mikelink45

Another way to look at the team is to stack them up in rank among the local teams - Vikings Timberwolves Lynx Wild Gophers Loons Saints or Twins

I am hardly attached to any of the current Twins. They are the baseline - move them out and raise the floor.

Such a sad perspective and way to realistic for Twins fans. Please let us have a rookie that comes up, stays healthy and produces - that works for other teams.

Move on. If we have him in 2026 we are definitely not improving.

One correction - last five games - Varland gave up zero runs. The trade had to shock him too. For most improved I would say Buxton - just by playing so many games and setting so many new standards. Otherwise I make it SWR who really became the best SP on the staff the last month. Sentimentally yes - Clemens rose from DFA to a fun player who I hope does not start in 2026.

Too late - next debate!

There was only one answer - no suspense. I am sorry we lost Bader - I really liked what he brought in. So who would get the least valuable player? I know we have a lot of DFAs so I hesitate to look at them. Julien and Gaspar are my choices although Wallner, Larnach, Clemens, Lee, Lewis has periods where they were higher in the rankings. In the pitching side I found too many to choose from and often such small samples. So let's start with ERA over 7 (non pitchers excluded) and work our way up: Travis Adams 7.49 Genesis Cabrera 7.98 Mick Abel 8.36 Jorge Alcala 8.88 Anthony Misiewixz 9.64 Brooke Kriske 11.25 Joey Wentz 15.75 Noah Davis 16.20 Now it would be easy to choose Noah and he was terrible but overall it is more an indictment of the scrap heap signings of Falvey. Since Alcala was in 22 games and expected to be a key part of the BP I would choose him. If we go by WAR Travis Adams at -0.9 just beats out Alcala at -0.8 (which ties him with Kriske). In total we had 13 players with worse pitching WAR than Willi Castro.

Are you sure?

What isn't working is the ownership of the Pohlads. I know we can't spend like the dodgers and the Yankees, but when I look at the Brewers and the guardians and some of the other low budget teams I see more hope than what this team has given us. We have sacrificed so much quality constantly saying the new prospects will raise the bar and I am 80 so waiting for the next championship is not looking very promising.

If Falvey has fired Baldelli before tearing the team apart or if he had not extended Baldelli at a time when it seemed like a slap in the face to fans or if he had said that they had pulled the rug out from Baldelli, but he would be given another chance to right the ship... So many ifs on a team that is the epitome of WHAT IF from selling the team to building the team. Maybe we should just build another stadium. They said they needed Target Field to be able to afford a winner. What I realize now is that they did not say they would field a winner, just that they could afford to.

Time to move on - the new manager needs to have a new team - coaching staffs need to support and compliment one another.

I think the article points out our pipeline is clogged. Lots of names, But lousy production. Not only have we blown out the arms, but we have not had anyone step in with consistency like the pitchers in Cleveland or Milwaukee. The mythical pipeline is only a reality when we see production in MLB..

What I look at is the prospects coming up through other teams and their progression. Some don't make it, but so many more do than the percent or Twins prospects.

Who can predict the Pohlads - if they lost money like they claim it is a result of their tone-deafness. They don't know the fans, probably don't want too, but it is the fans who buy tickets, sell ads on TV and Radio, who come to sites like this because we care. But if I were teaching a class in public relations for a business that relies on enthusiasm and faith in the product the Twins would be the classic - what ever you do, don't follow their model.

I know MLB manager jobs are difficult to get, but what kind of individual can we attract after these two years and the changes and roster?

It means nothing. I am not a Rocco fan, but I am more against Falvey and Pohlad - this is meant to take the pressure off of them. But it shouldn't.

I am rooting for Cleveland and Milwaukee. I like these Great Lakes teams for the hustle and team ball they play. Plus almost no one outside the Midwest even knows who these teams are.

I have to add to my own post - seeing the Guardians playing the Tigers and the Yankees playing the Red Sox in round one is almost like extending the regular season for all four teams. Imagine the tension as these teams try to prove who is best in their own division as well as moving on to the next round!

Have you noticed how good hitting prospects have done the last five years? Lewis the big number one started fast and now we wonder about his future. Lee was going to be ready, his father and lineage said potential star. Julien came up and looked like he would make us forget Arraez, then he became AAAA. Miranda had a record on base streak and now is not even AAAA. Wallner came up, made Gleeman excited and then hit 202. Larnach was a first rounder who only needed time. Now he is replacement level. Keirsey and McCusker won at AAA just as Gaspar did - and now we don't even see them as bench players (unless we want a designated SB - Keirsey. Of course we also pick up great bats like Roden (191), Outman (134), and Bride (170). Holding judgment on Clemens (213).

Another good summary, but much more optimistic than I would have written. 2026 is such a mystery - I only want to enjoy the playoffs and think about the Twins next year.

I believe there are many reasons for parades - circuses, holidays, championships....maybe even the Pohlads leaving town - we could all participate in that parade.

I wouldn't worry about charging it

Let's say goodbye to these three and a few more. I have no expectations for next year but I do not want to see, watch, listen or read about these kinds of fillers. Experiment, but with some hope. SWR has gone through a lot of criticism. I am pleased with him and his work. He has ignored the comments and has just kept improving. I am done with Larnach, disappointed in Wallner and hoping for some young new OF talents. But most of all, hurray, the season is over and we are 0 - 0 again for the next one.

I have to say I am tired of Falvey, Pohlad, Rocco and the Twins season, but not baseball. Imagine what this season has been for baseball fans outside of Minnesota. A catcher hitting 60 Hrs. Ryan Jeffers has 68 HRs for his career - Joe Mauer has more career HRs than any other Twins catcher 102. Earl Battey 91, Tim Laudner 77 and then Jeffers. No other catcher in our 64 years has hit 60 HRs in a career with the Twins. Buxton has broken out with 34 HRS. Ohtani has now hit 54 HRs two years in a row and Judge has 53 despite being on the IL and missing 10 games - four times he has hit 50+ and Kyle Schwaber has 56. That is four 50 HR batters in one year with Suarez on HR short with a day to go! What a year. Harmon Killebrew is the all time Twins single season record holder with 49 twice. And 6'7" Judge is leading the majors in BA! We had the big collapses - Mets and Tigers and the amazing run for the top by the Guardians wile Colorado and the White Sox let us forget how bad the Twins were. There is poor Houston out of the playoffs for the first time in 9 years. Skenes 197 era and Skubal 2.21 are elevating starting pitching as so many of us have wished for and proving wins are not all that count, but Max Fried has won 19 games! Remember when pitchers like Spahn and Koufax regularly won 20. And Crochet and Rodon have 18 each. Yes wins count too. Now the playoffs give us a chance to see if Ohtani both hits and pitches the Dodgers to victory. Can the Guardians maintain their season magic? Do the Red Sox beat up their biggest rival or do the Yankees run over them? Can the Blue Jays hang on? Will we see Varland and France in the winner locker room? Will the Tigers regain their footing and stop the slide? What can the Reds do? Can Elly run wild? Can Greene dominate the mound? Will former Twin Steer become a hero? Will Duran be the winning secret for the Phillies? And will Bader continue to be a key to their offense like he has been since the trade? Will Milwaukee continue to prove Pohlad and Falvey wrong? Can they, like the Guardians show that team baseball can beat superstar baseball? Can the Padres finally catch and pass the Dodgers? Are the Cubs real? Can Tucker earn his big paycheck? Can PCA dazzle under the playoff lights? I can be a Twins fan (painful as it is) and still care and want to know what is happening in these series.

I am in agreement with the two most recent TD essays but I wonder what we will read the rest of the off season if these are happening before the playoffs even begin. Please cover the playoffs and give us some real baseball before our winter baseball blues set in.