clone52

Nolasco won't be blocking anyone unless he actually produces. He has the history of being very bad, so on the off chance he makes the rotation, he'll be on a very short leash. Hughes on the other hand does have some history of being pretty good, will start in the rotation and would be on a much longer leash before pulling the plug. You're right about Milone, though.

Exactly. Neither of those things are likely to happen. It makes no sense to have Sano switch between 3B and RF and be ready to play both if he would only make 20 starts at most at 3B. Better to concentrate fully on RF. Not to mention that pitchers are going to adjust to Sano and he is going to have to work on adjusting to pitchers on top of that. Better to give a rookie fewer things to worry about. I don't understand why most people don't get that.

50% of his AAA runs were given up in his first 3 starts. Sounds like he started figuring the league out. Maybe you should dig into the stats a little deeper before criticizing someone for cherry picking their stats.

I agree. If they trade Plouffe or Plouffe goes on the 60 day DL, I bet we see Sano move over. If Plouffe is healthy or minor injuries, it will be Eduardo Nunez. I've been saying this all offseason. Keeping Plouffe and putting Sano in RF is the best option for the Twins in 2016. If Sano bombs in RF, they can move Plouffe and put Sano back at 3B. If they had already traded Plouffe and Sano bombed at 3B, they didn't have any fallback option. That said, I think Sano will be fine at 3B and at RF.

The original poster was absolute about it. Molitor only said it "wasn't expected" that he'll play 3B. Molitor had to say something when the reporter asks "Will Sano play 3b when Plouffe takes a day off?"

If you're planning on him being your everyday RF and the outfield is new to him, then you want him to put all of his focus learning RF and practicing RF. You don't want to divide his attention and time preparing to play 3B when he would only play there 20 games at most. If the Twins get a great offer for Plouffe during the season, its entirely possible that they shift Sano to 3B full time midseason, but if they don't, they NEED Sano to spend all of his time honing his RF skills.

I agree with this, although I am concerned about Perkins, just based on his injury issues the last 2 years.

Because have unrealistic expectations for their favorite teams and typically are unable to see the bigger picture. I remember last fall defending Gibson against people who were saying he was a #4 starter at best and after looking through the stats, he was clearly a #2 overall and if you only looked at the playoff teams, he would be the third best starter on I think 8 of the 10 playoff teams.

No, thats not the gist of it. First off, the Pohlad's don't save money so they can spend it later. They spend some % of their revenue on their team to ensure they make a profit. If they decide not to spend $10 million this year, that doesn't mean they'll spend an extra $10 million next year. They aren't that cheap either. They were #11 in payroll for 2015 as a percentage of the team's revenue. Everyone on here has a reasonable argument. Trying to sign an Ace this winter is a valid strategy. I just feel that the Twins are more than just an Ace away in 2016 and the risks of a 6 or 7 year contract for an ace at this time don't outweigh the rewards. If an Ace really does put the Twins in the World Series in 2016, then I'm wrong and my premise falls apart. What Berrios delivers this summer, Duffey follows up well on last year and Gibson remains solid. Then the Twins have a nice rotation in 2017-2018 of Berrios, Duffey, Gibson, Hughes and Santana with May potentially back in the rotation as well. By not spending $125 million this year, maybe that allows them to go out and get a Matt Weiters, Francisco Cervelli or Jonathan LuCroy in 2017. Maybe it allows them to get a star RF when they trade Plouffe and move them Sano to 3B. Maybe it allows them to sign Stephen Strasburg as a free agent.

Did I ever say that strategy has worked? Does doubling down and spending twice the money work?

I assumed Ervin, However, you are kind of out there on a limb saying there is a good chance they will be better in 2016-2017 than in 2018. I don't think any baseball expert would project that. Ervin Santana is 33 and no one expects a pitcher that age to actually improve. You think there is a good chance of Mauer miraculously recovering in 2016-2017 then falling off a cliff in 2018? Dozier and Plouffe are in their prime but aren't game changers. Its much easier to project them to be better in 2018 than 2016, but obviously not guaranteed.

I would have been up for a trade last year. I was pushing for a Cole Hamels trade. Similar yearly cost as Cueto but 2 years less risk. I just really dont' like the 6 year deal for a pitcher for the Twins.

I'm sorry, but when you are using Dozier, Mauer (who people are killing), Plouffe (who everyone seems to want to trade), Park (who hasn't played an inning of MLB) and Santana (Ervin? Danny???) as the reason they need to strike while the iron is hot, then I just don't think there is any argument to be made.

If they could move one of their starters to find a spot, it would make more sense. Milone is the obvious choice. No one is going to take Santana or Hughes, probably. I'm not saying rent an ace. I'm saying a blockbuster deal with someone who has a few years on his contract left. It would take some prospects, but they can part with some of their prospects for the right guy.

Good point. However, I understand taking the risk and spending the money (or trading prospects) when its likely that you're very close to winning right now. I just think there are too many question marks this year to take the risk of signing a guy like that right now. Do the Twins have a catcher? Is Mauer completely washed up? Will Park be a bust. How quickly will Sano transition from Adam Dunn to Miguel Cabrera as pitchers adjust to him and he adjusts to pitchers. How long will it take for Buxton to adjust to the Majors? Is the bullpen an achilles heel? So next year or 2018, the Twins will know the answers to most of those questions. They'll know what they have with Sano and Buxton. The Plouffe, Sano, Park, Mauer logjam should loosen up. They'll know what they have in house in the bullpen. Also, waiting a year or 2 to make the splash isn't going to hurt anything. Are the Twins missing out on players in their prime who are going to start declining? Catcher isn't going to decline. Mauer is already declining and maybe would retire or become a bench player later on. Dozier and Escobar could decline, but they aren't the type of talents where you say "win now" at all costs. If Sano, Buxton, Kepler, Rosario, Berrios, Duffy, Park are the kind of talent that are going to win a World Series for the Twins, they're more likely to do it in 2017, 2018 or 2019 instead of 2016. Its not like they are in a situation where if they don't win in 2016, they're going to lose their window to win a World Series. So the Twins didn't sign Cueto for 2016. If they really missed out on an Ace, they can go out and get one for 2017 or dip into their minor leagues and trade for one.

Nope, Buxton, Sano and Rosario all got their first taste of major league baseball last year, so 2018 would be year 3.

Well, if they had signed Cueto, that would just push Berrios even furthur down the list of starters. Also, the Twins do gel and make a run in 2016 or 2017, they can always trade for top end pitcher mid season.

Why did the Twins need a starter on a 1 year contract when we are already complaining about Berrios starting in the minors and May being stuck in the bullpen?

I didn't say they should do nothing. I said they shouldn't spending $125 million for an Ace starting pitcher. I think the probably should have signed another reliever, but with some of the salaries out there, it might not have been worth it. I would have been fine with trading Plouffe if they could have gotten something good for him, but waiting to see how Sano does in the outfield is fine too and could turn out even better.

Good points.

Thats a good example, although they did get swept in the NLCS. Also, the Cubs have the financial resources to take more risks than the Twins are willing to take. Their projected payroll this year is $160 million. The Twins just aren't willing to spend that kind of money no matter how much the fans want them to.

So, it usually takes a few years for top prospects to gel. Look at the Royals last year. Hosmer, Perez, Moustakas was in year 5. Cain in year 6. Gordon in year 9. Even look at Twins in the past. Hunter, Miekiewicz, Jones, Koskie had to take their lumps before they really became contenders. How many World Series teams have their most of their best hitters in their first 2 or 3 years of major league experience? I doubt it happens often. I still think the Twins are 2 or 3 years away from being a serious contender and it doesn't make sense to make risky, expensive moves right now. If the young guys don't develop like we expect them to, then in 2018, we won't have 4 years and $85 million on the books for a pitcher on a rebuilding team.

Thats not really fair to Milone. If he had pitched enough to qualify, he would have had a Top 25 ERA in the American League. Its not like he's garbage out there. I do agree with you that May has more potential than Milone.

I wouldn't have a problem with using Milone in a trade. Probably have to pair him with a decent prospect to get anything back in return, though.

I'm not bashing May. How on earth did you come to that conclusion. I'm just giving my opinion of what would be the best for 2016 Minnesota Twins. I'm a huge fan of May and think he will develop into a good and potentially really good starter. I also think he is a fantastic reliever. The fact that he adds 5mph to his fastball in the bullpen might mean he is the future closer of the Twins. Just looking at 2016, the best move for the Twins is May in the bullpen. Their bullpen is a weakness and their rotation, while not a strength, isn't a weakness. There is just no logical reason to weaken the bullpen without upgrading the rotation. I have no problem moving him back to the rotation in 2017 if they need to do that. Another year in the bullpen isn't going to be detrimental to the future of May as a start if thats the road they go down.