Major League Ready

We are going to see a lot of guys get time after a 60 game season in 2020. It seems like we have some pretty legit depth and that could be big this season.

I am pretty sure we got Cruz / Simmons / Happ / Colome / Robles and then traded a surplus replacement level guy from a position of depth for a pitcher that has a pretty good chance of contributing. Oh ... and we claimed a guy with a shot at contributing. I would add there are guys scattered around pretty much every playoff team that were acquired while relatively unproven that went on to be very good players. Just take a look at Tampa or even the Dodgers.

Oooops! Of course, I meant Celestino not Canterino. Too many inos but I think both guys could be a pleasant surprise addition at some point this year.

Don't agree... Much better off with Kepler given our depth of corner OFers. They can also keep Canterino at AAA and use him if Buxton goes down for a prolonged period.

This roster has come together nicely. I think a couple rookies are going to make some noise too. Looking forward to the season!

I am hoping they are not signing one of these mediocre vets because they are very confident in what they saw in one or more of our prospects last year at the alternate site. I have this feeling based on a few crumbs that Canterino is ready or very near ready. Maybe they are high on multiple SP prospects and want the room to audition them. That would be OK too. They are at $125M. The budget likely does not have room for a SP and a good RP. If they believe they have prospects that can perform at the same level as the available FAs, it makes more sense to good with prospects in SP roles and sign a good RP.

$124.7 with Maeda at a total of $8.5M.

What SPECIFICALLY comprised the players financially. They were to receive 100% compensation for 154 games. They actually left money on the table. I am not sure what their cut of expanded playoffs was to be but they certainly could have countered and easily gotten an incremental $100M for players on playoff teams. They were asked to adjust their schedule in the midst of a global pandemic but they could not be inconvenienced. And no we we are not talking Cul-de-sac money. The average player makes more in one season than those folks living in Chanhassen make in 50 years of working for a living. MLB players are about as fortunate as they come. BTW ... Had the income of those "average" folks increased at the same pace as MLB players over the last 50 years, those average folks would be making $3.17M year or roughly 45 times that or the average household. I would say MLB players have been extremely fortunate.

If this rejected proposal is any indication of our odds to have a normal season or any season next year it does not look good. Players sited injury concerns. Last year the wanted the opposite. As many games jammed in as possible and playing into much colder weather. Of course, cold weather would promote injury and increase Covid danger. What is the players cut of the expanded playoffs? The net is that they turned down additional compensation (playoff cut), right? Their give was apparently adjusting their schedules. Does not bode well for baseball next year.

This statement does not mean the budget will go back to 2020 levels. It simply means they will set there budget as they would in any other year. It means they will set the budget based on 2021 projected revenue without an additional reduction to off-set 2020 losses. Therefore, the budget for players would be set based on some or all of the expected revenue loss being deducted from the operating budget. Perhaps its easier to understand if you personalize it. If your income goes down substantially in 2021, will you spend $10K more than your normal budget?

Rosario is not a bad player. I think their are two aspects of his value that you are not acknowledging even though they have been mentioned several times. One, the equation the FO office uses is not Eddie Rosario vs Rooker or Kirilloff or whomever. It's Eddie Rosario vs his replacement and $10M to spend on another asset. For example, one of Rooker / Kirilloff / Larnach / Cave + Simmons >>>>> Rosario. It's surprising you are at odds with the FO if you don't accept this premise. Two, Rosario has had one stretch where he was a great player. That wwas the last half of 2017 through the first half of 2018. The league adjusted and since then Rosario has produced 2.2 WAR an OPS of 760 and a wRC+ of 97. He has also been a poor defender. These are hard facts not a manipulation of statistics. You are valuing him based on one stretch. The rest of his career he has been a very average player. The undisputable recent data suggests he has been very average for quite sometime now. Could he find the best version of himself again. Sure! However, he has had plenty of time to adapt and the evidence is quite convincing that he can't adapt or is unwilling to adapt. Regardless, based on his performance over the past 2 1/2 seasons, replacing him with a prospect and using the money for a player like Simmons has far greater value to team performance.

I would bet Cruz is back but I do worry about father time finally catching up with him. Those who suggest we might be just as well using Rooker/Kirilloff/Larnach/Garver/Sano to match up against specific pitchers might have a point. I am torn as I love Cruz but I would not be disappointed if the money was spent on pitching. BTW ... Rosario was 9th in wRC_on the Bomba squad and had the worst defensive rating on the team. We won't miss the current version of Rosario but I do leave room for the possibility he abandons the horrid approach he has at the plate.

Have the Twins made any statements about budget? I keep seeing all of the estimates and have to wonder how they are derived. Revenue is the primary determinant in establishing an operating budget for any organization as well as for all of us unless you have a trust fund. Yet, I have not seen one single person support an estimate with anything other than conjecture. I still don't have much of a solid estimate of when fans will be vaccinated or when they will be allowed to attend.

I am not sure what's the confusion. You will have to elaborate.

He was 257th out of 267 players with 250 ABs in 2019. In 2020, he was 195th out of 203 with 150 ABs. He did not get better with plate discipline. He started taking defensive (weak swings) with 2 strikes. He hit many a slow rollers last year. I would put it a little differently ... He will be dangerous IF he ever develops plate discipline. The bad defensive decisions, poor base running and horrid plate discipline are all symptoms of a poor approach to the game.

It really sucks he got hurt so soon. He looked good while he was here but a very SSS. Another 40 games would have helped to evaluate him. However, this situation plays out pretty nicely. He gets a look for at least a month while Kirilloff and Larnach get a chance to prove they are ready. Is my memory correct in that Arraez was not on anyone's top 100 list?

I am not sure why Rooker is completely dismissed here. He is the most proven of the three (Kirilloff / Larnach) at advanced levels. Rooker produced an OPS of 933 at AAA and 960 in his brief MLB experience. Kirilloff will probably end up top be the better player but he has not put up numbers yet above high A. It makes much more sense to me to require Kirilloff to prove he can perform at a high level above A+ ball. Also, to give up a year of control when he has not excelled above A+ would be incompetent and this FO is quite competent. It's not going to happen. Rooker or Cave or an acquisition will be the starting LFer to start the season.

They won't be in any hurry to trade Arraez. * He is under team control through 2025. * Who knows what his ceiling might be. He could be the next Tony Gwynn. * Lewis staying at SS is not a given. He could CF or a utility man. * Arraez is quite valuable in a utility role. Now, if someone offers a haul for Arraez it could make sense. Who is to say Polanco won't be the one to be traded. Again, no hurry. It does not make sense to trade Arraez or Polanco soon unless the haul can't be denied. It makes more sense to wait and see how Lewis and even Javier perform this year. How great would it be if Javier busted out this year?

Having the AAA team a 1/2 hour away provides a great opportunity to use the AAA team as an extended bench. Spend whatever is left in the budget on Cruz and/or pitching.

Nope. I just looked in my crystal ball. Lewis is going have an OPS around 1000 in the minors and wow the baseball world with his improvement at SS. He is our starting SS next year. BTW ... Kirilloff comes up the 1st of June and wins rookie of the year. While I am at it... Canterino and Sands are so good that we have a hard time finding enough innings for them / Balazovic and Duran who are also killing it at AAA. Might as well dream big!

Why do so many fans think any FO can just sign a guy if that’s what they want to do? Cruz is not signing until the DH for both leagues is completely dead. Constructing a roster is also a very fluid. I am sure they have been working multiple scenarios. The available budget and priorities change with every move or failure to sign someone they covet. Saying why don’t they just sign him is grossly simplistic take. Rooker had a 933 OPS at AAA. He has performed better and at a higher level than any of our other prospects. He also performed in his brief stint at the ML level. Fans like shiny objects. If he had been a top pick posters here would be lobbying for him. He has earned his shot. How many people saw Arais getting here as soon as he did and performing as well as he has performed? Signing a LF when you have 3 top prospects needing an opportunity would be exceptionally poor roster management IMO. I have no idea what they will do specifically but it would make sense they are going to use LF to give multiple guys an opportunity.

He could be "nearly as valuable" as a CFer if he does not stick at SS.

Let’s look at 2019 production rank on the 2019 team in the order you mentioned. Gonzales – 9th among position players in WAR / 14th in OPS. Rosario – 11th in WAR / 9th in OPS Adrianza – 13th in WAR / 13th in OPS Cruz – 2nd in WAR / 1st in OPS Gonzales / Rosario are exactly the type of players that should be moved if you want to get better. I sure hope we can come up with a better performing utility guy for what Gonzales and probably have enough left over to sign Clippard. No brainer. Eddie Rosario is an average MLB player. Average players don’t hurt but they don’t make a true contender. Kirilloff / Larnach & Rooker are all capable of delivery a higher wRC+ or OPS than Rosario has produced since the 2nd half of 2018. I would definitely take Kirilloff or even Rooker + whatever we get with the $10M saved over Rosario. Kirilloff + La Stella + Clippard or equivalent is far more valuable than Rosario which is why he is not here. Adrianza is a solid bench player but he can certainly be replaced and probably improved upon. Cruz is the only real difference maker. As I mentioned in the post that incensed you to the point of dropping the F bomb, we added Donaldson and Maeda since the 2019 team was so successful. With Donaldson and Maeda, the 2021 team certainly has the capacity to be as good or better. It’s also not over with Cruz. He could very well be here for 2021. You can't just ignore the Donaldson amd Maeda add. Adrianza and Gonzales are easily replaced and Rosario has not been a difference maker since the 2nd half of 2018. Could he return to that form. Perhaps, but he looks incapable of adapting. His approach is horrid and he is never going to be great without better plate discipline. If invested reasonably well, the money saved of Gonzales and Rosario will only add to the ceiling provided by that core from 2019. If they do resign Cruz and spend the money saved, the 2021 has a higher ceiling than the 2019 team.

We just signed Donaldson We have 3 good prospects that can play LF. We have Sano / Garver / Kirilloff for 1B There are a number of ways to better spend $20M plus whatever it takes in trade to get him. Plus, whatever problem(s) you solve are back again next year. A Bryant type move (rental) is a move you make when your one piece away and he is that piece. We are not one player away and Kris Bryant is down the list of players who would be a final piece for this team. Hard pass..

I have been asking myself the same questions. I thought they would resign Adrianza as the 11th man and that would leave lots of options for the 10th man. Seems to me the key is coming up with a back-up SS. Maybe they are thinking that is Gordon. Perhaps thy are thinking Gordon / Blankenhorn and resigning Cruz and a BP arm.