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Dman

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Everything posted by Dman

  1. Dman
    I agree with you. The Padres need Abrams to back up Short and possibly be used in center as Tatis has short most days. He is the perfect backup plan for injuries in the infield or outfield. They won't trade him. They likely won't trade Gore unless they think there is something wrong with him that cannot be corrected but then why trade for him? Not sure how they feel about Campusano but he looks a little Jeffers like to me so not sure I would build a package around him if I am the Twins. Then it is down to Hassle who is a ways a way and San Diego can likely live without if they keep Abrams so that is why I think he is the first guy to build a package around and I am not sure he is someone the Twins really need but, looks to be a very good player in time. They just don't feel like a good match to me unless they would be willing to part with Abrams which as you said and I agree I don't think they will as he is already in their long term plans.
  2. Dman
    I looked at their system and it isn't a great match. I think Hassell would be about the only guy I could see them building a package around and it isn't a position of great need. If they were willing to move on from Abrams that would be worth while but unless we are doing a Berrios trade I don't see that in the cards and I don't think the Twins will move Berrios. I think the odds the Twins get anything done with the Padres is very slim.
  3. Dman
    I keep saying Wallner is going to come down to earth and yet he just keeps hitting and homering his way through games. I know he might have to finish his year at High A getting him some time at AA would keep him moving. Maybe thing change after the deadline with players likely to to move up.
  4. Dman
    Was happy to see Leach pitch fairly well. Hopefully those arm issues are behind him and he can make a difference.
  5. Dman
    I believe Law and several others always saw Vallimont as a reliever not a starter so I agree with you I think his stuff plays even with a slightly higher WHIP as a reliever but, not as a starter. I still think the Twins will try him as a starter as long as they can to see if he can harness his control. I have been following him since they got him and can have control issues at times.
  6. Dman
    Hamilton is starting to look like the real deal. I have to believe they call him up after the deadline. They need to know if his stuff plays at the MLB level.
  7. Dman
    I do think the Twins should call him up after the deadline and see how he does at the plate. If pitcher's are still making him look silly and he can't hit anything then I say the odds he ever makes it are slim. Maybe a team needy for a 1st Baseman will see his value. Maybe the Rays would bite. I like Rooker and his AAA numbers are impressive but right now Mark Contraras has a 911 OPS in AAA and he is actually a plus defensive outfielder. It just kind of seems like Rooker is in the way on the 40 man right now. Kirilloff looks like maybe the best fit at 1st base and Sano needs to play there and Garver could play there as well. Rooker is a liability in the outfield and I don't think he has fixed his chasing of Breaking balls low in the zone. He can play 1st but right now there are just too many guys there IMO. I guess he could always just DH but will he ever figure out MLB pitching? That is the question and he doesn't have much time left before he is an afterthought.
  8. Dman
    Yeah but I think #5 starter\shut down reliever is their floor and #3 starter is their ceiling so it depends on how you want to look at it. Both players had been mentioned either being or close to being top 100 prospects so both are very talented pitchers. I get the reluctance as I don't love the K rate for Strotman and his WHIP right now does not lend itself to MLB success but I believe most articles stated he needed more time to develop but the pitches/stuff is there. I guess we will see if that is true or not fairly soon. Obviously the Twins think he will improve on his control or would have asked for someone else. I also don't love the wild card delivery for Ryan although his K rates speaks for itself and with that low WHIP he sure looks like the real deal. I mean if that stuff does carry over to MLB I have to believe he looks like a top of the rotation starter to me. There just isn't anyone to compare him too though so no way to know how his stuff will play in MLB. I see your concerns but IMO you could stand to go glass half full or at least acknowledge the upside they both have instead of downplaying it.
  9. Dman
    First thanks for the great write up. Honestly I am surprised the FO was able to get two Pitchers similar to Winder\Balazovich for 2 months of Cruz. That is 12 years of control for 2 months of Cruz assuming they don't resign him and Faucher keeps his WHIP at 2.00. Getting a prospect back that ranks 6th in our system and another at 12th is a very good get for a rental and struggling pitcher at AA. I think this is a great move for the Rays as well. They didn't give up anything at the top of their farm system and they didn't take any chances on missing out on the best bat at the deadline assuming the Rangers don't shop Gallo. They paid a heavy price giving up two arms that were close to MLB ready but I really think Cruz can help push them over the top and would love to see them win the WS. With this haul will the Twins stand pat? They wanted something similar for Berrios but it seemed like teams were reluctant to part with pitching that was close to MLB ready. Or now that they have that will they be more inclined to trade Jose for players that are slightly further away? Anyway I am happy with what they were able to get for Cruz but I will miss him. I can't remember a player who came in and fit so well with the players the fans and community in such a short time. He will be Sorley missed but he does get a chance to chase that long awaited ring.
  10. Dman
    I was looking at Greg Jones for the Nelson Cruz trade but the Twins went close to the majors pitching instead which they probably needed more than a position player. If they could find a way to pry Jones away I would do it even if they had to add Duffy or something else to the deal. Jones has swing and miss issues but has the speed to play short and center and he carries a high OPS bat as well. Swing and miss can be a volatile combination when trying to jump to the big leagues but I think he is worth the risk. Any arm at the the top or even middle of the Rays system would be a good get. So wouldn't be disappointed in another arm for Pineda but I like Jones the best. Not sure if the Rays like Pineda that much or if they will go with someone else. Will have to wait and see.
  11. Dman
    I am really going to miss Nelson Cruz. Every time he came up to bat I held my breath because I knew he could change the game with a single swing. He always kept the clubhouse loose and I loved his fun loving personality. He tended to come up clutch too. Need a single, a sac fly a HR? He got it done more often than not. He will leave a very big hole in this lineup. That being said he has a chance to win a world series and become a world champion something I think he really deserves. The Rays did very well and were smart to grab him before the frenzy began. He will be a huge difference maker for them. Whether in the DH spot a pinch hitter you name it he will be ready to change the game for them. He could be their Albert Pujols or David Ortiz bat that can make such a huge difference in post season play. The Rays just helped themselves a lot today. Nelson I truly appreciate all you brought to the Minnesota Twins and wish you nothing but success. Thanks for the joy you brought winning games for the team I love. You will be missed.
  12. Dman
    There is no such quote but there are many articles and I will post just one that let's us read between the lines about his thinking. The White Sox actually offered him more money than the Phillies but he wanted to play closer to his wifes family so money wasn't the only factor in his decision. Sure maybe the Twins could have blown him away with an offer even higher and maybe he would have taken it or maybe the Phillies would have just come close to matching and he still would have stayed with them, it is hard to say. His family though was a higher priority according to league sources and it was widely reported at the time. He had a better offer on the table and he didn't take it. If he didn't want to go to Chicago what are the odds he wanted to come to Minnesota?
  13. Dman
    Well like you said you would have Berrios for 10 more years. A top of the rotation arm that you don't have to worry about. You could have put Arraez or any number of players at 3rd and gotten decent production. Who is replacing Berrios anytime soon? Berrios seems a much more important building block to me than Donaldson. We do get Donaldson for 2 or 3 more years but with Berrios gone do you feel the team is going to get better or worse?
  14. Dman
    I think this what I am struggling with as well. My thinking is they must feel they only have room for one of those types of contracts. That is why in some ways I feel Donaldson is addition by subtraction. His contract is the "one" big contract they are willing to do and until that is close to coming off the books they won't do another. It was kind of the same deal with Mauer was it not? I don't think the Donaldson deal has been a bad one at least not yet but if it is at the expense of losing a young solid pitcher then I don't like how they allocated their money to get value. If they can make the money\budget work paying both players then why wouldn't they do it since they have not had great luck in free agency. Berrios has been a durable pitcher with solid results and should have some room to improve as well. I guess that is where I am struggling. If there was ever a player to bet on it seems like Jose is the one. Why let him go?
  15. Dman
    Yeah I had my share of questions the offseason they signed Donaldson. Most of the board wanted that money spent on more pitching but also acknowledged third base had been a bit of a black hole for the team. Many of us questioned at that time already if the Twins shouldn't put that money into contract extensions for Berrios and Buxton. Of Course Buxton was hurt a bunch and it was then and still is now hard to gauge his value since he hasn't played close to a full season in a long time. So not completely surprised nothing got done there. At the time I thought that would have been the best time to try to sign Berrios long term or at least extended several years. I believe they would have had decent leverage as Berrios was a bit of an up and down pitcher those years. Still you could see he was always going to be a good starter. I don't know what was offered but they likely needed to up it much more than they did. If they would have just invested in Berrios they would have been in a much different spot right now. They are very risk averse when investing in pitching which makes sense because they tend to get hurt so much but in this case they had a young durable starter to invest in and they didn't. Still 3rd base was a black hole that needed to be filled and they filled it with a very good player. They managed a trade for Maeda and it looked like they were ready to compete through their 2 to 3 year window. Then this year it all fell a part. With Lewis's injury they could really use Donaldson's Money allocated to the shortstop position. And of course it looks like they are going to need more pitching. I get that they wanted to strengthen in the infield by signing Donaldson but I think in the end those funds would have been more useful in other areas. I do question the FO's priorities at times. I just think in the end spending that money on 3rd base is going to hurt more than help in the long run.
  16. Dman
    I don't love their system seems like we could do better with other teams. Whitely seems like a dangerous trade given all the arm issues and lack of command he was having. Brown is interesting but I don't love that WHIP. Again seems a bit of a wild card if cannot control his pitches. I don't hate Barber but it is not a position I would want as a headliner.
  17. Dman
    Varland has been crazy good for a good long time now. I don't know what he throws but it must be some nasty stuff. Another great game for him. Gipson Long pitched really well, too, He hasn't quite been Winder good but he sure has that K factor going for him. He can definitely miss bats. Nice to see Sands pitching well but I see they are easing him back into it. I wonder he will be low innings the rest of the way. Winder didn't have his best night giving up 2 HR's and 4 ER's with only 2 K's. Moran wasn't lights out either. Welcome to AAA boys.
  18. Dman
    I just can't see the Mets doing that deal. Too much risk as Megill hasn't even pitched 100 innings in a season yet to date, The sample size is so small you can't really tell what he is or isn't. Risky for the Twins to because is this Vance Worley all over again or another front line pitcher? Too hard to tell. If I am the Mets I try and sell the Twins on the high upside of Matt Alan and Kumar Rocker and throw in a position player to boot. Giving away more of their future for the present would be better for them since they need as much present value as they can get right now. I can see the attraction they have for Berrios though. A 27 year old pitcher with nasty stuff who paired with Degrom, Stroman and Walker and for the moment Megill would be a tough rotation to beat in the playoffs. It might be worth betting the farm for them hard to say. They have to give up a lot of future value though to get the Twins interested. I think I like other systems better especially the Blue Jays so I think the Mets are going to have a hard time getting the Twins to deal which I suppose is why Megill is the out of the box idea to get it done. Like I said if I were the Mets and really wanted Berrios I would overpay with prospects that are further away as they have a team that looks ready to do some damage right now.
  19. Dman
    Magi comes through yet again. What a season he is having. Just couldn't ask for much more. Hope he gets a call up later in the season but that is just me. Miranda was pretty clutch too. Jordan had a bit of slow start but he seems to get tougher as the game goes on. He was very efficient last night and still got a K per inning pitched. He has been very impressive after his tough start to the year. I go back and forth on Cabbage. There are times when I think he is going to be a monster and break through and then he goes missing for several games. He has the power, he just needs to do the little things a little bit better and he looks like a good corner outfielder. Nice to see Wallner make it back with a bang. I am far from his strongest supporter but still am hoping he proves me wrong and he looked pretty good last night. Can't believe the Muscles pulled off that win. I had them in the lose column already as they aren't really a team built for a 6 run comeback. I guess that is why you play hard until the end as they pulled this one off by staying patient at the plate.
  20. Dman
    I guess I am a little surprised and maybe don't understand how FO's look at players. Max has trouble with two things and if he ever conquers them he would probably be an All-Star caliber player. He needs to hit lefties better as it is getting to a point where platooning him might make the most sense. He hits everything pull side directly into the shift so his BABIP will always be low. If he fixes one or both of those them yes Max would be even higher on that list. As things stand he is who he is. If you are OK with his current level of production then yes he has great value.
  21. Dman
    I am guessing they would only be interested in JD if they miss out on Bryant. I like JD I really do. He is the only other bat Minnesota has that is OPSing 800. The thing is if the Nats are willing to take on most of the salary then we could really use that extra money to get what we need next year which is a legit shortstop. Miranda looks set to take on third next year and if we can get on of the free agent SS I think this team could be on the right track to compete again. If the Nats are game the Twins should be game.
  22. Dman
    Give the Mets credit offering their 2nd and 6th best prospects but the offer seems pretty underwhelming to me. I know Mauricio is their 2nd rated prospect but he is no solid shortstop prospect to me. In fact we have a better version of him at AAA and his name is Jose Miranda. Ginn looks more like a Jax type pitcher than a a front line starter. His K rate for the level is poor as it shows he lacks dominance. Santos is young for the level but more a lottery ticket wild card IMO. If that is the best they can offer I think we would have to look elsewhere. Those guys don't match up IMO. If healthy I could see maybe trading for Matt Allen, Pete Crow Armstrong, and Ginn. There you would be getting a potential front line starter in Allen. a potential Solid to elite centerfielder and a possible back of the rotation starter. The thing is that trade depends on how you feel about Allen's arm as he is currently injured and how that arm holds up in the future. If you are OK with the Allen risk I think that is a deal more likely to get it done.
  23. Dman
    Seth thanks for these recaps I know I really appreciate them. I was most impressed by your players of the week. Balazovichs last start was pure domination. He looked really good as the hitters has no idea where the ball was going to go and several just stood there taking called third strikes. He looked like a guy who could make it as front of the rotation starter. Rooker was amazing with the HR's last week. I still have my concerns but he looks better than ever at AAA so hopefully he brings that forward with him to MLB. He is on the 40 man he needs to prove he belongs there. Nice to see some of our pitchers coming back (Sands, Rijo) hopefully they look good the rest of the way. With all the pitching injuries our affiliates have been depleted of starters. Happy to see all teams above 500. Shows the Twins have a balanced system right now.
  24. Dman
    Berrios was always going to be a tough sign as he always wanted to wait for free agency. If the Twins were ever going to get him to sign an extension they needed to do it when the Yankees signed Severino. The Twins were too chicken to do deals like that. When they couldn't extend him last year I knew for sure they had no chance. Well at least the FO knows where they stand, Hopefully they make a good decision and come out of this OK. The odds are against them though. If they trade at the deadline and the players don't work out it will be a big black mark if they only get him for 2022 and that year is bad too then they look even worse possibly negligent or incompetent. They are in a tough spot but they had to see this coming.
  25. Dman
    I don't know what this team is going to do once Nelson Cruz is gone. He had the big HR and a productive sac fly for two of the three RBI's. I have had my doubts about Jax but the way he pitched today gives me hope. Three K's to start the game against a very good lineup he looked great out there. To bad about the blister as they generally take at least a couple of weeks to heal up but he gave them enough to get the win. I hope he can prove to be a part of the future we need all the pitching we can get.
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