The Great Hambino
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Everything posted by The Great Hambino
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Bob Melvin's track record of success in an environment like Oakland where he had to deal with similar constraints to what the Twins are likely headed toward, at least in the short-term, is intriguing to me. Then again, maybe his experience in Oakland is something he'd like to avoid experiencing in the future. But please forget about internal candidates. This position needs fresh ideas and an outside perspective in the worst way. I mean, what are the odds that Toby Gardenhire and his sub-500 AAA winning percentage is the best man for the job out on the market? Low. Very very low. ETA: if they thought an internal candidate was worth exploring, they should've been made interim manager at the trade deadline- 136 replies
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- rocco baldelli
- torii hunter
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Rocco may not have been the biggest problem - he wasn't. Their issues have been brewing ever since they reduced payroll immediately after paying for Correa and Lopez (creating a lopsided roster that functionally decreased the effectiveness of their payroll), which culminated in The Purge after a season-and-a-half of wishing upon internal improvement while treading water produced predictably mediocre results. But that doesn't mean he wasn't a problem. If we expected them to fix problems only in order of importance, then they'd be sitting on their hands doing nothing until the team somehow gets sold/another long-lost grandson emerges that's actually capable of running a sports franchise (kinda like Andy Garcia in The Godfather III). No one should expect this to solve all their problems, but it was still a problem that needed solving.
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The Correa contract was stopping them. They couldn't meaningfully gut the payroll down to those levels without being able to move him. Once they found they could, they pivoted immediately. Why did they allow that contract (as well as the Pablo extension) in the first place when they were going to do their right-sizing bit less than a year later? That's another story, and IMO the biggest single reason we find them in the predicament they are in today.
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The more I think about this, the more I'm shocked that he wasn't fired at the trade deadline. It would be insane to let the post-deadline results have an effect on the decision one way or another, so it must've been decided that he wasn't going to be returning for 2026 at that time. They have a bench coach with MLB manager experience in Tingler. Why not use the final two months to test him out? To me, the fact they didn't means they don't see him as a candidate. Or maybe Rocco's foray into the land of aggressive baserunning was his first journey off Falvey's script and it cost him his job. But that isn't what happened. I'm about 95% sure of it
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Wow. I thought the time had come for this when they stumbled out of the gates this season (one could certainly argue for an earlier place in time), but in my gut I didn't really think they'd actually do it.
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In the American League, I would love to see a Mariners-Blue Jays LCS. Which means we're almost definitely getting a Guardians-Yankees LCS. I'm not sure as much on the NL side. As much as I feel compelled to root against the big market orgs, there are a lot of likable players that create a bit of a paradox for me. I don't want to see the Dodgers repeat, but I like watching Freeman, Betts, and Kershaw, among others, do their thing. I generally loathe everything about Philly, but it would be fun to see old friends Duran, Bader, and Kepler have some success. A Brewers-Reds LCS would be fun for the sheer panic it would cause Turner Sports execs (and other reasons). I suppose I gotta go with Padres-Reds as my preferred NLCS matchup. Too bad the Brewers and Padres are on the same side of the bracket. So I guess I'm pulling for a Mariners-Padres World Series. If nothing else, player intros while there's still sunlight would be a nice dose of nostalgia
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The Giants have given everyone a nice reminder that picking up a manager's option - even when done as late in the season as July - is not a guarantee that they'll be returning.
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That is the absolute worst thing the Twins could do in the eyes of other owners: sell for less than their asking price. That could drag down the franchise value for many other similar teams (I doubt it would have much of an effect on the top end). In the big picture, they don't care about the Twins pocketing an additional $10-$20MM of revenue sharing if it's done in the name of maintaining the franchise valuation at an acceptable level There's also the benefit of having one less team to fight for playoff revenues. In terms of "not allowing" the Twins to operate this way, exactly what recourse do you think the other owners have? And if they have it, why have they not used it to prevent the Pirates and White Sox and Marlins and several others (not including the stadium chasers here) from operating the way they have?
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Fitting bow to put on this #### sundae of a season: done in by two former players and verified angel of death Nick Castellanos
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- simeon woods richardson
- ryan jeffers
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Say something legitimately nice about Rocco
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The top-2 seed they're locked into means a week off before the divisional round. There's enough of a built-in risk of rust that I don't think they'll want to extend even further by backing off too much this series
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I get your overall point, but I think there's a much better chance of a mutually-beneficial extension to be worked out between the Twins and Buxton depending on how things shake out on the other side of the CBA negotiations. When he's talked about wanting to be a Twin his whole career, I haven't gotten the sense that he plans to retire in 2028. Also, I'm guessing they already had that type of conversation with him. Don't know that for sure, just a hunch.
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Keep fighting the good fight, jorgenswest. I hope you're right, for all our sakes, but especially yours But I gotta ask: did he even attempt to address the bullpen situation?
- 64 replies
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- derek falvey
- byron buxton
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I dunno, TC Bear is pretty docile - more of an indica bear than a cocaine bear
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There's no dealing with the Phanatic's low center of gravity and general machismo. A better question is how many TC Bears would it take to take down the Phanatic - I think at least 3. TC Bear is a gentle bear.
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For a revenue-sharing recipient like the Twins, that is correct. Others can't be in it two times in a row
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- cole sands
- taj bradley
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If you have an abundance of potential starters and you need some of them to turn into relievers, the potentially-electric-but-chronically-injured are a good place to start. Festa and Prielipp, come on down to the bullpen and join the closing committee
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- cole sands
- taj bradley
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Outman is a much better name for a fielder than a hitter
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I'd be mildly surprised if he wasn't the opening day starter (bold prediction: he's overtaken by Prielipp by the end of the season) I'd be more than mildly disappointed if he is, but my expectations for next year are ... not high
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I think they're trojan-horsing ABS in this way so the eventual switch to full-time isn't such a leap. Personally I'd go straight to it full time but I don't have super strong feelings about that. This is at least an improvement from the status quo. The human element should be players and managers, not umpires. I do hope they make public the data on all pitches so we can a) grade umps more transparently and b) see the effect of non-challenges (pitches that weren't challenged but would've been overruled if they had been) as well as challenges
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His left-handed clone probably does, anyway
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Buxton with a fly ball so lazy even the bullpen catcher could catch it with ease
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I don't know if I can remember seeing this park with the roof open before
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Potential Trade Target Ideas
The Great Hambino replied to Cory Engelhardt's topic in Minnesota Twins Talk
I don't see the need for immediate 2026 help in trading Ryan. Unless they're planning on bringing their payroll back to a level that I don't think anyone thinks is realistic, their chances are basically nil that they can compete next year with him onboard - if he's gone, then a competitive 2026 really isn't happening. And until you're having to make painful 40 man decisions about who to let go, you don't have too many prospects I'm not against getting someone who can contribute next year, but I think you're putting a cap on your options if you insist that this player must be already established in MLB AND have middle of the order potential AND have enough team control to be worth it. That's a narrow window. But if you're willing to be flexible on that established MLBer part and open it up to prospects with a real chance of contributing in MLB by the end of 2026 - say, players on at least Kaelen Culpepper's timeline - then I think you might find a lot more upside available. As far as the list goes, I'd be intrigued by something starting with the Cardinals package, especially if Burleson was dropped from it in lieu of more prospect capital (Lee can be utility with Winn at SS).
