PerfectGame

That was some ugly defense tonight. Hopefully they execute better on Saturday. On the plus side, it was nice to see Bell and Lewis really shine at the plate.

I thought so too in the off-season, but Larnach is doing great at the plate this season. He is walking near a 25% rate. That is ludicrous! He fits great behind Buck. Being this is his last year of control, it might make sense to sell high and trade him right now for some prospects or right handed relief pitching.

A package for Parades would look like Larnach plus De Andrade plus Charlee Soto or Mick Abel (If they are even interested in the first two pieces). Parades is worth like 17 million dollars of surplus value. Larnach is worth 2 million according to baseballtradevalues.com I think that is how most of us value him too, worth about 6.5 million in production. They don't value Roden's value as highly on a per year basis, but I really liked his prospect profile when the Twins traded for him. He is having a lights out Spring. I think he will be starting in the outfield. That still leaves room for Larnach as the DH, but I too would rather see Bell off 1B. I wouldn't trade Abel, Soto, or any other high upside pitcher for Paredes. Honestly, I think a salary/roster spot dump should be the goal of a Larnach trade. He has value, but other teams know the Twins don't have much leverage. Other teams can wait until he is DFAed at the end of Spring to obtain him for a minor cash considerations trade.

I can't see Taylor Rogers winning the closer job unless Hawkins can unlock some magic out of him. In the recent interview this site did with him, he really sounded like a guy who didn't trust his stuff and sounded resigned to a middle relief role. I don't want a closer who lacks confidence and only has one effective pitch (sweeper). It looks like he had problems with walks in Cincy, and homers in Chicago. Maybe he finds the best of both worlds here, but I would start him out in middle relief and let him prove it. Banda is good but has extreme splits. Due to the lack of righties, I think they should keep Sands as a setup option. If it were up to me, the bullpen would look like this on opening day: CL Funderburk SU Sands SU Banda MR Topa MR Rogers MR Hendricks MR Festa/Orze LR Klein/Lawyerson Hopefully by the middle or end of the year Festa or Raya are ready for high leverage roles.

He is my pick for most underrated prospect. I think he will slot into the fifth or sixth spots in the lineup for a long time. He may get plugged into the DH position, but I believe his bat is for real.

Probably Andrew Cossetti.

I think Culpepper and DeBarge have turned out great for them so far, with Schobel looking like a decent utility player. I have a feeling that Lewis will return to dominate form this year. My only qualm is with Lee. Too slow and too weak of an arm to play third or up the middle. If his hit tool returns maybe he can be Arraez 2.0 at 1B, but with a little more power and higher walk rate. Too early to know yet what we have in Merek Houston. I agree, though, best available.

I think that is the reasoning for the hire. This will be a transition year waiting for the kids in the minors to get a year or two of more seasoning. Plus the lockout is looming after this upcoming season. My guess is there will be a true long term manager hired for 2028.

No need to put him on the 40 man roster and start his clock for team control when the season is already lost and he has plenty to work on at St. Paul. Look at Abel, he was tearing up the minors but still could work on his command. The difference is The major league level had much less present-time talent-level than him starting. The Twins have at least replacement level corner outfielders on the roster.

I think the issue with ownership comes more down to who they have invested in player wise than how much has been invested in payroll or any other expense. I about lost it when they traded Berríos over Buck given their contrasting durabilities. They both received discounted salaries compared to the market rate. I thought they should have tried earlier and harder to retain Gray, but it probably wouldn't have made a difference with him. Interest must go both ways and sometimes even the $$$s don't change that. I like how they have invested in biometrics, technology, and analytics to get an edge, but sometimes it comes down to body type, old fashion physicality, and a willingness to back off a bit to not stress ligaments, soft tissue or break bones. Players can still be effective being smart with their bodies. This has been the biggest on-field issue, prioritizing peak performance over 150 game production. My final beef is how long it took to get a streaming option. That turned a ton of fans away. I gladly forked out the $100. That is two seats at one game for me, not including concessions, etc. You don't get a right to whine about payroll if you refuse to pay for the product. (P.S. the Twins led payroll spending in the AL Central in 2024).