shimrod

This will be the death of the internet and thus AI. Brilliant! He could be 100% correct (probably is) and it wouldn't impact internet commentary one whit.

That requires cash. The only pitchers that fit the Twins budget are bad ones. Draft and trade are the two feasible routes to good pitchers. Ideally the Twins get better at developing their draftees.

I'll answer this one. No accomplished FA will choose the Twins absent a massive overpay. The players the Twins need to upgrade the roster will be attractive to better teams as well. If the Twins are actually increasing payroll almost 50% (which I doubt happens) they should target trades for established players teams may be willing to move, either because they're getting expensive (for small market teams) or there's a high profile youngster inhouse and ready to fill that position. I don't pay enough attention to the league to know which players make sense. I do know another off-season of paying for Caratinis, Bells, and Frances will not move the needle. Players a tier above that bunch are not coming to Minnesota by choice.

I completely agree with this. The Twins have established themselves as the destination of last resort for free agents. It will take a pretty large overpay to entice a mid-career, multi-tool player to pick MN over anyone else. The reclamation projects and one-dimensional guys are all we'll get. The players the Twins need to enhance this roster will have to be acquired by trade. And they will not be cheap in prospect terms. But at least in a trade you pay the going rate, not a "bad team" premium.

And keep in mind that judge didn't deny the deal. He simply said the owners need to open the books and prove they were losing money before they could break their lease.

I expected a hundred losses so I was pleased to enjoy more wins than anticipated. I also expected the Twins to leverage the trade deadline to add prospects and clear the decks for a youth movement; here I was bitterly disappointed. I knew we weren't getting any stars in return for our veterans but addition by subtraction would have been the right move. The Twins need an influx of athleticism, defense, and enthusiasm. We saw hints the last couple weeks but in too small a sample size to know who's actually ready and who still warrants a placeholder. Our missed opportunity was in team development, not won-loss record.

I'm willing to go with the concept that "meaningful" applies to evaluating prospects and setting the stage for a winning 2027. Unfortunately the team failed by that measure as well.

Depends on whose expectations. They need to sweep the Rangers to even meet their preseason expectations from Fangraphs. But they did nail the over on the Vegas odds, so I guess they can stick that little feather in their caps. My expectations. I thought they would lose 100. I'm very happy to have been proven wrong. It's more fun to watch when they win.

I totally see your point. But strictly by the standings math, they’ll probably end up one hot week away in the course of a 6 month season from being in the playoffs or at least still in the hunt in this final week. Even just an extra win a month…that’s not far off imo. They had their hot week(s), that's why they didn't look that far off at the end. The Twins are going to finish with a better record than expected considering their talent level most of the year.

Not a direct analogy, but suppose you operate a restaurant. Expenses tick up and you decide to maintain your profits by using lower quality ingredients and serving smaller portions. Then you're surprised when fewer customers show up. Ownership needs to invest. I'm dubious the same people who created this situation are willing to spend enough to resolve it. Even though, with promising youngsters at multiple positions, just getting to league average payroll would be more than enough to right the ship.

So Pohlad says "increase" and TD discusses $30, $60, and $80 million dollar increments. I expect you could write a much more accurate article if you examine the $5, $10, and $12.5 million dollar options.

So what? Twins need to take care of Twins business. Right now that's getting a good look at next years players. And I agree we should have been evaluating the youngsters since the deadline.

The only thing I can think of is they want him off the 40 man for the offseason but still want to keep him so they are doing it now in hopes that he will sneak through. Occams Razor indicates Keystone Kops. Or ownership has assured the team they will authorize paying up for a better catcher. Jackson is not needed because we will spend enough to fill the starting and backup catcher positions with legitimate players. Of the three possibilities - Keystone Kops incompetence, trying to sneak him off the 40 man, or ownership opening the checkbook - I think the last one is the least probable.

That's a silly conspiracy. Larnach and Lewis in the lineup isn't selling one single solitary ticket. Culpepper, Jenkins, and Rodriguez however, would sell a few more tickets. The target audience is not the TD readership. I have relatives in the cities. They occasionally attend games. They couldn't name a single Twins minor leaguer. They do love Buxton and Lewis. That said, you're likely correct. As I noted, the most likely explanation is excuse making by agents or others. I'd like to think our management did not keep injured, unproductive players in the lineup while the teams (slim) postseason chances circled the drain.

Is that really true? Or agent spin to excuse poor play? It's hard to believe a MLB manager would keep playing guys who are hurt to the point they're ineffective. Unless, of course, he was under orders to keep recognizable names in the lineup in an effort to sell tickets.