for the offseason.

I always love using this tool for a comparison. This covers Torii's time with the Twins (1997-2007) vs Buxton's time. Both are actually at 11 seasons with the Twins, so this is a cleaner comparison. I didn't consider Hunter's last year with the Twins (2015) as it was basically a retirement tour, which explains the difference in WAR from the poster above. I forgot how terrible of a season Torii had in 2015 as I was nostalgic that he had come back to Minnesota. Someone can look it up, but I believe both Target Field and the Metrodome play fairly true in that there wasn't an apparent bias toward the pitcher or the hitter. I agree that this may be a case where the WAR is deceiving in comparison to their respective careers. If I had to guess on why Buxton's WAR is higher, I would have to suggest (subjectively) that: 1. Buxton's defensive metrics are better although he doesn't have as many Gold Gloves, likely due to his injury history keeping him from qualifying for the award. 2. As WAR is explained, it is a comparison to league average, the BR WAR is explained here: Position Player WAR Calculations and Details | Baseball-Reference.com. Many of Torii's statistics were accumulated before MLB actually was serious about eliminating steroids from the game and probably diluted his WAR accumulation as he was deemed closer to average than Buxton has been. 3. A couple of defenses for Buxton. One is that it appears that he hits HR's a higher clip than Hunter did which would improve his OPS+ numbers and likely WAR. Another is the fact that if Buxton could have bounced baseballs off of that Metrodome turf, it's possible his BA would be higher as he would have beat out all those high choppers that he would have created on the Dome turf. 4. Finally, I would say that Torii, while a difference maker, had a lot more help in the lineup from an emerging era in Twins baseball compared to Buxton, who has had to languish with a lot of bad teams where it appeared he was the only piston firing in the lineup, when he was healthy. Hunter had a better cast that included Mauer, Morneau, Koskie, Cuddyer, Shannon Stewart, and Jacque Jones, and the rest of the Piranhas. Buxton had Mauer (still producing), Dozier, Plouffe, Kepler, Polanco, Correa, Nelson Cruz, and Donaldson. While the players that Buxton would have in the lineups were decent at times, they weren't as consistent or stuck around as long as the teammates that Torii had (Donaldson, Cruz) or were nearly as injured as Buxton (Correa).

I'm not sure what to consider of Festa individually and to project his career as an implication on the overall pitching structure and plan. Festa was a 13th round draft pick. While pitchers can be fickle creatures in terms of development and who makes it and who doesn't, the fact that he made the major league team as a 13th round draft pick has to be a credit for his development, determination, and willingness to put in the work. Festa may just be another pitcher statistic like many others that have suffered setbacks or injuries. We can look at the 'model' organization, the Guardians, as an example. They have had many pitchers that have suffered from injuries, but they are considered the gold standard as a pitching factory. Compared to the Guardians or the Rays, the Twins have actually been healthier from a pitching standpoint. Festa may be a sign of some other pitchers that the Twins have in the system that may end up being shifted to the bullpen in a role similar to Louis Varland.

The Seattle Mariners would like to have a conversation about this.

Until other starters come back (Lopez, SWR, Festa), I would rather see games pitched by Abel instead of any more TBA's. No matter how good or bad Abel may be this year. Abel is one of the prize players returned in which the FO immolated the team for so its important to see what we have so we know what he needs to improve on. Until there is someone better that's not a TBA, Abel should stay in the rotation. All us fans really have left as hope is that these trades work out. If moving forward means a bad outing or two, so be it.

This is the perfect Pohlad scenario. They can say that they are open to spending a little, as in getting the payroll to the $110-$120 million range, but never actually achieve it. They will send Falvey and Zoll out into the ether and make phone calls on all of the quality free agents available so they can get the story out to the Star Tribune and Dan Hayes at the Athletic that they were in on this guy and that guy and every guy that makes them look like they are trying to reload and compete in 2026. It will read like a bad Dr. Seuss book. They already have the fanbase so crushed that they will look at it, see that they have seen this song and dance before, and go back to their lives forgetting that they were supposed to be outraged. Falvey will get to say that they just couldn't get any impactful free agents to sign with the Twins and while the Pohlads were willing to run a higher payroll, it just didn't work out. As for the Twins trading Lopez or Ryan, sadly enough, Ryan seems to be the better candidate to be traded. I think trading Lopez may draw the ire of the MLBPA to file a grievance, much like they threatened to with the A's this year. The A's responded by signing Rooker to an extension and signing Severino to a decent contract. The Twins may end up trading Lopez but given his return from injury and the MLBPA peering eyes, Lopez is a better trade deadline candidate for next season than an offseason trade chip. One suggestion for the Pohlads to keep fans coming to the game. Steal the idea from the Rockies. Have a bar at the stadium sell cheap beer so that fans will buy cheap tickets just to get into the ballpark and drink cheap beer all game long. It works for the Rockies as the younger people pack into the bar for the cheap beer, as it's cheaper than anywhere else in the area. It works because the Rockies, even as bad as they are this season, will outdraw the Twins this season and I would argue that there are many more things to do in the Denver area than there is in downtown Minneapolis. Perfect scenario for the Pohlads. They get to slash payroll, prepare for a lockout for the 2027 season, and likely come out of the lockout with a better team valuation so they can cash out during the 2027 season.

The more that this team descends into madness, or maybe that this team's fans, the more that it becomes an indictment on Rocco & Company, including Falvey, leadership abilities. When asked about the uptick in stealing bases, Rocco said that they now need to be more aggressive on the bases. Where did this revelation come from?!?! You're taking a team, for the last six years didn't know that second base existed like a shy teenager. to trying to push them out and stealing bases. When you're sending Mickey Gaspar, Brooks Lee, and Wallner, you have no plan on how to get better but just reading headlines on how you think you should improve the team. The coaching staff still hasn't addressed the player's ability to go from first to third on a single or how to recognize times to tag up and get into scoring position. It's looking more and more apparent that Correa really did have a stranglehold on the locker room and that virtually nobody listens to Rocco as a source of authority. That's not Correa's fault, that's Rocco's. Now that Correa is gone, nobody respects Rocco as an authority and there's nobody left to listen to. We essentially heard that today on the broadcast where Austin Martin, after 5 years of tweaking his swing and approach at the plate, is reverting back to his approach that he had at Vanderbilt. That response sounds like someone who has no faith in the current coaching staff to help him stick around as a professional player, and it starts from the top. Lastly, I would, just once, actually like to see Rocco take a player out of the game when they do something so unprofessional that it warrants the move, such as Outman walking back to the dugout on a strike three call where the ball got away from the catcher. I used to see a few shirts and sweaters around in purple and gold with a silhouette of a Viking on it (not the actual logo) with the phrase across the front: "This team makes me drink." It's been a long time coming for a Twins version of said garment to find its way to the shelves.

Can we lose by a half a run considering the current exchange rate?

Interesting of all the times to run when you're down two runs. I'm not that critical of it, just interesting to choose to tag and advance there when there have been plenty of times where had they ran earlier in this game, it would have been over by now.

So did John Randle of the Vikings. I would say Randle's ability to get to the QB gave him the better treatment than his application of eye black.

Giving respected veterans and team stars special treatment has always been a part of any team in any sport. The issue I would have is if Lewis is being given said special treatment considering he hasn't earned it at all.

Outman has a chance to redeem himself after slipping on the carpet in the top of the inning.

Yes. They are running the bases like they have a tractor pull sled dragging behind them.

I found it right here: