NYCTK

This is sadly correct. Lopez's contract is 3 years $65 mil. Not bad at all. But not really far off what he would get in free agency. Sonny Gray got 3 yrs $75 mil and was arguably the better pitcher each of the last two seasons So...that $10 million difference isn't all that indefensible.

While the MLB farm system power ranking might be a consolation, I tend to think they're overrating the Twins top end of the system. Compare their ranking to Fangraphs. Fangraphs is trying to do what we all do, looking for the players that can become true stars, because ultimately, no one cares about graduating an Austin Martin, a AAAA player. https://www.fangraphs.com/prospects/farm-system-rankings/2024-in-season-prospect-list Walker Jenkins is truly exciting. Emmanuel Rodriguez looks like he could be a pretty darn good player, but a star? Time will tell. David Festa, while no longer a prospect, does look like a legitimate pitcher for years to come. Keaschall and others look intriguing, but the height of the system is really dictated by Walker. If he becomes a bust, like so many do, this is a pretty run of the mill farm system. Some schmuck on Bleacher Report shouldn't be listened to too much, but he just ranked them 22nd. If it were truly a great farm system, no one would be placing them that low. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10136313-final-mlb-farm-system-rankings-of-the-2024-season

Well, he played more games in CF than SS when he was in the Toronto system and talent evaluators have long considered him too inadequate to play SS, and the Twins put a kibosh on him playing OF moved him back to SS...only to bring him up to the majors as an OF.

Bad Excuse. Every team has injuries and the Twins were almost entirely expected. Even Joe Ryan, while not completely expected, a SP pitcher missing a third of the season is not a surprise. Another Bad Excuse. Every team has inexperienced players counted on to contribute. Bingo. Twin Cities media is soft on the team, and the Twins employed commentators are constantly blowing smoke up the fan's asses, so I don't blame you or anyone else for repeating their tired excuses. You yourself recognize them as tired excuses. But they'll be repeated through spring training, and then for years to come.

This is so true. He has decent speed and good bat skills, but he's really a very poor baseball player. He''ll be lucky if he gets to 1000 PAs in his career. No one's looking for a backup infielder with poor defense and baserunning. Furthermore, how the Twins organization moved him out of the OF in the minors, clearly recognizing he was bad out there, only to bring him up to the majors and use him almost exclusively as an OF is beyond me. Complete organizational incompetence.

Yes and no. The Twins aren't a small market team. They're a mid market team run by business people with a small market mindset that only care about the bottom line, no interest in the product on the field. This is not unique to the Twins, but it feels like their risk averse attitude has permeated the culture of the entire organization. The Twin Cities would be most fittingly compared to the mid-markets of Denver, Seattle, San Diego, or even Detroit (now that it is such a dwindling market this generation). No one in considers these small markets. Year by year, the Twins payroll don't differ all that much from this group, but what sets the Twins apart, is they will never go for it. In a vacuum, the payroll this year isn't insulting. But the reason it was such a slap in the face to everyone is they rightfully thought this is a window and the time to invest. Small and Mid Market teams have smaller windows of opportunity, but they come and go fairly frequently, depending on the baseball people in charge. The reason the Rays are viewed so highly is because they're seemingly always opening up new narrow windows. But when one of these windows arises, these teams have to pounce. The Tigers have gone for it (though those days may be done now that their own nepo baby is in charge). The Mariners have gone for it (and failed, but their fans reward them by showing up). The Padres have gone for it so much that the other billionaires got upset because it was making them all look bad. The Minnesota Twins have never really gone for it. The Josh Donaldson signing is the closest I think think of, but COVID kinda killed that and otherwise they've never really extended themselves past a risk averse mindset in order to try to provide anything more than an 86 win team. Just enough to tell their fanbase that "hey, we tried!" and try to convince people that squeaking into the playoffs is enough to be a contender. This is a mindset of the owners, and this is what I how I see the mindset of the front office. No one thought this was a legit contender in the offseason even if we foolishly thought they were favorites for the AL Central. What well-run organizations will do is retool or ramp up. Twins don't do that. They love to strive for 86 wins and hope they can recapture the impossibility of the '87 Twins.

I'll say, that evil comment is a bit hyperbolic, and directed less at the current Pohlads, who are just loser nepo babies, than their father and more directly at Fisher (and some other very public billionaires). More pointedly, a good billionaire is basically an oxymoron.

Yet still significantly better than Manuel Margot.

Why are we loyal to these businesses? It's very interesting to think about, especially in light of the atrocity committed in Oakland today. We're all beholden to billionaires, often evil men, that almost never give a damn about their community, either local or broader fanbase, outside of how much money they can squeeze from it. We stay because of the past, because of visiting the games as a child with our father or sister, or whomever. We have deep emotional ties to something that we can't control and doesn't care about us in the least. It's hard to leave it behind. Sometimes it's the only thing tying us to our past selves. I think I might finally be done. I'll give it the offseason before I know I guess. Maybe I'll still check in, but not only do I think I'll stop supporting them, I think I'm going to try to convince my dad to as well. Not done with baseball of course. I'll always love baseball. But done with the Pohlads. Done with the Twins. Game 163 will forever be one of my greatest memories, but that seems like it was a fluke that quite literally cannot happen again. And I don't think I have the fortitude to wait to see.

This is the baseball Gods striking down upon the twins for wearing their pants above their knees. Not gonna lie, that baserunning by Satana was so bad it was hilarious. I've watched it like 8 times and can't stop laughing. 15 year vet looking like an absolute fool.

Honestly, I blame the losers for wearing their pants above the knees. Gfto with that crap. You look like jokes and you played to match.

Honestly, fire everyone. Clean house. Dave, Falvey, Rocco. This organization stinks and while it starts with the pohlads we unfortunately can't fire them. Unless we find a very big cannon...

Margot time?

That woman in the rich seats walked out with a fresh beer. Do the rich people get served beer after the 7th inning? That's not fair!

Even the color commentary is just so bad by Morneau. You can't imagine what it must be like to have a bad night at the plate and then have another shot at the dish? Really? You never encountered that in your 15 seasons?

How was Santanas baserunning even worse than the bunt? Incredible veteran stuff. Top notch baseball. I'm glad I stayed up for this!

Cory is frustrated lol

I do hope Rocco is involved in these conversations. Otherwise that seems like a bad organization. But I've been saying that all month, so...

They have a strong pen up and down. It's a luxury to be able to use a great arm in such a niche way.

What the heck was that annoying guy yelling? I couldn't make it out.

That's not really new age analytics thing. Defensive indifference bases like that have long been a thing.

Yeah. That's true of like Clase. Ironically, the best team in the league doesn't really have a closer? The Dodgers? Treinen probably their best arm and he's used all over the place.

I think that's incredibly foolish. If he's as big of a headcase as you're making him out to be he should be traded yesterday. I don't put any significance in saves since a 3 run lead isn't exactly high leverage. I assume he's the save leader on the team but I couldn't tell you how many anyone has. Never look at it. But he doesn't seem to be significantly worse in medium or low leverage situations so I don't even know if the problem you're supposing is even true.

I would too actually. But more because I think next year is basically lost and 2026 he'll be paid like 6 million. And the pohlads can't have that.

Pimping a single. Hilarious.