shimrod

this should be one of the best defenses in baseball. I agree, it should be. They looked disinterested today. Even the best players have bad plays, or bad games. Multiple players looked like they thought they were still in spring training. I can't imagine Tom Kelly putting up with this for long.

Starting an inning with a runner on 2nd - not baseball I think Morneau pointed out this benefits the home team much more than the visitors. Makes a huge difference if you know you only need to plate that one runner to win the game. That said, defense was horrible. Twins deserved to lose this one.

I think we'd all prefer to see him sharpening pitches that are less hittable.

"The vast majority of spring training happens outside a box score and that’s where the Twins are making their decisions." Agreed. And the fans here are not privy to any of that. All we can see is the box and occasional broadcasts. And, as I said earlier, he hasn't got a track record of upper level success that should outweigh his current performance and whatever else Rocco and the staff may be seeing. If he was blistering the ball and getting sent down I'd understand the consternation. As it is, I don't get it.

"If the FO is making decisions on 31 spring training at bats, they probably aren't doing it right........" What else should they base it on? His stellar AAA track record? It's not like the other choices are chopped liver. Past Twins teams had a choice between the promising prospect and the AAAA never will be. This isn't that team. There are multiple productive options who can fill that spot until Alex is ready. In the long run Rooker may even have the better career. There's plenty of time to bring him up if the other options flame out. Let the kid find his footing in the alternate site or minors.

This might be the most absurd statement I have ever seen on TD. I think you should go back and read it again. Who are the lying idiots going to infect if everyone else in the stands is vaccinated? Once again...the park should be open to those who are vaccinated. If that's controversial god help us. My further point is that this shouldn't require people to provide proof of vaccination. The vast majority of people are honest, in my experience. The few folks who are dishonest enough to lie about it will not be a large enough fraction of the crowd to cause an issue, and if they do infect someone the victim will be another "lying idiot". If you're scared stay home and watch the game on TV. Millions are vaccinated every day. Positive tests are plummeting. The park doesn't open for another month. We don't need to set some arbitrary limit on attendance to protect the general public.

There should be no limit on number of fans in the stands. The Twins should open the park to anyone and everyone who's been vaccinated with no limit on numbers. Attendance will naturally ramp up as the vaccines are rolled out. I expect there would be questions about how the Twins would verify people had actually been vaccinated. I don't see why the club should worry about it, certainly not from a liability standpoint. If the Twins make it very clear no one's allowed in unless they've been vaccinated there will be two groups in attendance: those who've been treated and are immune and those who lied about it. In the event someone claims they caught Covid at Target field they'd then have to explain why they falsely certified they had already been vaccinated. Do I expect this plan to be implemented? No, it makes too much sense and the powers that be are having way too much fun applying and enforcing the rules.

Add me to the list of people surprised at the payroll. When Donaldson was signed I was shocked; in response I made a commitment to stop criticizing the Twins spending. I was expecting to spend this season biting my tongue, instead I find myself praising the team for staying the course. Where the spending is allocated is subject to debate, as always, but it's tough the denigrate the amount. I'm looking forward to a season of competitive baseball.

It's amusing to me that many assume Twins coaching will automatically improve the new pitcher. A tweak here and there, voila! A reliable reliever or possibly even a productive starter. Wade, however, is what he is. SF has obtained a good OBP, no power, steady but limited defender. I wonder what SF thinks Wade can be with a tweak or two?

Waiting for someone to offer him 7 million to go anywhere besides MN. (joking)

"If Cruz falls off the cliff, you cut him and be fine with the loss of the money.The main question will be, how much that is, and will Cruz accept it?" If it was this easy I'd agree. The problem is, how long does he suck before you know he's toast and not just slumping? And if you start the season with him, what impact on the team when you cut him mid-season? There are too many ways for this to go wrong. Also, we do have other needs and other options at DH. It just looks to me like too much risk.

I don't want Cruz at any price. As noted earlier, he slowed down considerably in the second half last year. Slump? Injury? Age? There's no way to be sure. Will Rocco have a quick hook? What impact does it have on the team if Cruz stops hitting? Do you let him try to hit out of a slump, hide him on the bench? What affect does benching your "heart & soul" have on the rest of the team? The worst case scenario may be mistaking age related decline for a temporary slump and continuing to bat Cruz in the heart of the order through an extended period of ineffectiveness. By the time it's clear Cruz is washed up we may have wasted another season. I'd rather use the money to sign a defensive upgrade or pitcher(s). We have enough boppers in the lineup to effectively rotate the DH position.

I'm all in favor of keeping the "ageless slugger" in MN, if that were an option. Not interested in keeping the actual aging slugger. Things that cannot go on forever do not. I don't want to see DH become a black hole in the lineup as we try to distinguish between a slump and a decline. Age related decline in sports is on the same curve as bankruptcy. Cruz may well have another full season in him, but finding out if it's 2021 is not a gamble I'd take with a contending team.

Molitor won manager of the year too. Front office couldn't wait to get rid of him. Rocco is young and inexperienced. If I'm the front office, I'm asking him what's going to change going forward. What have you learned? And if he doesn't have a good answer, he needs to be gone as well.

Edit: today’s game was even free nationwide on ABC if you had an antenna Not according to the local broadcast schedule - I checked. Typically the game previews on sites like CBS sports provide broadcast information if available. I checked there as well and found nothing. Edit - looked back and sure enough, scheduled on ABC. Trouble is, schedule shows news from 5pm on (EST). I wasn't off work until near six my time. In short, game was available. Better prep on my part and we could have seen that inspirational finale. My bad.

"arrived home to see Garver pinch ? ..." I expected to see the last couple innings after work and found the game blacked out (SE Virginia). MLB always happy to make a couple extra bucks selling someone the right to prevent fans seeing the game. Playoffs no less. My daughter was beginning to get into watching the team with me on MLBtv. She's the demographic MLB should be pursuing, instead they slap her in the face with a playoff blackout. Great job, MLB. EDIT: I've been informed game was available on broadcast ABC. I missed that. Blackout policies are still an abomination but in this case I was wrong.

Max seems unconnected and emotionless to a degree. Maybe being called out as a racist by a vocal group of fans contributes to this. Wouldn't surprise me if his heart isn't in it.

After watching this series I'm more than ready for the electronic balls and strikes. As the AI improves I'd suggest letting the computer do the rest of the officiating as well and fire those bums. Will never forget the time in Yankees stadium when the ball landed three feet fair and the umpire called it foul. Incompetent AND crooked, what a combination.

Great points about adding a right handed power bat to the outfield. Yet the Twins haven't done it. Is Rooker that much of a defensive liability?

"Somebody will pay Berrios way more than he is worth" I'm afraid it will be the Twins. I'm not as disappointed in Sano and Buxton as much as the Twin's treatment of both. Sano was kept at third well past the time it was clear he would always be a defensive liability - and let's not even mention the debacle in right field. If Sano had given any indication he'd prepare his body for a premium position it might have been different, but getting down under 300 lbs doesn't cut it. Buxton's handling has already been discussed.

"For a roster that doesn't look so good, look at Baltimore. Former Twin and offseason Orioles' minor league signing Tommy Milone will start the Orioles’ opener against Boston on Friday. Now that is BAD!" If there was ever a season to tank, this is it. Only 60 games and no fans anyway, so you might as well suck and suck hard. Of course it happens when the Twins are all in. I can think of a couple Twins teams when the covid 60 would have been a blessing.

"To shy away from this conversation is to contribute to the widespread apathy and complacency that has brought us to this tragic state." I was going to let this whole topic slide but this sentence from your post says if I don't comment I'm responsible. So here goes... Screw you and your moral preening. As the previous poster said, what am I specifically asked to do? Vote democrat? Minneapolis has been doing that for over 50 years, how's that working out for you? Am I supposed to quit my job so a minority can have it? Stroke a check to my black neighbor? Hold my kids out of college to open up a spot for some deserving young person of color? More to the point, exactly what are you doing besides running your mouth? A member of my family, an elderly woman, was murdered last month. Found beat to death in her looted home, car and cards missing. Two suspects in custody, with a DNA match, and they look a lot more like the Minneapolis victim than the murdering cop. You going to hold society responsible for that one too? Shall we have a conversation? I can assure you of one thing - I understand the race of two murdering thugs says nothing about anyone else I'll meet today, or tomorrow, or ever. I'm not holding a race, or a society, responsible for the actions of two individuals. It's a despicable act to say the actions of one depraved individual reflect on anyone who resembles him. Racism is alive and well, and you are a fine example. You want people to take a look in the mirror? You first.

-

"Should they bolster the staff at some point? Absolutely. But at the very least, the FO can afford to be patient and not move out of desperation... at least not yet" Let's not wait until we're desperate...please. As for trade assets, I've seen two perspectives presented. One says there's no telling which prospects will turn out to be actual MLB talents, odds are against all of them, therefore the prospects should be retained. Another says we have a log jam at OF and rule 5 will prevent us from keeping everyone, trade prospects from positions of strength for MLB talent at positions of weakness (pitcher, infield D). I'm on board with the latter proposition. I agree it's difficult to tell who will transition from prospect to proven MLB player. However, the only way to find out is to promote them and see what happens. Barring multiple injuries we don't have room on the roster to try out everyone and see who makes it. The FO should make a decision who they want to keep and trade for pitching. I applaud the Donaldson acquisition. It would be a shame to squander it because the pitching doesn't hold up.

I've been highly critical of the FO, and I'd like to state now that even if this goes south on them, due to injury or other factors, this was the right move. It makes a statement about the teams future direction and will, in my opinion, make the next FA acquisition easier. I would also like to address the offseason/trade deadline pitching issue. It should be noted our staff will be weakest at the beginning of the year, due to suspension and rehab. Every game counts, and if we wait until the deadline it may be too late. Let's start the year with a bang.