Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

Major League Ready

Old-Timey Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    7,965

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    26

 Content Type 

Profiles

Minnesota Twins News, Rumors & Analysis

Minnesota Twins Videos

2026 Minnesota Twins Top Prospect Rankings

2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

Minnesota Twins Trade & Free Agent Rumors

Minnesota Twins Fan Guides & Resources

2023 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

2024 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

2025 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

2026 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by Major League Ready

  1. Major League Ready
    The game is going to suffer in popularity if something is not done to increase action. It might be more cultural changes than changes in the game but that's irrelevant. The pitch clock alone will not resolve the issue. That's why the league is evaluating numerous changes. If you watched the game last night, you heard how the change in the ball this year is already impacting swing planes / bunting and play calling. It's widely accepted change is needed so fans complaining about a pitch clock is baffling. Lots of people don't like change but what's to downside of speeding up the game, especially if it's accompanied by other changes that provide a better product?
  2. Major League Ready
    Apparently, Phil did not go to business school. He should be interviewing the customers not the people getting paid to provide this entertainment. Are movies made based on what the actors prefer? Those of us who provide the multi-million dollar salaries for playing a game are the opinions who matter most. BTW ... I have listened to interviews Grant Paulson and someone else who I don't remember have done. They asked Milb players about the pitch clock and their response was that they barely noticed once they got used to it.
  3. Major League Ready
    I am happy to have a team that's entertaining and that has an exciting future. I have no delusions about this team being a top contender. The Yankees and Astros are a different level and the Rays / Angels are also better teams. I am not really sure what to expect from the White Sox and Blue Jays who both have more talent but are playing poorly. The really good news is there is reason to hope they kick it up a notch. Correa was just starting to square it up consistently. Sanchez has been a beast this past 6 games. He is batting .348 with a .423 OBP and slugging .913. Larnach will be back soon and he seemed to be waaaay better against the breaking stuff that had been a struggle. Kepler has been contributing and of course Buxton is a beast. It sure would be fun if it all comes together and this stretch of games against weaker opponents is a great chance to get on a serious roll.
  4. Major League Ready
    I agree with your position in part but don't believe it's as simple as are they in the running for a playoff spot. I sure hope that they are not managing assets based on year 1 returns. A 2nd year finance student knows better. IMO, and that's all it is. The other influences will be. 1) What's the return / value proposition. This FO and the Rays / As have demonstrated that they will trade based on value. It has been very productive for the As and Rays. 2) Is Correa's performance modest or poor by his standards. They may not want to provide him the option of staying and trading him resolves that issue. 3) Are they a playoff team with a very modest chance at post season success or a real contender. I don't see them being in the same league as the Yankees / Astros and perhaps Angels. Trading Correa is massively stupid in the current year context because it obviously reduces their 2022 outlook. Outlook for what is the question? If they have a playoff team but not a realistic contender, the gain is likely of little impact. If they could get an impact player in return its potentially a massive loss for 6 seasons. All I am saying is that the decision likely won't be made based solely on if they are a playoff team. I would take a pitcher who ends up a 1 or even two over keeping Correa on a fringe contender without hesitation. Obviously, there is no assurance the prospect ends up a 1 or 2 so I am speaking very hypothetically. Do you suppose the Rays wish they had not made the Ryan trade?
  5. Major League Ready
    Of course, he is not going to tell the team he is opting out. However, if his performance is solid he would be able to sign a $275-$300M contract this off-season. There is no chance he does not opt out if he and Boras believe that kind of contract is waiting for him. Age has the biggest impact on short-stops and Center Fielders in terms of free agent contracts. His career earnings are going to be the highest if he can get a 7+ year deal this off-season. I would hope the deadline decisions are made based on our chances to actually contend as opposed to what place we are in.
  6. Major League Ready
    Probably not. I would not bet one way or the other at this point. You had it pretty much dead on before the season started. They put a good team on the field while positioning for 2023 and beyond. They are a good team but not a top contender. Their approach / strategy seemed pretty clear to me from the time they traded Berrios and it became even more clear when they traded Donaldson. Trading Rodgers made it even more evident. Just as you said at the start of the season. They managed to put a good team on the field but their actions screamed the priority was building a sustainable winner beyond this year. I don’t see them changing course because the team is a fringe contender unless the offense comes together like it did in 2019. Let’s revisit this is 6 weeks. Here is my top 10 list of questions to answer. 1) Does the pitching stay healthy? 2) How doe Josh Winder performs now that he is inserted in the rotation 3) Does Buxton stays healthy 4) Will Correa plays to his norm 5) Does Duran dominates? 6) Do Kepler / Celestino keep up they great play. 7) Can we find a solution at 1B 8 Does Larnach pick up where he left off. 9) Will Sanchez continues his recent improvement 10) What kind of offers to the get for Correa / Archer / Bundy / Sanchez / Smith.
  7. Major League Ready
    Wallner has been great after a slow start. The first 11 games he did nothing. Since then: 1.222 OPS / 195 wRC+ / 371 AVE / 482 OBP Maybe they should be giving him reps at 1B to prepare for next year.
  8. Major League Ready
    If Miranda gets it together, Gio is traded provided he hits reasonably well or non-tendered if the bat is cold. It's even possible Steer takes over 3rd next year if Miranda continues to struggle. I don't think GIO is here next year but it is fun watching him play 3B.
  9. Major League Ready
    What are the chances Correa does not opt out? My guess ... 1%. The question is will he be gone at the end of the year or 8/1.
  10. Major League Ready
    EVERY business wants to maximize revenue. The people in those "cheap seats probably spend $10 each on concessions or twins clothing. They have been averaging around 20,000 below capacity. If they sold half of that capacity it equates to $10M/year. It's also important to retaining fans. The premise they don't care is irrational. The game has a problem in general with 3 outcomes and 3 1/2 hour games. Pitch clocks have been working quite well in Milb and I expect they will be introduced along with other changes in an attempt to revitalize interest in the game.
  11. Major League Ready
    It's obviously a debatable point of view and you disagree with the FO. Most people had a very different idea of what should be done this year. Most had them pegged as a 90 loss team. Some said they did not even have a ML pitching staff. None of us could get 10 seconds consideration if we applied for a GM job yet fans love to think they have a superior understanding of what should be done. It's fun to debate what should or should not be done but we should also understand we are not privy to the plans and we do not possess the superior understanding of what should be done that we think we do.
  12. Major League Ready
    I don't see much of a problem in LF with Larnach being very close to returning and Celstino playing very well and Garlick as a LH platoon option. Let's revisit 1B in two weeks. The best possible solution is a nice bounce back with Kirilloff who is showing signs of his old self. If not, Josh Bell would be a great solution and he could possibly be resigned if Kirilloff's wrists continue to impede his performance. The BP is something like 19-0 when we have the lead after the 7th inning so I am not sure the BP is a problem. We will see how things go when rosters size is reduced. All of this assumes we have a contender which is not going to be determined in the next 3 weeks given they are playing mostly sub 500 teams. They are not going to make any trades until they have a much better idea of our needs and contention.
  13. Major League Ready
    Kirilloff getting it together is a big deal. Solving the problem we have at 1st base currently through 2027 would be a giant boost to this team. Cmon Alex! Can anyone comment on Alex Isola's defense? What are the chances he sticks ats a catcher and what are his strengths and weaknesses behind the plate?
  14. Major League Ready
    I have been wondering about these possibilities as well. Kirilloff was 4 for 6 last night with a HR and a double. Alternatively, if you are going to teach someone to play 1st base why not Larnach. That would have long-term benefit. Larnach's length at 1B is ideal and him being able to play both positions going forward would be great. By far the best thing for this team would be if Lewis played 95% of his games at SS and perhaps occasionally cover CF. He's not going to be a utility player. There are two guys (Buxton & Lewis) where positional flexibility has no value. Their value is diminished if the play anywhere else. Becoming our SS for the next 6 years has waaaaaaay more value than playing part-time out of position. The response from fans was very predictable. Do fanatics want to wait for whatever it is they are fanatical about? Do we know their plan. Does it matter if they take three weeks to prepare him or make other roster changes to facilitate his return? There is nothing bewildering about this scenario when approached with a macro / long-term view but that's often not how fans view things.
  15. Major League Ready
    Fans have the luxury of complete focus on the present. However, this complete focus on the right now is why many fans would be absolutely horrible GMs.
  16. Major League Ready
    Yes, this is somewhat functional. You already have Celestino as back-up OFer and Gordon's playing time would be in the OF as well given Urshela / Arraez are IFers. This means you replace Arraez with Lewis at 1B. Arraez has been a lot better there than I expected, BTW. The other options are replacing Urshela at 3B or Corra at SS and he plays 4 days a week. I don't see the gain over Arraez and he certainly is not an upgrade over Correa. So, in very rough terms we gain a little when he replaces Urshela, break even when he replaces Arraez, and go down a little when he replaces Correa. The immediate impact of him going down when Correa returns is not exactly a big loss, It's not at all difficult to understand why they are opting to further prepare him for a return that is likely not far off.
  17. Major League Ready
    If the pitching holds together and the offense gets going it will be a tough call on keeping Correa. If they are not a serious contender, it will be very hard to pass up a great return on Correa who is going to opt out unless he plays very poorly. They started down a path when they traded Berrios and that path was a transition year in 2022. More to the point, the Twins are not spending $300M or even $250M on one player especially when they have a good replacement ready. Of course, it's possible none of the serious contenders needs a SS and the return is not there. However, there is a pretty good chance Royce Lewis is our permanent SS on Aug 1. It's also possible Urshela / Arraez or Gordon get traded and he spends the rest of the season in a utility role. I would bet he spends 1/2 of the year with the Twins in some capacity and opening day next year will be Lewis at SS.
  18. Major League Ready
    How does any of this change the question I posed. One of Arraez / Urshela / Sanchez / Gordon / Celestino would have to go. Which one are you getting rid off? Sending down a pitcher would require you go with 6 bench players and 12 pitchers if you are not cutting one of the 5 bench players I mentioned so which one of those 5 are you cutting to keep Lewis?
  19. Major League Ready
    You are solely focused on keeping Lewis so you are only considering possible angles with looking at the end game which is they can have 5 bench players. Sanchez / Arraez and Urshela are obviously not going anywhere. So, are you going to send down Gordon or Celestino?
  20. Major League Ready
    Congratulations on actually thinking through the options before coming to an opinion. You even realized there were other inevitable moves. Miranda’s reassignment is coming soon unless he gets it together very quickly. Who should we send down when all of the necessary moves are complete? Arraez is not going anywhere? Should we release Urshela? That’s not happening. How about Celestino? If anyone has earned the right to stay it’s Celestino. Sending Gordon down at this point would be a real slap in the face and he is the most versatile bench player we have. Are we going to keep Larnach down? This move is not even a little surprising when you consider the alternatives and the fact that Lewis will be our SS soon enough and continuing to play SS is best for him and the team.
  21. Major League Ready
    Interesting comp. Hopefully the 25 HRs last year was not an aberration. Steer should have a considerably better offensive upside. Punto had a 646 career OPS. Hopefully, Steer is a solid 100 points better than Punto. He screams utility guy but could evolve into an everyday player. They should have a lot of guys who can play multiple positions. (Gordon / Martin / Steer and perhaps Polacios) It will be interesting to see how that shakes out.
  22. Major League Ready
    Vallimont and Strotman are candidates to be removed from the 40 man if necessary. The good news is we have had a bunch of pitching prospects improving their status and looking like they will be ML players. The mid season promotions should be plentiful.
  23. Major League Ready
    I would not feel too bad about being off on this one. How could anyone have predicted he would be this good after not playing for two years? This is a really big development for this team. We don't have another SS in the system that will be ready anytime soon.
  24. Major League Ready
    I think you have to look at these trades in 2022 terms and then 2023 and beyond. The net for 2022 is we lost Donaldson and Garver. Many insisted this would be a big downgrade but neither player is playing much above replacement level so they certainly were not going to do much to elevate our chances of making the playoffs. Yes, Donaldson has a wRC+ of 118. However his OPS is 722. We would be just as well off with Arraez at 3B. Correa on the other hand was a very big upgrade. Yes he had a slow start but he was hitting great before he got hit by the pitch that put him on the IL. Looking beyond 2022, Sanchez is a free agent and Urshela will be non-tendered if he has no trade value. They are gone. So the net change is one more year of Garver and one additional year of Donaldson at age 37 for $21M and an 8M buyout in 2024. As I have said from the start, I like the odds of Miranda being better than Donaldson in 2023 straight up given Donaldson will be 37. However, the real comparison is $21M and Miranda vs Donaldson. That’s an absolute no brainer. Of course, we also would have had Garver in 2023 so I guess you could say we traded a year of Garver for Henriguez. That may be a great deal or a bad deal. We will have to make that determination down the road. We also gain $8M in payroll for 2024. As of today, these trades look to be a slight net gain in 2022 and great in terms of 2023 and beyond.
  25. Major League Ready
    There are 8 teams on pace to win 99 or more games. (Yankees / Astros / Angels / Brewers / Mets / Dodgers / Giants ) That's a lot of very good teams without considering the White Sox are very likely to rebound and the Rays / Blue Jays have the personnel to win a Championship as well.
×
×
  • Create New...