Dman

I know I am going to get scorched for SSS but man do I wish I could take back my start Rooker comments from this spring. I really don't like his approach at the plate right now and I know he needs time to figure "it" out but would rather he do that in AAA. Give me Garlick give me anybody but him right now. He is too easy for pitchers to fool and K it is getting ridiculous. Cave hasn't been anything special either but at least he has taken some good at bats and battled the pitcher at times. Left field needs some help right now. Is this the curse of Rosario?

Yeah definitely a tough lose again, but that is baseball. No team wins every game. Most games are a struggle. Some quick thoughts. Happ didn't look that great to me. Getting 4 inning's of 1 run ball was a huge victory. Not sure what is up with Stashak and the sudden lose of control? The walks hurt us again so hopefully he gets that under control soon. Thielbar was dealing today. I guess my doubting him was a bad idea. He gave us two scoreless inning's and it looked like guys were having trouble hitting him. Arraez with a rough game and unclutch Kepler left four runners on base and K'd 3 times. Cruz was consistent Cruz and did his best to single handedly win the game but fell short. Buxton Wow, just wow I don't know what to say but he didn't exactly come through in the tenth. Sano gets some of the toughest strike calls I have ever seen. Someone needs to call the commissioner and find out what the deal is. Despite that he didn't look that great today. He can swing through a pitch like no one I have ever seen. Baddoo comes through again. This kid has such a sweet swing. He came up in the tenth and like a veteran didn't try to do too much just stayed within himself and pulled a solid single to right to win the game. This guy is the Tigers best hitter IMO. I think he will be winning games for them for a looong time.

Some really good at bats today. We got 11 walks and 14 hits so 25 men on base today which allowed us to score 15 runs. It is nice when the opposing team doesn't throw strikes and our guys don't get themselves out swinging at pitches outside the zone. I don't know who Detroit has pitching tomorrow but they should attack the zone or it will be another game like today. I know Sano did not a get a hit but I was so happy to see him take 3 walks. He wasn't getting himself out as much today. That will pay off eventually and technically did today as he scored twice on those 3 walks. Simmons has been a tough out to this point and productive lower in the lineup. He has been asset so far and with a good eye at the plate always seems to make pitchers work. The turtle was big today and I love watching him play especially when he is hitting well but no one was better than Cruz today. It is early and a SSS but if this is what we are going to get out of the Rooker\Cave platoon the FO is going to get killed for their Rosario decision. Cave looked pitiful today and Rooker still helpless on breaking balls. At least Rooker finally got a hit but I am having serious doubts about his ability to make contact with the baseball. After watching Cave today I can't wait for Buxton to get back. He can't get back soon enough. Thankfully for Detroit they had two easy outs today or the final score would have been worse. This Spring I had Dobnak ahead of Shoemaker and now it seems everything has flipped. Randy was fine until the final out and then suddenly couldn't find the edges of the zone and had to throw meatballs to get strikes. What happened to that slider? At least he picked a good time to have a breakdown. With a double digit lead it didn't matter what happened and he saved the pen for another day but there are some things to work on there. especially that put away pitch. This was a fun game to watch and gives me encouragement that maybe the bats are not going to be as bad as I thought and the starting pitching better than I thought. If the Twins keep playing like this it is going to be a very fun season.

He is just saying and I agree with him that the Twins had room to carry to Baddoo during rule V. If the reason for not adding him was they would need to carry 7 outfielders on the 40 man it doesn't make sense because they added Garlick on a waiver claim and now have 7 outfielder's on the 40 man. If they had kept Baddoo then they likely wouldn't have had room to claim Garlick but they would still have 7 outfielder's on the 40 man and Baddoo. That is the difference. Would you have rather had Baddoo protected or Garlick on a waiver claim? The Twins ended up with Garlick. The Tigers with Baddoo because he was not protected.

I think they could have kept him if they wanted to. They had 6 spots open at one point and they ended up trading Wade and still carrying 7 outfielders on the 40 man. I think that like others have said he had never played above A ball and they figured no one would pick him because teams rarely carry position player rule V picks for an entire season as the bench is light and you need productive players there. It was a calculated risk but it looks like it didn't work out. As Nicks A Viking said this is what the Rule V is for as Baddoo didn't have an easy path to the Twins 26 man and borderline for the 40 man. The Twins like Celestino's defense in center better and he profiles to stay a centerfielder and Baddoo does not. Baddoo doesn't have a great arm so likely limited to left field and as we all know the Twins have a plethora of options there. So as Birdwatcher said the Twins have really good depth on the farm right now and so some of that talent was bound to shake loose. I know there are doubters about Baddoo's ability but he had a really good spring. He can hit pull side with power and hit Oppo as well. Being well rounded he shouldn't face much shifting. He has a good eye at the plate. He is fast enough to play center field right now and steel bases. He has a lot of solid tools to be successful at the MLB level. Personally I wouldn't bet against him.

Yeah I was concerned and surprised they didn't protect him but I can also understand why. If we hadn't had the shortened season they would have protected him so the Tigers got lucky that he really does appear to be ready and they appear to have room for him too. Just wish he would have been picked by someone outside the division.

The team is looking more like the 2019 version with HR's up and down the lineup. Arraez getting onbase his fair share and guys hitting the ball hard. Saw good at bats today and it didn't always work out but nice to see guys willing to make the pitcher throw strikes. The one issue that reared its ugly head was bases loaded with no outs and we get no runs. Got to at least get that sac fly working there at a minimum. Anyway nice to see the bats might still be alive. Pitching has been excellent so far. Other than the cave in that led to the only loss things have looked good. I am eating some humble pie as I felt Robles might be a weak link but he has been good so far. Lets keep rolling like this and have another great season.

Well your starter can't pitch any better than that. I have been on Berrios's back for a while but a 12 K game with no hits makes me look like an idiot. He is not going to pitch like that every time out but if we are getting ace like Berrios for the full season the FO is going to be sorry they didn't work out a spring extension. Both of our catchers have K machines so far. 3 K's today for Jeffers makes him look overmatched at the plate. Garver hasn't been much better. Those guys need to make better contact. Buxton comes through again. Throwing him fat strikes is not a good idea anymore. I am surprised they don't go low and away more on him early in the count. So far it looks like the same home run or bust basher from last year. I guess if it is working keep on doing it. Heck of a well pitched game. Hopefully the bats come around for real this year and stay through the playoffs.

Honestly I think I could be persuaded either way. Based on spring and his past AAA performance I can see why the Twins are starting the season with Garlick. I didn't really see him make any errors in the field. He was hitting the ball hard and had more HR's than anyone else on the team. He only had one walk and a fair number of K's but he was making good contact as well. His OPS in AAA and this spring show that this is the player he is and that in general it works for him. Rooker started hot but fell off mid way. He was pretty K prone throughout the Spring and his K rate is higher than Garlick. Rooker has a 421 BABIP which is likely unsustainable and he only has one walk. He only hit one home run and didn't seem to be squaring up the ball as well as Garlick. Rooker also looked sloppy in the field which didn't help him either. Rooker still looked susceptible to striking out on breaking balls and he went into a deeper funk to end spring training. Add it all up and this spring Garlick looked like the player that could likely help the team the most to start the season. I was surprised how well Rooker played when they brought him up last year and really thought he was going to win the job to start the season but given his lack of contact and poor defense I can see why the Twins might be concerned. He would be a great DH candidate but that role is filled. I still think he puts things together and his bat plays but for now I am fine seeing what Garlick can do. Honestly I don't see Garlick making it long term but I have been horribly wrong before. I don't see Garlick having enough plate discipline to make it. Just as plate discipline dinged Rosario and became a somewhat fatal flaw I think it will be the same with Garlick, but he bought himself a chance to prove guys like me wrong. I hope he is a great player for the Twins this year as we need all the great bats we can get.

Thanks Tom! It was fun following all those guys this year and the position players got quite a bit of time in the field with injuries and late starts. Hard to argue with Law being the SOFM. He has four pitches he can use, his WHIP was fantastic and he never allowed a run all spring. Hard to beat what he did this spring. HIs one negative is he has no options left so once on the 26 man he would need to stay there. I think a case could be made for any one of Law, Farrell or Waddell making the team but with the 40 man tight right now and the guys they already have on the roster have done well before so it makes sense to wait and see at this point. Injuries, poor performance or trades could bring one or all of them up at some point this season just have to wait and see how the season goes. I was cheering hard for Broxton and still like him but he does look over matched at times. I still think he is good Buxton insurance so hopefully we can hang onto him until we need him if we need him. I thought Hamilton was likely going to be the best of the bunch but he just fell short this spring. Gibaut must still be struggling with control and Hopefully he and Anderson can make strides and become viable options at some point. The Twins did a good job of identifying arms to bring in and create depth for the pen. With all the turnover I was concerned about depth and with no Chalmers, Ober or Colina this spring I am glad they found Farrell, Law and Waddell to fill in if needed. All the moves and preparation for 2021 are behind us so let's hope the FO made good decisions and the players have good seasons. Stressing over every ball and strike starts tomorrow.

2020 was an odd year but so was 2019 with the juiced ball. It is really hard to get a feel for what guys might do or be capable of doing in 2021. I was fine with Caves production until last year when it was really bad. I think he gets hated on too much but he needs to perform this year. Larnach needs to be added to the 40 man next year so someone has to go as they are not going to carry 8 outfielders. Someone out of Garlic, Rooker and Cave need to be moved next year and honestly with all the pitchers that might need to be added they might want to slim down to 6 outfielders so might need to get rid of two of those three. Cave needs to have a good year if he plans on staying with the Twins. Average production won't keep him ahead of Kirilloff, Larnach and Celestino. Also with so many lefties Rooker and Garlic have more value as righties. He is going to have prove he belongs because after this year he doesn't look like a good fit in Minnesota.

I was rooting for Rooker but he looked pretty lost at the plate down the stretch. It was his job to lose and he managed to lose it. Garlic is his clone but all things being equal they would have stayed with Rooker. The OP is correct that Rooker doesn't seem to have much of a path in Minnesota. DH is truly his best position. Like most things it will work itself out. Hopefully Rook catches fire and stakes his claim.

Dang Rooker slumped badly at the end of spring. He still really struggles with breaking balls. Today he couldn't even hit his bread and butter fastballs. I think they made the right decision. Garlic is a slightly better defender in left and has taken slightly better at bats. Still pretty K prone though. IMO it was Rookers job to lose and he lost it. I agree with Stringer that the relievers (Law and Waddell) will be up if anyone falters or gets injured. Waddell is a likely replacement for Thielbar if he gets injured or is ineffective. Law looked really good all spring. Have to believe he could be the first one called up if there are issues with any righties. I think it makes sense to stay with the guys who are on the 40 man and have produced in the past. I just wouldn't feel too comfortable if I was Stashak or Thielbar as any stumbles and they likely make a move. Robles shouldn't feel comfortable either but will get a longer leash because he has no options left and they gave him 2M to play. I think in the case of the relievers they figure things will sort themselves out in the next month or two. Guys will either perform or not perform or get injured and then changes will be made. It is nice that we should have depth in the pen and starting rotation. to start the season. I was thinking the pen looked a bit depleted until Law, Waddell and Farrell looked like they had good enough stuff to supplement it. Would sure like to know what the deal is with Chalmers and Ober. They are soaking up 40 man spots and should be ready and yet we never saw them this spring. Colina was injured so another 40 man no show and Anderson isn't ready either. All these 40 man relievers and nobody seems available to help at least to start the season. Not sure what 40 man moves they can make to clear room if needed but hopefully some of that talent is tradable if needed.

I can agree none of them have Eddie's personality and it is possible none of them reach his level of production this year. It was a calculated risk taken.

With his new ability to strike guys out this could be an extremely good deal for the Twins. Hard to say if Randy can stay healthy and productive for that long but if he does the Twins will be getting him at a bargain price. I have been a Dobnak doubter for too long. Every time I doubt this guy I get burned. Here's hoping it turns out to be a good deal for both sides.

First let me say this is a first for the Twins extending a young home grown starting pitcher. The Twins just haven't been a team to get out in front in deals like this. They especially never want to do these deals for pitchers. I guess TINSTAAP? Well they broke that mold today. IMO the Twins see what I see, a guy ready to breakout and be a top of the rotation starter. Best to strike before it is too late. There also seems to be some poetic justice since they demoted possibly their second best pitcher (if the K rate holds). So this should make up for that. I think it is a good move. Randy has the security that if anything does go wrong with his arm or body he has life changing money. The Twins get an incentive laden deal that pays for performance and let's them off the hook if he gets injured or becomes ineffective. Randy has to be a happy guy today and the Twins just as happy. Very surprised to see this today but it is nice to see our team making an early deal for once.

Like I have been all spring maybe I am over reacting but if someone suggested Berrios come out the pen or piggy back off of Happ and Shoemaker how would this board react? They had about the same ERA and WHIP last year. Berrios has better peripheral's like K rate but if Dobnak has found his Strike out pitch there won't be much of anything separating them anymore except that Dobnak keeps the ball on the ground and Berrios doesn't. I guess if you can justify that to yourselves then all is well. Randy does have SSS issues all the way around but watching him this spring he looks like a different pitcher to me. Maybe have Berrios come out of the pen?

You are correct that they could have kept Rosario if they wanted to, but they didn't want to. I believe the FO tried to trade him but had no takers. He passed through Waivers unclaimed so pretty much the whole league agreed with the Twins that his price per production wasn't worth it. That is just the reality of how all FO's see Rosario. Does that mean he is a bad player or won't have a good year or years, no, but it is hard to fault our FO when the rest of league let him pass by. Yeah eventually the Indians signed him but I am not aware of anyone reporting lot's of teams had interest. If he were this great player shouldn't someone have claimed him or more teams try and sign him? If you could hand out an award for passion, fire and not being afraid of big moments Rosario would win hands down. He is a good left fielder but not a top 10 left fielder. Given what we know and how other teams responded it is hard to fault the FO for letting him go.

I think the issue is the FO said they wanted to take best players north to start the season and it was one of the reasons they didn't take Kirilloff with them. Whether you like it or not competition means something even in spring where stats mean less than normal. The other thing is as fans, and hopefully the FO, you want your best 5 pitchers pitching to start the season. While it is just spring and stats don't matter Randy has been so dominant that right now it appears that isn't the case. I know there is only so much competition you can have against veteran pitchers. With Happs late start and Shoemaker blowing up one game and not having a great K\9 this spring it creates the feeling that they are not as ready as Randy to start the season. While i get that Randy can piggy back off of Happ or Shoemaker it seems like a waste if one of those guys gives up five runs and then Randy pitches well the rest of the way and we lose by one run or something. That isn't going to sit well at all. Don't get me wrong I like the depth and I begged the FO for veteran depth but that was before Randy K\9 Dobnak showed up this spring. I get that you can't count vets out in Spring Training and they may very well end up starting the season well but I also get why people are questioning it too. Randy has looked like a front line starter the other two have not.

I really thought Hamilton was the safe pick early in. He appeared to have good velocity to go with a good slider. He didn't appear to have control problems and yet he gave up too many hits, walks and ultimately runs. My early pick is out of the race. IMO it is Waddell's to lose. I know his ERA and WHIP are higher because of the one bad outing but he is younger than Law and Farrell and he has more K's. I have only gotten to see him a couple of times but his stuff looked like it was getting on guys fast and they were swinging over the top most every swing. Waddell also throw fairly hard for a lefty and we don't have a ton of good lefties as it is. For all those reason I would pick him. Law has been equally impressive and like Farrell has yet to give up a run this spring. I like his stuff and with the fastball around 95 and multiple pitches he has the tools to succeed. If Waddell falters then I would give it to Law. Farrell was my pick early in after he K'd all three batter he faced and I still like him over Law but the guys that matter see it differently. Not sure what it is they don't like, as his K\9 is slightly better than Law's and he has some great bendy stuff IMO. It looks like he doesn't throw quite as hard but his results have been as good as the other two to this point. Sorry to see Broxton falling off. As the competition gets tougher down the stretch here he seems to be wilting. He is in danger of turning into the weak hitter he has always been. Hopefully he rights the ship soon. SSS can lead us awry and doesn't give him much room for error to make it as the SOFM. I like all three relievers right now. I would be fine with any one of them being crowned but there can only be one SOFM.

I can't believe it. I knew it was maybe going to take some time for him to come back but I didn't see this coming especially not this fast. Feel bad for his family but Rest In Peace Mike Bell.

Yeah I don't know, pitching is variable and the season is long. My generalized feeling is that the long season benefits the younger arms as they are less likely to suffer short term setbacks or long term injury. I know injuries can happen at any age and anytime but in general younger means fewer of those issues. Honestly I think the matchups with the Twins are too close to call and injuries might decide the winner. The Sox already lost Jiminez so that hurts them some. The one thing you mentioned that might be a deciding factor is I think the Twins have greater depth than the Sox and that might turn out to be very important this year. To me on paper the Sox are younger and more talented but not by much. It should be a battle to the end. Also the Indians or Royals could surprise this year. I think it will be more of a 4 team race than most people. If the Indians find some hitting and the Royals pitching that will change things.

My guess is the Twins value Devin more than this board does and starting pitching especially lefties in our system are hard to come by, so you might be right. For me and my untrained eye though Devin hasn't been "good" since his debut, isn't a hard thrower and has likely reached his ceiling. While he has pretty strong 5th starter upside after this year we will likely have several better options. They could keep him for depth though because if they have a ton of injuries this year he is likely our best option behind Dobnak and Thorpe. So getting rid of him early could hurt later but hard to say. Like you I have not been impressed with the wild Anderson. The thing is he has elite spin rates which are hard to come by and he throws hard. His ceiling is shut down elite reliever. Can he ever gain enough control to become that? Hard to say, but given the fact the Twins just traded for him it would seem odd to just give him away without even trying to fix his control issues. I don't see them dropping him this early. Back to Law. If Derek has turned a corner and has his pitches under control and new K ability we could certainly use another shut down pen arm to start the season. Losing Smeltzer who may not even be needed this year and almost certainly not next year for someone we could use day one is the decision that needs to be made. They certainly can delay that decision since Law doesn't have an opt out but to me that is the trade off they have in front of them. I guess we'll find out what they think soon enough.

Nice, funny look at service time that also shows us the dark side of that practice.

Look I loved Eddie too and watching him you could see he loved baseball. He was an emotional and fierce competitor and a joy to watch at times. He has his warts though too and when the Twins dropped him it wasn't like teams scrambled to add him to their roster. He ended up on a team with dire needs in the outfield willing to take a chance. I am not defending the FO as much as looking around and seeing reality. The reality is small market teams get rid of players when they start to become expensive. The A's Rays, Indians, KC, etc have limited payroll and generally have to pick and choose who to spend it on. Those teams trade players early to gain value back that is less expensive. If they can't work a trade then they waive them. Even teams with big payrolls make those decisions. The Twins have a surplus of young outfielders along with Cave that they feel can fill the hole left by Rosario and so they let him go. Like you we all thought Kirilloff was ready to fill that void but he didn't look ready this spring. I don't love Cave as his 2020 was really bad but the Twins feel he is a MLB starter so we'll see what he brings this year. I agree with you that Rooker is a defensive liability. His arm accuracy and foot speed have been poor from what I have seen this spring but if you liked Rosario's power then you should like Rooker because he has more power than Rosario. IMO Kirilloff will be the most well rounded replacement but his bat needs to come around first. I get your frustration I think we all felt it when they let Rosario go but if you look around it is what most teams with our level of payroll do. If you have excess young talent in one area move on from the expensive player and allocate that money elsewhere. This isn't something new, most all teams do this. Let's just hope it works out well for our favorite team.