Jham

I don't think Molitor has a ton of time to coach players up right now. Nor is the Major League level the place we want young players tinkering with their swings, especially while we remain in the hunt. Santana looks overwhelmed and out of sorts. He needs to catch his breath and play without the pressure of feeling like he's the weak link. AAA would be good for him, as it seems to have been for Hicks. Regarding power in the middle of the line up. Polanco would certainly be a power upgrade from Santana or Escobar. He's raking in the third spot in Chat. I think he's got the potential to be a middle of the line up guy in the bigs. He swings like a power hitter, and seems to relish the challenge of better competition. I've heard reports all over the board about his defense. I think he could help the team, but I think the better move is the more obvious one: Escobar to short. If Escobar continues to struggle and Santana doesn't look ready in AAA, Polanco should be given a chance. If Polanco keeps tearing it up, he'll force his way through, but I think we do have better options as of now.

Interesting article in the Strib. http://www.startribune.com/with-twins-start-santanas-playoff-ban-is-no-longer-a-joke/305167191/ I'd completely forgotten any post-season ban as part of Santana's suspension for PED's. Or maybe it didn't seem like a big deal anyway. Now that we're contending 1/4th of the way in, does the potential post-season ban change the way we handle our roster? Does it limit trade opportunity? At any rate, we'd have to make it first, and any dreams of winning the division are probably predicated upon him making a big return second half. I'd feel reluctant to trade any starting pitching depth, because of the ban. I'd also consider bringing Santana back as a reliever if our current rotation keeps shutting teams down.

At some point don't the Braves need to take whatever they can get for Graham. It's clear he can stick in an MLB pen for a year and even provide some usefulness. We've shown we're serious about keeping him. Shouldn't Atlanta be desperate to get some return? Then we can option Graham and bring up whoever we want. Duensing has been good enough for long enough. He's serviceable. Oliveros choked in his big audition last year. I'm not sure he truly represents an upgrade over what we already have. He'll get his chance once someone gets hurt just like Tonkin and Thielbar.

Let's be honest, Mauer is blocking everyone. It hasn't been that big of a deal because he's been pretty much our best player, but as our team improves, it's become evident that the most obvious answer to our glut off of projected bats is that Mauer should be the odd (and most expensive) man out. He needs to move back to catcher or we should consider trading him for whatever we can get while paying almost all of his salary... unless by some miracle, he can play a corner outfield position. His bat may not even be able to stick there... That said, Howard was awful... for like years, and this year... before his hot streak. Pass.

You're assuming everything else stays the same. IF we would decided to hold on to Denard, we likely would have traded Hicks, Arcia, or Rosario who were still prospects. Who would they have returned? More? Less? Maybe we could have even got something for Benson. Who knows what other roster decisions may have impacted the club. A few wins on a 90 loss team doesn't necessarily mean much, but, those decisions add up. Maybe the team has been crippled waiting on Meyer. Maybe if we're not waiting on Meyer to be an ace, and we're a few wins closer to contending, we go after Lester, Smardja, or Shields instead of Nolasco or Santana. The truth is we've been scrambling to replace Span since he's left. We've also probably been too dependent on waiting for Meyer to develop. Both have likely set our rebuild back several years as evident by the numerous transactions made to address their voids. That said, I would certainly make that sort of deal again provided we just got unlucky, and not out-scouted. It certainly looks like Washington knew what they had back then, and worse, knew what we had better than we knew what we had.

I sort of think we can stick around. I look at our team, and I do not think anyone has really over-performed, and those who have are countered with under-performances which should even out. Pelfrey has looked like a decent back end starter. Nolasco has come back from the DL as serviceable. This helped us weather Hughe's 0-4 start. Boyer has certainly gotten things together, but Stauffer gave the team nothing. I think those wash. Hunter is still putting up numbers, ditto Plouffe and Dozier, but none are having career years at this point. Meanwhile, guys like Mauer, Suzuki, and Santana, and Arcia have not hit to expectations. Our run differential of +6 puts us where you'd think we'd be, about in the middle. So I think we're about where we should be, and expect us to stay around there or hopefully improve when guys like Buxton and Santana return. It's relatively easy to trade for bull pen arms in July if need be. Catching the Royals might take some luck. They are +64 in run differential, is that even possible?

But how do you explain his relative success at the MLB level?

Gaining an extra five wins from the bottom of the rotation means just as much as getting an extra five from the front, unless you're talking playoffs. Getting more production from the back is certainly a lot cheaper, but it also requires making the right choices among a number of similar options. Which is why this is important to get right. Regarding those who assume Milone will not be part of the long-term future, Soft-tossing lefties can be very effective and often pitch into their 40's. I compared Milone to Buehrle in another thread awhile back. Very similar beginnings to their careers although Buehrle debuted much younger. If Milone blossoms into a Buehrle or Kenny Rogers, wouldn't we be wise to consider keeping him? Put another way, if you had to bet actual money on who would be better over the next 5 years: Milone or May, who gets the nod?

Nevertheless, Milone pitching the same number of starts as May or Pelfrey over the course of the season probably leads to 2-5 more wins if he's at his career average. Perhaps more in a career year, or if May or Pelfrey completely tank. Granted, I've never liked Pelfrey. I do not know if he actually takes more time to warm up, but I do know that he is in the last year of his contract. If he ever wants to make major league baseball money again, he better pitch wherever we place him, and he better perform. I would move Pelfrey to the pen and designate Aaron Thompson who's really struggled of late. I mean, Pelfrey's about one more bad appearance away from a stint on the DL anyway.

I agree with Jokin on this one. Milone has handled this situation like a true professional. Pelfrey handled his "demotion" to the pen like a jack-ass. You reward players like Milone. You don't punish them, or hold them back for selfish reasons. I'm not so sure asking him to mentor Meyer so that he could pass Milone as well would go over so well. Milone is a big leaguer, and needs to be pitching for a major league club. We need to promote him or trade him.

I think I'm just a bigger believer in his talent. The only legitimate "block" I see, is Plouffe and Sano, who I suspect are both above average players. The ones being discussed, with the exception of Arcia and Vargas, are in my opinion, likely to be average, useful players at best. I would hope Vargas could pass them in that regard. If he can't beat out Pinto or Arcia, well, he probably does deserve to be in AAA.

I was just answering the rather extreme view point that if Vargas is not on the team now, we will never have a place for him. I would not mind seeing Vargas stick around and see if he can keep building on his little streak. But I hardly think getting him some time in AAA cause for concern or upheaval. Again, I suspect he'll be back soon.

If Vargas figures things out, I'm pretty sure we'll find room for him as our DH. Arcia will ideally play left with Escobar playing the super utility role. This essentially puts players back at their roles coming out of the gates. I'm fairly certain we just want a little longer look at Rosario, or possibly we're hoping another team takes a look at Rosario or Hicks and likes what they see. Either way, I do not think Vargas will be down long.

I think the team learning to win, learning to play in high-pressure games, learning to grind for a full season, and learning to hate losing helps the team this year, next year, and the following year. People assume that Hunter, Pelfrey, Escobar, etc will not be part of the future of this team. Many assume that Pinto, Vargas, Arcia, Santana, Meyer, etc. will be. In fact, some of the former category may stick for a couple more years, and some of the latter may fizzle out. I get pretty sick of the "at least then we'll know" argument. Three years later and we're still trying to figure out Hicks. Is a player no good, or just not ready? Fielding a team full of prospects probably hurts player development. I suspect calling players up too soon may well also stunt development. Most teams use their farm system to develop players, not their major league team. As long as your farm system has that ability, winning at the major league level should not hinder the development of prospects at the minor league level. Winning drives ticket sales which also fuel free-agent spending when you are at the cusp or need to retain talent. (insert cheap shot at the Polads here). This team learning to win and compete is the most important part of "player development" at this point and going forward.

I disagree somewhat on his ability/willingness to adjust or receive coaching. Just before his injury, I saw him adjusting his two-strike approach. I saw him working the ball up the middle and to left. I saw him showing as much enthusiasm getting a single to left as he did cranking a double. I saw him showing visible frustration with himself simply for flinching at a pitch up in the zone (the pitch Bruno has been working with him to take). The guy tries. He works. He cares. He wants to win. He'll probably never be a gold glove outfielder. He is athletic enough to be above average. His routes and fundamentals need some work. I actually expect him to get there, although I'm not as convinced as I once was. I still love Ossie's upside, his fire, and his potential leadership.

Again, and I can't believe I'm defending Souhan, but his points have merit. Gleeman's stats compare Hunter with Mauer when he was winning batting titles and MVP's. Mauer had 1 outlier year with a bunch of very good years. Without a doubt Hunter was been productive through every contract he's signed. But what will we say about Mauer in 2018? Any discussion of extending Mauer vs. Hunter is flawed if it doesn't account for the following: that both could have been signed, and that Mauer is still under contract for 3 more seasons. Throw his next three seasons in at his current production level and then compare the contracts. I my opinion the FO should have extended Hunter early and extended Mauer earlier. Alternatively, they could have waited with Mauer rather than panicking and signing him after his predictably unsustainable MVP season. I'm not sure either decision was decidedly crippling, but both were poorly handled from my point of view.

I hate Souhan's writing. He's usually wrong, he's reactionary, and he's bitter. He has a superiority complex and a chip on his shoulder. He believes that no one else can do his job, even though most of the posters on this site could. He resents the success of others, especially athletes. He has taken shots at Randy Moss for being off-putting with the media, then retiring from the NFL and taking a job with the media. That being said, the criticism of Mauer and more specifically, his contract is legitimate. The Pioneer Press article you cited is exactly what I remembered: that Torii Hunter wanted to stay, that he wanted to re-sign prior to his final contract year. This is a huge HUGE deal for players. Playing out your contract means you have no insurance policy if you get hurt and your career ends. Your only reward for taking that risk is unrestricted free-agency. I strongly believe that Hunter would have taken a substantial discount if we would have extended him prior to his final year. Santana said the same thing: Sign me before my final year, or contract negotiations end. Making a guy sweat out an entire off-season, play almost his entire contract year without an extention, then asking for discount with a month to go in the season is plain disrespectful for a player of Hunter's caliber and for what he did for the organization. You think he should have taken half as much money from a team that refused to extend him prior to the season? Ryan handled the Hunter situation completely wrong, and he knew it. Coincidently, a month later, he resigned. Perhaps you should read this: http://www.twincities.com/minnesota/ci_6883159 As an aside, the notion of "hometown discount" is way overblown. Players take less money to reduce the risk of getting injured or seeing production drop while playing out the contract. It benefits the player at least as often as it benefits the team.

I guess it depends on your definition of "solid and reliable". As far as solid goes, Mauer hit .277 last year, is hitting .274 this year with OPS of .732 and .699 respectively, and with 4 and 0 HR, respectively. These numbers are about on par with Nick Punto's best seasons with the Twins. Punto provided great defense, position flexibility and speed on the bases. Mauer is generously, average at first base and no threat to steal a base. We also batted Punto 8th or 9th, and not 3rd. Mauer needs to get on one of his patented 2 month terrors where he hits everything on a line, if he has that left in him. If he's a mid .270's type hitter with no power at a corner position, he's a liability, and that's without factoring in his contract (which means we will have to stay with Joe no matter the production while someone like Sano, Vargas, Pinto, or Plouffe will get traded).

Why did we flip Milone and Pelfrey again?

Just checked in on the score. What happened?!

So, after last night's exhilarating win, the Twins improved their record to a surprising 19-15, four games above .500. Before the season, I compared this squad with the 1991 club that went "worst to first" mostly because I believed this team was not as far away from competing as many believed. Anyway, on this day, in 1991 the Twins defeated the Milwaukee Brewers to improve to 17-15. The Twns got a strong pitching performance from Jack Morris and a big home run from Chili Davis. Mollie must have had a tough time picking up that splitter as he went 0-4 with 2K's against the Big Horse. http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIN/MIN199105140.shtml Our pace is similar to the '91 team. We just need a 15 game winning streak. On paper, their roster is better than ours. But we are much younger, so I can't say our team is necessarily less talented. That said, I think our rotation can be as good as theirs once healthy. We need some guys to break out and have career years. And we need a rookie to break out like Knobby. Not particularly likely, but it's fun to compare and imagine. Also, our bull pen needs to continue to get outs. I'm still not sure how Boyer's is doing it. His peripherals are all around his career avg. (according to fangraphs he has a career BABIP of over .300, either lots of hard contact or a lifetime of unlucky). His K/9 is around half his career avg. so perhaps his success is sustainable, or perhaps he's lost his marginal ability to miss bats, which isn't good considering the career BABIP. Here's hoping it's the former. His stuff looks nice, he's been a pleasant surprise so far, and it's hard not to cheer for a guy like this: http://m.twins.mlb.com/news/article/124187556/pitcher-blaine-boyer-finds-groove-as-twins-heat-up

By "blanket statements" I mean speaking in absolutes. If the plan is to compete in 2016, then we need to consider whether a 40 year old Hunter is a better player than a rookie Rosario, or a Hicks/ Arcia. You've offered one solution: trade Hunter or let him walk and replace him internally. Hunter will bring back nothing if he walks and probably a very modest return if traded. On the other hand, a young promising major league player like Arcia or Rosario might yield significantly more in return. If Hunter produced at the level he has so far this year, and another team offered a few meaningful prospects and a bull pen arm for Rosario, wouldn't you consider that? We could potentially make our team better in the short, and long term. All options should be considered. Hence my comment of "no blanket statements".

I remember that thread. I had to go back and see how I ranked them just 3 short months ago: I had Berrios, Meyer, and Stewart with Gonsalves actually ahead of Stewart based on left-handedness, apparent total make up and health. Since when is "control" not considered "stuff"? Alex Meyer gets a lot of swing and misses because he only occasionally throws the ball where touching it with a bat is even possible. 94 on the corner is harder to hit than 97 down the middle. Pinpoint control of multiple pitches is the hall mark of a big league starter. I again implore Meyer to mix in more off speed and work on adding and especially subtracting on his fastball in order to improve command. It also makes 97 a lot harder to hit. Finally, can we all agree that Chih-Wei Hu can't make it to the show soon enough, just for entertainment's sake? Who's pitching tonight? Yes. What? Hu's pitching tonight. That's what I just asked. I guess we'll just have to settle for Hu's one of the Twins top pitching prospects. I give up, who?

Good thing Gardy's not here, he'd be saying how we have 8 number 1 starters. My thought is that the relative success of Gibson and May isn't all that unexpected. So far, Gibson hasn't struck out many. He hasn't had to. I've seen him mix in enough off speed to keep hitters off balance. I do think his K rate will go up as he learns to trust his change up more. But as of now, he's doing fine plugging away with fastballs. Nolasco's struggles are approaching lss at this point. Maybe he hasn't been healthy, but for some reason, I still think he'll be ok. Hughes is experiencing a predictable regression. That said, he doesn't have to duplicate last year to be a solid MLB starter. Pelfrey is the obvious choice to regress. Results aside, it still feels like he's eking by on smoke and mirrors, oh, and double plays. Nevertheless, he's still way better than I expected. If we intend to trade high and receive value in return, it would be wise to field offers on Gibson and May. Both of these pitchers would be attractive to other teams for the same reason they are attractive to the Twins. Obviously, either would have to bring back a haul, and I think either (especially Gibson) could.

Is that true even if they are signed to a minor league deal, like Robinson was? I guess I always wondered how that worked.