Western SD Fan

I remember watching a young LaTroy Hawkins starting games for the Twins and being frustrated that he couldn't get through the third trip of the lineup. Little did I know that this philosophy would eventually become the industry standard and all teams start getting nervous once a pitcher starts going through the third time through the lineup. As others have highlighted, LaTroy brings a unique perspective with the fact that he had to reinvent himself as an effective reliever and that he didn't ever have elite stuff and still managed a 20-year career. I hope that they do consider Hawkins as a coach. I have enjoyed his commentary during games. He also brings the perspective of being just a guy throughout his career and knowledge on how to grind out a career. This perspective is probably something a few of these players need to hear and need to start adjusting to so they do not wash out and become a bust or fall to the pressure, be it real or perceived.

I'm not so sure about this statement. Not that Shelton wasn't a fall guy in Pittsburgh, he likely was, but that Falvey would have actually vetted out his time in Pittsburgh. I would guess that Falvey helped vet Shelton when he was hired as Rocco's bench coach, so his opinion of Shelton likely hadn't changed since then. I also believe that Shelton is essentially Baldelli 2.0 and Falvey may have blinders on to whatever warts Shelton may have developed during his time in Pittsburgh.

Per MLB, here is this list of FA catchers listed in order by Fangraphs WAR. For all of the criticism of Vazquez, he actually scores pretty high for who is available in the current FA market. J.T. Realmuto (35 years old, 4.0 WAR) - No way on earth that he signs with the Twins, even if they back up a couple of Brinks' trucks of cash Salvador Perez (36, 3.8) -- club option - Likely retiring a Royal. Twins still not signing him. Victor Caratini (32, 2.7) - IMHO, will likely sign with another team for more money than the Twins are willing to spend. Twins may only pursue him if they trade Jeffers and want a bridge catcher similar to Jason Castro to bridge the gap from now to when Tait or Enrique Jimenez is ready. Danny Jansen (31, 1.8) -- mutual option - don't see him leaving Toronto, but if he does, see Caratini comment above. Christian Vázquez (35, 1.0) - doesn't seem so bad here, plus he does know the pitchers and the team. A 1-yr/3M or a 2-yr/5M deal w/ a 250k buyout may work here. James McCann (36, 0.9) - IMHO is my favorite to replace Vazquez as I have always liked McCann. Elias Díaz (35, 0.8) -- mutual option - Padres have the mutual option and may want to exercise it here to make sure they have a quality backup catcher as well since I would guess Fermin will be their primary catcher going forward. Twins won't trade for him with a $7M contract option for 2026. This is the remainder of the list. None of which inspire me any more than running it back with Vazquez at a more economical cost. Tomás Nido (32, 0.3) -- signed MiLB deal with DET (Oct. 30) Austin Barnes (36, 0.2) Gary Sánchez (33, 0.2) Mitch Garver (36, -0.4) -- mutual option Luke Maile (35, -0.4) Tom Murphy (35, -0.5) -- club option Jacob Stallings (36, -0.5) Martín Maldonado (39, -2.3) -- retired

There may not be players that "want" to come here, but there are always players that need to come to a team like Minnesota for various reasons. Whether it's because they need to resurrect their career, coming off an injury, or it's still better than accepting than signing in Korea or Japan. Of course, these types of signings also have the additional potential of being traded at the deadline for prospects. All these are the perfect Falvey targets of course. Like any small/mid-market team, Falvey needs to be creative in making quality trades that bolster the lineup and making free agent signings that complement the team, not necessarily making the big splashy signing. Successful examples were trading for Odorizzi and Pablo or signing Bader and Carlos Santana. I also look at how players have been developed or talents adjusted during the Falvey Era. Using Odorizzi again, the Twins pitching coaches identified his strengths, weaknesses, and areas he could improve on using analytics. That likely gave him a final life after he left Minnesota. That seems to be using analytics to improve the talent and skills that Odorizzi already had. The other end of the spectrum has been the development of the younger players, both pitchers and position players in recent years. Falvey and Co has let the analytics determine the player's talents. We've been hearing for years about how both minor and major league coaches have tried to change player's approaches at the plate consistently trying to turn singles and doubles hitters into home run hitters. Austin Martin is a perfect example. Twins coaches have tried adjusting his mechanics and swing ever since he has come to Minnesota. Finally, Martin went back to his approach that he had at Vanderbilt and saw some improvement at the end of the season. I think as Falvey and Co has become more reliant on analytics; they let the analytics drive the train and change a player rather than use analytics to improve a player's talents and skills like they did in the earlier days with Odorizzi or Polanco. One final point to make. Many of us here at TD, me included, have been critical of the usage of analytics in making even some of the simplest baseball decisions. There obviously is a need for analytics or places like Driveline wouldn't be in demand. Hopefully, this manager and coaching shakeup will be a chance to reset how they use analytics as an organization and a team and use it like they did in the earlier years and not how it has become in the last couple of seasons.

The Twins could shoulder some blame for trading for a pitcher with a known injury risk, such as Mahle. With that being said, I still agree with you that I would have pulled the trigger on the trade at the time of the trade.

The Lew Ford files went down with the Vikings Love Boat. No chance of recovery. Please disregard the rumors of binders and binders of information supposedly being released.

Gleeman’s representative from the law office of Robinson, Dangerfield and Dice Clay says that Twins Daily has operated under shady business dealings for nearly 15 years, and the public deserves to have their team covered by polished, dignified professionals who have class. The lawyer has a point here. I'm not sure the degenerates here on Twins Daily should be the public that he is referring to, but the lawyer has a point.

I'm not sure that Torii as a manager would tarnish his legacy with the team or at least with the fans. The most recent example would be Paul Molitor as it appears that his legacy or reputation has not been tarnished by his managerial foray with the Twins. IMHO, most of us believe that the Twins are a work in progress to put it nicely so I'm not sure Torii would be blamed if the team didn't succeed as manager. The fact that Torii is not interested in the job says a lot about Torii as he doesn't want to give up his best life for what looks to be a dumpster fire. I think this also says a lot about Falvey and/or ownership that Torii declined to even be formally interviewed for the job.

I have a feeling that the number of former Twins-heavy candidates is because the team in general is looking for any form of positivity for the team moving forward as I'm sure there were quite a few season-ticket cancellations in the last couple months of the season. Many people believe that the manager does not have a huge role anymore and many of the decisions are made by the FO and not the manager. IF that is the case, why wouldn't you want a manager like a Torii Hunter, Nelson Cruz, or James Rowson to come back and manage to bring back some of the nostalgia of when the Twins were better and sort of "grow up" with the team. If nothing else, those types of managers (sans Rowson) will still be loved in Minnesota regardless of how they do at being a manager, similar to Paul Molitor. I personally believe that the manager is still responsible for much of the day to day managing, such as filling out the lineup card, managing the bullpen, sending runners on a contact play, when to deploy pinch-hitters. They also have control over mandatory PFP, hitting cages, fielding work, base-running, etc. They are responsible for finding out what their coaches are doing and if they are addressing problems within the team in terms of fundamentals and game play. To counter the poster that suggested that because Hunter and Cruz have been stars during their career, they would not be good manager material. I counter with Joe Torre, a borderline HOF player (see Torii Hunter). Somehow, I think he did alright as a manager. Think Torre is a fluke because he was able to manage the high spending Yankees? I'll give you a HOF player that managed, Yogi Berra. He managed 7 years for the Yankees and Mets leading each team to a pennant in those 7 years.

Will the firmware update to the Robo-Skipper 5000 have a hat that can be thrown on the field when arguing a call?

Here's a thought. Hire Hunter as the manager and see if Hunter will bring in Ron Washington as his bench coach. We then have a similar situation than the Twins did when they hired Baldelli in 2019 with Derek Shelton as his bench coach. Shelton was the experienced voice that helped Baldelli that first year. I think Washington could do the same for Hunter without all of the stress of being the field manager. You have the flair of a manager that can connect with the players and the sage of an experienced manager to help make the decisions and maybe teach the infield how to play defense.

We obviously don't know what the budget that Falvey will have this upcoming season. Every team needs players that the fans are excited about, no matter how terrible the team is performing. The running joke next year will be that the only time Target Field will be sold out will be when the Twins are not in town (Banana Ball at Target Field!). Even in the late 90's prior to the Twins resurgence in the 2000's, we had Brad Radke, Eric Milton, Matt Lawton, and Todd Walker along with a bunch of kids coming of age and waiting to blossom. I think from a fanbase standpoint we need to retain Lopez and Ryan at least until the trade deadline to give a reason for fans to come to the ballpark. Additionally, there needs to be veterans around the ballpark to help some of these younger players navigate the pitfalls and perils of a major league season, especially in a rebuild. Ryan stumbled at the end of the season and Lopez is still coming back from injury and will be at full strength at the start of next season. Both cases may need a wait and see approach before they are actually at their peak trade value.

These "Arbitrary Thoughts" articles are definitely better than the old Twins commercials: "Sorta Deep Thoughts".

I'm going to surmise that the Pohlads finally received reports about season-ticket and corporate sponsor cancellations, which has prompted the press releases and trying to take ownership for the year that was. Various rumors have been floated that the new minority stake owners, when approved by MLB, will have real say in how the roster is constructed and the payroll. That may be part of the approach that Falvey is taking by stating that he expects Lopez, Ryan, and Buxton to be on the roster next season, but of course, like all of us fans, are in a wait and see game to see what actually happens in the offseason. As for the theme song, it has to be "Closing Time" by Minnesota's own Semisonic. They can play the song when they release the fans out into to the world to their own devices.

One thing to add is that the debt service (interest payments) on the amount borrowed can also be claimed as an expense by Twins Baseball, LLC increasing the loss. A simple calculation of $500M at current Fed rates + 1% (a reasonable assumption for billionaires borrowing money) gives us a Fed rate of 4.25% + 1%, or 5.25%, or $26.25M per year in interest. That amount sounds awful close to the amount that the team had to "right-size" after the 2023 season.

I'm also a person who subscribes to the Festa move to the bullpen when he comes back from thoracic outlet syndrome as it should fit into a schedule where he would need to build up his arm anyway. They can then see how he responds to the bullpen work and go from there. There will be an adjustment period, just like there was with Sands and Varland. Prielipp will likely need some extra seasoning in St. Paul to get him ready for a bullpen role on the ML club. The remaining pitchers mentioned will likely need to stay starters in St. Paul as we continue to see that pitchers break down during the year and you have to depend on your farm system to have reliable starters in reserve.

This is a good first start as it uses almost all internal options. As the OP has stated, it's reasonable to think that the FO won't spend much during the offseason. I like the potential signing of Hoskins or someone like Hoskins since he's essentially there to trade off at the deadline for a prospect. I still hold my ground that the FO will play the service time game with Jenkins and not bring him up right away. Internally, you're probably replacing him with Keirsey Jr. if you don't want to bring up any other high prospects in the OF. I also think there will be some FA bullpen arms signed as this FO has seemed to like signing RP on cheap prove-it contracts (league min - $1.5M range). This idea also gives the Twins time to see how Raya, Prielipp, and Morris adjust to their new roles in St. Paul before calling them up, or the Louis Varland treatment.

It's too easy to pile on the poor things such as the pitching. I'm going to try to go positive and say that the offense has perked up over this series. They also showed some fight to try to get back in the games. Now we just need the pitching staff to not throw bullpen sessions 2 of every 3 games.

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..