Dman

Unless the Twins and Lirano are confident that he is going to do well I don't see Minnesota as a good spot for him. There is already a history of disappointment and if he struggles his past will haunt him quickly in Minnesota not so if he goes elsewhere. I too am not a fan of giving a high 2nd round pick even though it has been pointed out that several of those have not amounted to much. At least not for the gamble that is Liriano. In this case I think it is better for both parties to look elsewhere.

I am kind of a Hu fan myself. He came out of no where last year and seemed unhitable at times. I wonder if he can find the same level of success Berrios had last year. He seems to have the pitches and a good approach. I like him for my sleeper break out candidate. I like the Gonsalves pick and I have always liked him. That was a heck of a pick for the 4th round. I hope he does move quickly. I also agree with Doc in that I like Thorpe as well. Nice to see a good crop of young arms to get excited about.

I am a big Wheeler fan. When moving from high A to AA a pitchers ERA usually goes up pretty significantly. Wheeler stuck around 2 something through all three levels I believe. I think he has things figured out. I would hate to lose him now. Having said that he doesn't throw real hard and could be just another Darnell or Gilmartin it is hard to know but would like to see him for at least one more year. Not a huge Gilmartin fan but I agree a team would likely take him if he was exposed. He seems to run out of gas an give up big innings. Not sure what the deal is but probably should give him another year to see if there is more there than meets the eye. If nothing else you would think he could be trade bait or throw in material. I think those are the only two other guys I would hang onto besides Sano, Rosario and Meyer. Next year this list gets much harder.

Pretty darn nice Arizona performance by Rosario. I hope he bounces back next year and we see him with the Twins in the not too distant future. Nice job by the relievers as well. Hard to complain about 0 ERA's. Should be exciting watching MILB next year.

Thanks for the article SD Buhr! I have been craving to hear how he feels about his incredible first season. Hope he can keep it going and find success in the Bigs.

I don't think that getting A LF and hughes type pitcher is a horrible thing by any means but I have to disagree with you that they wouldn't block anybody for this year. If they get a good LFer then they are basically saying we won't see Rosario or Sano this year until maybe September. It also means we likely won't see much of Hicks as Santana appears entrenched in center unless Esco gets hurt. So if Sano and Rosario are knocking the ball around in double and triple A they won't get called up to replace veteran players who are getting paid a lot of money to play. Does it matter that they get blocked this year? probably not, it just delays their MLB development and then we do this whole dance again next year. I would like them to leave left alone and start Hicks or Schafer in left. If Rosario or Sano hit well in AA then they can play in Left and we can see how well they do. Whoever is ready early though could come up and likely play Left or move someone else to left. Use it to figure out who belongs and who doesn't or at least to give valuable at bats to younger guys. Pitching I would love the Twins to add an Ace anything less and I would prefer to find out more about Meyer, Berrios, Darnell, Gilmartin, Duffy, Wheeler, Rogers etc. I think one or two of those guys can be as good as Nolasco, Correia or Pelfrey. If I thought the Twins could find another Hughes I'd be all for it but it is a 50\50 shot and I would rather find out what we have on the farm this year. Prospects are going to keep bubbling up at higher rates and we won't be able to protect them all on the 40 man. I really think it makes sense to figure out who can play MLB as soon as possible now more than ever before for the Twins. We can buy guys to fill holes but to say they won't block or clog things seems unrealistic IMO.

As I think I said earlier yours is the safer sounder strategy and likely the Twins way of operating. My ideas are a bit pie in the sky but they are more in line with how I feel about this topic.

From the other side no one is saying the team won't win more games with some good FA signings. but FA signings are not the guaranteed success you make them out to be. Many people wanted Drew at SS last year and Escobar performed better and we kept Burdi who could become a fast track bullpen guy. We got a prized pitching FA in Nolasco and what did that get us. I think Meyer could, have done as well as Nolasco. Both Santana and Vargas came up and played well this year. If shortstop was blocked by a veteran we wouldn't know what we have and be out a draft pick. Sure Melky would help this team in the short term likely little question there but where is he three years from now? You look at AA and it is lineup of Buxton, Sano, Polanco, AB Walker, Rosario, Berrios, Duffy, the list goes on. Agreed that most of these guys don't sniff MLB until at least. July if not later but once you have. Melky we won't see Rosario until the contract is up. That is just the way is works. We have the pipeline we should use it not block it.

I guess it depends on what your vision of the future is. Are you interested in player development or a few more wins? Do you see Sano, Buxton, Meyer, Rosario starting 2016 together? If you do then why not get them as much MLB experience as possible. It really comes down to how you view 2016 to me. Maybe they aren't ready or won't be ready there is a decent possibility that will be the case but I also don't see a FA left fielder or pitcher taking us to the playoffs next year. That being said I want to see the team invest MLB time in the future players that might make the playoffs. Odds are the Twins agree with you as they are very patient but I just want to see the young guys move as fast as possible now and if they do I think 2016 will be a lot of fun.

I'm with the let's just roll plan. Let's find out what we have and leave room for Meyer, Sano, Buxton, Rosario, maybe Berrios or Polanco to play this year. While I agree that getting one of the prized pitchers would be an awesome surprise I don't see the Twins doing it. A reclamation project is just as likely to produce Nolasco as much as Hughes and we still have Pelfrey. Why not find out what you have in Meyer, Tonkin, Berrios, Pryor, Pressly, Oliveros, Rosario, Sano. etc. everyone was going crazy about that earlier this year. Are we going to stick with aging vets or find out who has the talent to make it and who doesn't? There is a ton of talent in the pipeline and lots of 40 man decisions to be made. Let's find out what we have so we don't lose the wrong players from the 40 man. Let's go young and keep the young talent moving forward. Not everyone is gonna make it but throw enough talented bodies out there and a core will stick. Or keep them in AAA and block everything up. the talent is in the pipeline lets see what we have.

Mr. St. Peter, If the core guys coming up turn into All-Stars and we finally build a top 5 team will you be willing to spend over the budget to keep that team together for as long as possible? Even if it meant losing money for three or four years if the team was really good would ownership do that for the fans and the city?

To me Rosario has always been a streaky hitter. When he is on he can go 4 for 5 and when he falls into the abyss 2 for 20. Granted everyone has slumps but IIRC he seems more prone to them than most. I would say he is on one of his hot streaks and once he comes crashing down he won't be able to buy a hit. Having said that I do like him as a player. I think he can hit and hit for more power than most project and I like his defensive versatility. If he gets just a little more consistent I think we have our left fielder.

I agree with you with you for the most part. I don't think the Twins will roll with Meyer out ST. I think Pelfrey will get that last spot and will have to underperform to lose it. If Meyer looks like he has things under control at AAA then someone will need to move to the pen. The big issue facing the Twins is the 40 man. You are spot on that they need to move on from Swarzak and Duensing and Burton. I like your idea of finding out what they have in Presley and others because they there is a crop of high velocity guys coming up soon. If any of those are guys are good then we can create trade value as the 40 man decisions get even tougher the next year. I really think the Twins need to roll with what they have. It could mean another tough year but I think they should be loaded with young talent come 2016. The core should be there in 2016 and it will be interesting to see how well they compete with the rest of division and league,

As fans you don't HAVE to be patient you can vote with your feet and not come to games or invest your time. The reality is that there are 30 teams competing and some team is going to be the best and another the worst. The Twins made mistakes for several years and now they are paying for them. You don't have to be patient and wait for the core to emerge but as a fan I am going to follow them into the abyss and out of it. They are my team and I am always going to hope for the best. The Twins have gone worst to first before. They can do it again. It might just take some time.

I really like steady Eddie and always have. I don't see All-Star in his future but I think he can be a middle of the pack SS. For the short term I don't mind Santana in center. I would like see Eddie stick at short for next year if for nothing else than to build his trade value. Santana, Polanco and Dozier are going to have to battle it out for who starts in the future.

I believe service time does matter and I wouldn't start either of those guys out of Spring training. Until Sano's defense and Buxton's Offense are MLB caliber there is plenty for them to learn in the minors. No teams like to burn service time for players unless they are in a playoff hunt. When rebuilding you want your core guys to be able to play together for as long as possible. The young potential ace pitching we have coming up is a couple of years behind the position players. The closer that gap becomes the more years they have to play together. Thinking that the Twins can extend two super star players seems a bit pie in the sky to me. We have only seen them do it once for Joe Mauer and with prices going up I doubt the extensions some feel likely to happen will happen. Trades are the more likely scenario. I am sure they have room for one extension but again maximize your service time and don't waste it on player development that can happen in the minors. The minor leagues are designed to get you as close to major league ready as possible. You dominate a level and then move to the next one. When you have nothing left to learn in the minors and do well then you get your shot. Although both players appear to be great they still have things they can learn and holding them back a year would be ideal to me. If they both light up the minors and have nothing left to prove there then bring them up. I have no problem with an earned promotion. IMO they haven't earned it yet.

I guess I don't understand the no love for Duffy. At 23 his control and ERA are better than Trevor Mays were at that age and league. He throws nearly as hard as May and his control is better at 23 than May as well. He strikes out a lot of batters and doesn't walk many guys either. Seems just as exciting if not more than May to me. Minier is younger than Polanco last year but his potential is pretty exciting as well. Hu, Gonsalves and Thorpe are very exciting prospects. Maybe I am drinking too much Twins prospects kool aid but I am excited about that 11-20.

I guess I could see it going both ways. I prefer to think when you are that close you have essentially met the spirit of the agreement. If his pitching stunk and he just missed I could see some reservation but he pitched well and I think he deserves the money. I think in the end it pays to reward him even though he is one out short. Sticking to the letter of the law works but if you alienate the player what have you gained. Better for both sides to feel good about it in my opinion. The Twins got what they wanted out of Hughes this year so just pay the man. It is the right thing to do.

Wow that is a nice list and the ten guys behind them aren't that far behind them either. Nice to see a lot of good pitching coming up. I think Kohl deserved to be in the top 6 but that is my only quibble. IMO leaving Meyer out makes sense as he had trouble going deep in games, walked a lot of betters and didn't have a great ERA for a supposedly dominant pitcher. Maybe my expectations are just higher for him than they should be but I was somewhat disappointed in his performance this year. Yes he K's a lot of guys but when you can't throw a strike when you need one that is a problem and his ERA shows that.

I'd go Minier for number 1 based on the numbers, but it is the GCL so you could get me to change my mind. Vavra looks like a pretty good pick for round 33. It is tough to hit .340 for a month no matter what league you are in. I probably couldn't hit .340 in a softball league so that is impressive. These days however for the positions he plays would like to see a couple of home runs in those numbers. So that knocks him down IMO. I like Garvers numbers as well especially OBP. With good plate discipline he could be a fast mover. Always have a soft spot for ABW but I think #2 is where he belongs here. Personally I would swap Vavra for Minier and call it good.

Personally I wouldn't mess with the offense that much as things are clicking and we have Sano, Buxton and Polanco to add to the mix likely by the end of next year. Also Pinto, and Herman have been hitting well in AAA and Hicks appears to have gotten better but who knows. At any rate there just isn't room for everybody as it is. The pitching stinks for the most part but what will the Twins do about it? Probably hope they get better. Hughes is the only pitcher I can watch and actually pay attention to as I love that he throws strikes and forces guys to be aggressive at the plate. Although I agree with the article that nothing much will be added via FA I also agree with Mike in that how can we expect a different result with virtually the same pitching staff as last year? We need a boost there if we plan to get better. Please, Berrios or Meyer have ace stuff and get moved up soon.

In my last post about Arcia I pretty much predicted that pulling the ball all the time was going to make him too predictable and lead to poor results. Right now he is making me look like an idiot so I am just gonna say I hope he continues to have success no matter how he does it.

You have got to like the K rate for Thorpe. To me it says he has got nasty stuff he just needs to refine things a little bit and he should be dominant. I am very excited about his potential I just hope he stays healthy.

Rosario has been a Twins top 10 prospect for several years now and has hit extremely well until AA. Teams at the bottom of the standings would likely be interested in the now versatile Rosario as a lottery ticket player that could play as a fourth outfielder and backup second base. I don't think you give up on a top 10 prospect after one bad year. You have to make room for him and hope for better things next year. If he improves just a bit more with the bat he might even be up with the Twins next year.

I agree with you on Pelfrey. Just DFA him and get it over with. I like the guy and wasn't unhappy when they signed him but there just isn't room on this team for him. They need to go young and find out what they have pronto as this exercise gets even tougher next year.