DocBauer

SWe're going to have OP's like this throughout the offseason. So it's almost redundant as well as early at this point. But I'm still going to bite on this one. The answer to the question is NO, he's never going to be fully healthy again. He has a bad knee. And trying to play and run on a bad knee has lead, IMO, to some occasional hip discomfort. Anyone who has ever hurt a knee, or ankle, knows you sometimes "tweak" another leg ailment as you limp and compensate. Now imagine that as a pro athlete. Do we really need someone from the Twins to sit down and describe his knee in detail? We really don't. He has a really bad knee. Period. Decades of watching college and pro sports and what's been going on with him, not hard to speculate he has a cartilage problem. His last surgery didn't work. Or maybe he pushed it too hard. We'll never know. Same thing happened to Polanco a year or so ago. The second one seemed to work. MAYBE Buck needs some bone and or cartilage shaved again. Maybe he has a ligament that needs repair, maybe needing a mesh brace like they're using these days with elbow injuries. And MAYBE those types of things will get him CLOSE to healthy with a long rehab that extends in to 2024. Speculation says he might be "healthy enough" to play CF on a part time basis. And if that happens, then he might still have to make the mental and physical adjustment necessary to be a mostly DH and occasional OF. Nobody complained about Cruz being a DH only because he was a special bat. Even in limited action over the past 3-4yrs, a healthy Buxton produced something like a .120 OPS plus. If he could do that as a DH/part time OF, that would be very good. And I hope like crazy he can be that guy, even if rest and recovery and rehab takes him in to mid 2024. But I believe the Twins have to be honest in their approach for next season and NOT plan on Buxton. But that's a different discussion.

Jeffers came in to this season with a little over a full season of AB's. Same with Kirilloff. Then you look at what Julien, Lewis, Wallner, and the still only 26yo (I believe) Castro have contributed and the future looks pretty bright. Then you factor in Lee and Martin sometime in 2024, possibly Larnach still, and the pretty impressive past couple of seasons from Severino, and you almost have to put on sunglasses. Oh, and how about a healthy Correa getting back to his "normal" self next year? I'm not going to go down the whole "Kepler looked really bad before suddenly improving and UGH Gallo should have been gone" road. I'm just tired of those discussions. But I do have to wonder at the FO taking so long to make some of the promotions.

Also, Jay and Silent Bob if they could be cloned together.

That friendly guy in the neighborhood, who's name nobody knows, who always wears flip-flops and an old, worn ballcap from an auto parts store and says "what's up dude?" to everyone he passes on the sidewalk.

Great catch by Martin. Seems we've seen a bunch of those the past few months. Right now, I think he's an honest contender for CF in 2024. And that's why I'm also OK letting him finish this season at AAA, in order to keep playing daily and honing all of his abilities. Now, were the Twins willing to promote him and let him play every day, we have a different discussion. Helman and Keirsey are both later developing options, for different reasons, but shouldn't be counted out as future contributors. Not predicting "starhood" for either, but Keirsey can do a little of everything offensively and is reportedly a very good CF. I can see roster scenarios where he and Martin are both on the club. (Even for short periods of time). Helman is a RH version of Keirsey offensively, with the ability and experience to plug in everywhere buy catcher. I'd be willing to bet real $ Luplow would never have been needed/claimed had Helman been healthy this year. Unless moved, Larnach, Severino, and Prato join the list of Saints who all might be part of the 2024 Twins at some point.

To a degree, Julien is a direct replacement for Arraez based on a top of the order bat, but in a different way; more power, higher BB, lower BA, more speed. But he's not a direct replacement as the Twins moved Arraez to 1B. So to a degree Julien might be considered a replacement, but so is Kirilloff. And no matter how much we/I love Arraez, the trade was a smart one. To those questioning Julien's defense, I have to ask honestly if you're watching the games? I ask that because I watch all or parts of most games through the MLB APP. He looks just fine on a bang-bang kind of play. He's looked "akward" on some more simple plays where he has time to "think" about a play. To me that's a rookie still finding his place and adjusting. And he has looked more smooth lately, which I attribute to being more relaxed and confident that he's HERE. He doesn't have to be a GG 2B to be solid. And FINALLY, they are letting him play some 1B as well. He's got experience there, and unless he just has horrible hands, it increases his versatility for him in the lineup. Has he slumped a bit offensively lately? Yes. But he's still taking good AB and walking a ton. And he does have to make adjustments. I believe he will. A couple not so great weeks is not uncommon for anyone, rookie or veteran. And he's also had a slight injury, I want to say a hamstring, that might have slowed him a bit as well. But to pick his game apart for a couple of weeks, or not realize that his defense has gotten at least a little more smooth as the season is going on, is over reaction or a determination to be stubborn, or just not watching the games. I think there's a CHANCE Julien MIGHT get a shot at LF at some point. And that might be nice. But all he has to do is be solid at 2B/1B and occasionally DH. The bat plays and will continue to play. There ARE questions as to where Lewis and Lee eventually end up, and Martin to a degree. But not only are those questions not for this season, but they are fluid for 2024. Any way you look at it, tough questions of how to fit in so many good players in to your lineup/roster is not a bad thing! I don't know that there is room for BOTH of Farmer AND Polanco for 2024, but I sure wish there was until Lee is ready. And I'm still not sure that Lewis, with all of his athleticism, shouldn't end up in the OF. But the BEST INF the Twins could put together is some combination of Lee, Correa, Lewis, Kirilloff, AND Julien. You add in someone like Polanco, and/or Castro or, maybe Prato, and you have one of the best INF in all of MLB. And a couple of those guys also help the OF depth and versatility. But any way you slice it, Julien fits!

By all reports, Williams is a good catcher from the cerebral context of being one. There was a Saints game a month or so where he asked for a review TWICE and got the call. But he's a 3rd stringer who can play 1B and DH. Movement behind the plate, or arm, or both, he was moved from behind the plate in 2022, for the most part. Honestly, now that Isola finally found power, even at a lower level, he might have surpassed Williams. But I would have dumped Gallo a month ago to bring up Williams as a 1B DH. It doesn't matter a RH bat vs a LH bat when the LH bat is completely anemic. He would have offered a POTENTIAL bat and even allowed Jeffers to DH a bit more. He's got potential value. I'm just not sure about long term value.

Gray was excellent again, and I love the Rocco visit to the mound where Gray just told him "I got this" and then did it. He, once again, deserved the win in a wild season where he's thrown like a deserved All Star but can't get the W. Not sure he really cares that much as the team won. Jax got the W, and maybe deserves it, not only because he was good, but he was so snake-bit in the first half. Jax might be out for Wednesdays game, but Thielbar and Duran are probably available due to smaller pitch counts and a day off Thursday. Vazquez is not a great hitter. But he's better than he has been for most of this season. Just great to see him have a good game and maybe notch his confidence up a needed notch right now. I fully understand and appreciate match ups against a good pitching staff and PH at times. I do think Rocco does so earlier than I think he should at times. You WANT those moves to work. But pulling Julien and Wallner when he did concerned me for the later innings, before the Twins exploded. I don't know that he was right or wrong, but I hate removing those bats, generally, before the 8th. Farmer had a nice double, but, unfortunately, it didn't amount to anything. Statistically speaking, the Twins would have to IMPLODE to not win the ALC right now. And I don't see that happening. I'm hoping for the nail in the coffin with a sweep on Wednesday afternoon. In a weird way, what pleases me most about tonight's win is not beating Cleveland, per say, but that the Twins reached 7 games above .500 for the first time this season. There is an old adage in baseball that the team you are in April and May might not be the team you are in August and September. And I think we're seeing that now. I've watched this team beat winning teams the first half, split series they could have easily won the first half against winning teams, FRUSTRATED by offensive inconsistencies that held them back from being "better" than their record. I say again, I thought this team could be a 92-93 win team, even with a couple question marks, if the offense could come together. And there really is NO WAY you could take the second half production, lead by Kepler and the young players, and translate it to a W-L total. But I'd be willing to bet the second half offense, producing like it has been since the break, would have won a good 3-5 games more. I don't mean to disparage ANYONE, but the truth is the Twins offense has been better WITHOUT Gallo doing ANYTHING, and mostly without the super-talented but injured and disappointing Buxton. I have real hope Kirilloff is ready come the homestand starting Friday. He's looked more than ready in his brief rehab and I'm surprised he wasn't brought to Cleveland. So a move has to be made. I don't see Luplow being discarded only because he's RH and offers SOME RH threat. And Taylor is on the IL. Is this, finally, the merciful end to Gallo? I sure hope so because Stevenson at least offers speed and a LH bat to work with Taylor when he's back. We just can't keep rostering Gallo as a LH bat when AK returns, who is regulated to PR for a catcher at 3B. It's just TIME!

I understand your frustration with Vazquez's bat. But you have to remember, and accept, that he was signed first and foremost as a quality defensive catcher and game caller with experience. And $10M for that is not an exorbitant price. His career OPS and OPS+ aren't great, but about average for a catcher. The fact that he's about 90 points below his career OPS IS a concern. Is it him suddenly fading? Or is it "just one of those years"? While his offense has not been as hoped for, i wouldn't dismiss a turnaround next year. Plus, his greatest value is as a veteran backstop for the staff and a mentor of sorts for Jeffers. And there is value in that. There's more than a few of us who have watched Jeffers BEFORE this season and really liked what we saw, even though there was room for improvement. We also recognized the bat potential that hadn't been realized yet. And through hard work and experience, we're starting to see just how good he might be. He's EARNED a 60-65% split with game time. The Twins MIGHT look to move Vazquez this offseason,but I rather doubt it as he provides value still, might turn his bat around, and his $10M isn't going to handicap payroll. By reputation, Camargo is a good defensive catcher with a strong arm. His bat began to bloom in 2022 at AA, but I was a little surprised when he was put at AAA to begin this season. He started slow, which has skewed his numbers somewhat, but really took off a couple of months in. But he's still relatively young for a catcher, still has to lower his K numbers a bit, and might not be ready until sometime in 2024. But he's got the potential to make it as a nice 2nd catcher. Cool your jets on Isola. Like Wiliams, he's a 3rd catcher who plays at 1B/DH. Both have some hit and OB ability, Isola potentially more, but until now, Wiliams has shown much more power. That seems to be changing for Isola, but he's doing it at AA vs Wiliiams at AAA. Barring some sort of AAAA catcher sign or re--sign, Carmago will be the 3rd catcher for 2024, with Jeffers as the primary. That could change mid year. Look to Winkel, Cardenas, and Cossetti as future catchers moving up next season. But don't dismiss the value of Vazquez as a CATCHER behind Jeffers..if not a good bat..for at least part of 2024.

Have to confess I know nothing about Velez or Carr. I'm going to have to start paying more attention to them.. Would like to know more about them and what they throw. Like what I've seen of Funderburk so far, despite the one bad performance. While not on this list, I still think Headrick has flashed enough potential to suggest a viable LH pen arm in the future. While Thielbar is still very good, he's not getting any younger. Having arms like Funderburk, Moran, and Headrick as LH options for 2024 provides optimism from the port side. Does Rozek's conversion to the pen possibly offer a 4th young option?

I didn't get to tune in until Maeda was out. Obviously he had a really rough 1st inning. But it appears he settled down for the next 4 and gave the Twins a chance. Wile 3 runs in 5 IP isn't great by any means, I'll take it most days. The offense didn't quit. And it's been much better the second half even with a mediocre Correa and missing Kirilloff. It's pointless to play the "what if" game, but man, what if the offense was producing like this in the first half? I think we'd have to be 10 games above .500, yes? Taking the series is very good news despite failing the opportunity to sweep. By no means am I piling on Correa, and I'm a fan, but that double play with runners on 3rd and 2nd with 1 out really hurt. Even a decent fly ball to the OF might have made a real difference in the outcome. Here's hoping Castro gets in to a groove again. Here's hoping for a return of AK soon as well. Stinks to lose Taylor right now, but again, here's hoping Stevenson settles in and can offer some hits and speed at the bottom of the order. I can understand Martin not being up right now if he's not going to play daily, and might be sent right back down when Kirilloff comes back. But it's so frustrating to have an almost unusable player in Gallo taking up a roster spot when Martin might provide a spark. And he's going to be added to the 40 man when the season is done anyway. I think an opportunity has been missed. I'm just not going to bang on the pen in this one. While they did give up 3 more runs in the 4 innings, they didn't blow up and kept the Twins in the game still. The pen is short at least one more quality arm right now...already been discussed over and over again previously...but the "weak" front end arms that pitched today still kept the team in the game. ABSOLUTELY have to take 1 of 3 in Cleveland. But with a day of rest for the back of the pen, our top 3 starters going to the hill, and the current fighting spirit of the team, they should take 2. They are the better team. The Twins were projected for around 85 wins when the season began. And right now, that's about where they look to finish. I always thought they were built for 92-93 IF the offense could come through. Even with a pretty soft schedule going forward, that's going to be pretty tough to meet. But it's how you finish that matters, right? This upcoming series doesn't make or break the season. But taking it just might propel them once and for all for the ALC banner.

I had plantar fasciitis several years ago, and had it pretty bad. It last about 2yrs and it was tough to even stand up when I'd been sitting for a time. It did tend to loosen up after a while of being back on my feet, but the pain never truly went away. Now, I don't know how bad of a case Correa has, but I can sure see where it would put a huge damper on his ability to perform. And while it's been well over a decade now, I recall Mark Maguire having a very bad year for the Cardinals from the same injury. What's been surprising to me is how good his defense has remained. Injury, pressure, both, the fact is he's just not performing like he normally does. And while we hope he gets a little rest over the next few weeks, and has some post season magic in his bat, he's not performing well enough to be at the top of the lineup. And I think Correa would, and has, agreed with that. He should be hitting no higher than 6th, especially if/when Kirilloff is back and the lineup is just that much deeper. Next year is a different story. But for now, what's best for the lineup is for him to drop.

I'm going to say he's up and ready about mid season. No matter how well he's done, he was facing college arms just over 12 months ago and he's on the doorstep to facing ML arms on a daily basis. That takes a little time, and the power is starting to bloom I'm still not sure where he fits. I'm sure he would be great at 2B, but I just keep getting this gut feeling he might be best at 3B. Either way, he and Lewis can cover SS when Correa needs a day off and can help form one of the best INF in all of MLB with Julien and Kirilloff. (Lewis still might end up in the OF). Can't wait to see how this plays out.

A few bullet point thoughts. 1] Jenkins has looked as advertised so far. Glad he gets to play longer. A little disappointed and surprised Winokur didn't join him at A ball. Roster crunch? 2] What's up with Miller? Seems like he's developing his "man muscles" and taking off recently. That's HUGE with his defense! 3] Cossetti just keeps rolling along. I don't think the system is as barren at the catching position as some think, and I've been saying this for a while now. The "issue" is all of the catching prospects were drafted so recently they are just now begining to establish themselves. Winkel is LH and suddenly looking more like the hitter he was in college, if not better. Cardenas is having a solid year and has been on this list previously, IIRC, as an honorable mention. We already know how good Cossetti has looked. Keep your eyes out for Nate Baez, who's been slowed this year due to some nagging injuries. He barely saw the field after being drafted last year and only became a full time catcher his last year in college. He's a tremendous athlete and played all over the field previously. He's got bat and power potential and is a much better athlete than you typically see in a backstop. 2024 might be his breakout season. I'm higher on Camargo than others, I think. He's reportedly a good defensive catcher with a strong arm and his bat started "working" in 2022 at AA. He began this year slow, holding his numbers down somewhat, but has been pretty good for the past few months. I don't think he's ready yet. But if he can cut the K's down a bit, I think he's got a real shot as a backup catcher with defense and power. To me he's an easy 40 man add with an ETA sometime in 2024. Williams and Isola are 1B/DH who CAN catch. By reports, Williams is good with pitchers and pretty sharp behind the plate, but seems to lack something defensively. Pretty sure his arm never came back from surgery in college, and just guessing his movement behind the plate isn't great. Really don't know much about Isola defensively. Hard to ignore Williams bat in his first full season at AAA. The power seems real. He might have a shot as a RH power bat. Isola has long looked like a "hitter" but the lack of power never made him a great prospect if he wasn't going to stick behind the plate. Suddenly, he's unlocked his power potential. Not expecting either to make it with the Twins, but I can also see scenarios where either, potentially, can help as a 1B/DH 3rd catcher if their bats continue to play. 4] Fajardo is interesting. He's older, coming off a down 2022, but has been very good at Wichita. He's no 40 man add, but it would be nice to hold on to him for AAA in 2024. He might have some 4th or 5th OF potential due to his all around game. 5] I've got a good, "gut feeling" about Keirsey. Due to a major college hip injury, he was a bit older when selected, and had a couple minor injuries that held him back initially after being drafted. But he began to put his offense together in 2022 and has taken it to a different level this year. There's a reason he was drafted so high. I think he should have been promoted to St Paul earlier, but appeared blocked. He hasn't slowed down since his promotion. Not every good ML player reaches the ML level by 24yo. Sometimes things happen. I think he should be protected, especially since CF is such a question mark for 2024. Stevenson is a nice story, hope he helps and does well, but I doubt he's protected. But Keirsey is a younger version that should be. He may not be that far off from being a quality ML contributor. And that brings us to.... 6] MARTIN! While admitting to talking out both sides of my face, I can understand the Twins not promoting him at this time. Not saying I agree, but I can see it. FINALLY healthy and raking and looking like the top prospect he was supposed to be, I can understand letting him continue to work on his game and confidence and approach, getting ready for 2024, and running with Taylor, now Stevenson, and MAYBE Buxton to finish this season and having Castro also in the CF mix. And right now, I want to continue to see him play daily. But I can also very easily see Martin in 2024, healthy, and with a strong instructional league and winter, being a strong candidate for the 4th OF spot, and maybe even a starting CF option. MAYBE time sharing some with Keirsey, or POTENTIALLY Stevenson, depending on roster construction. The Twins might bring Taylor back. And MAYBE, Buxton can be a part time CF, but I'm looking at worst case scenarios with Buck out of the mix. I think Martin is just about ready for a full time gig at the ML level. I'm just not sure what role.

I don't blame the Angels, or anyone else, for making a bunch of wire moves. It's just strange that nobody else thought of this since the changes in the last deal. The Angels, and anyone else, have the opportunity to save a few $M in a lost season. Further, it might improve any potential draft opportunity for said team to improve their position when losing a top FA while facing payroll penalties. On top of that, a team who has no shot to compete ALSO opens roster spots IMMEDIATELY to bring up prospects to debut where there wouldn't be opportunity beforehand due to the new 28 man rules. ADDITIONALLY, the guys placed out there actually have a chance to MAYBE, join a team that makes a run for the playoffs. Despite the bad inconvenience of moving around too soon at times, those guys get the opportunity to play post season ball. Not a bad thing! BUT, two things need to change! 1] The whole September promotion of TWO...and ONLY TWO...roster additions is complete BS, and I've been arguing this since the change was made. MLB has decided that limiting the September call up that has existed for decades is flawed. They believe it provides an unfair advantage for contending teams to play non-contending teams late in the season with a playoff spot on the line. In other words, if you are a GOOD team, playing a bad/losing team...bringing up a handful of proscpects to audition...and you are in direct competition with another team for a playoff spot who is playing ANOTHER good team who is playoff caliber, you are supposedly being penalized. How is this remotely true? First of all, the schedule is set before the season even starts. Who can possibly predict final records before the season even starts? And when we get to September, we have NO CLUE who will be good or bad when the season starts. What if a team EXPECTED to compete is having a bad year, injuries and the such? So this bad team can't bring up prospects to see about the next year? You are literally handcuffuffing teams that want to look forward to the next season. To limit teams to add ONLY a couple players doesn't only harm their future, but also doesn't paint an accurate picture, but the MLB idea of "competitiveness" isn't really accurate from day 1 to 162. So 2 additions somehow makes everything good and even across MLB. NOPE! Thats why the Angels took a new step forward. It's something MLB didn't see coming. They suddenly save some $, improve their draft stock when they lose Otani. But they also get to promote prospects to fill slots they didn't have before. NOW, MLB has to look at how this loophole figures in to the future. You can't have a hard deadline that replaced the previous dual headlines and allow someone to just "nab" waiver wire acquisitions in August. You pretty much just kept what used to be in place before the trade deadline changes took place. If you are going to keep the hard trade deadline in place, you have to make changes in how future August DFA are going to be approached. Because it's not going to change. The floodgates are open. They need to either go back to the previous trade deadline, OR, make some kind of claim adjustment. Maybe it's a listing of preferred claims so everyone gets a shot. Maybe you go back of the line after one claim. I don't know the answer, but Pandoras box is open. MLB needs to figure out an equitable change that makes sense.

While he can't play 1B like Gallo can, I've thought for a while he should have been up as a replacement. While it seems we have too many LH OF already, Gallo has been actually playing some CF to give Taylor time off. Why not Stevenson instead? Take 50 points off every metric with a promotion and he's still producing solid numbers. But most importantly, he's a solid defensive OF with pop and speed to give Taylor time off. I don't know how long he's going to be up, but I like the move. I just think it should have been done weeks ago.

Floro has had a career of mostly solid to good. His peripherals say he's been unlucky this season. Since these things tend to end even out, he's due for some better, or more consistent results. And the numbers listed in the OP are clearly better than those of Lopez. So it's at least some addition by subtraction. So I'd pick Floro, if forced to, as a "win" between the two. Of course, he could also just be cooked.

Great to see Helman back. What a disappointing season of missed opportunity for him due to injury. No guarantees, of course, but I'd be willing to bet he'd of spent half the year with the Twins were he healthy. No reason Severino can't be a good bat contributor as a 1B/DH who can help put at 2B/3B. Love that he's a switch hitter. Thought I heard he was pretty good from both sides? Wasn't expecting Festa to be moved to AAA this season. Exciting! Going to agree on several INF points. Gordon is INF only in emergency and might not be back. Lee won't be added to the 40 man until he's promoted to the Twins. (Just no need). Martin will be an OF who can help out at 2B and maybe 3B, though he might not need to. I believe one of Farmer or Polanco is back, but no room for both. When you factor in the $1M buyout of Polanco vs $10M option and Farmer expected to be around $8M, I'd go with Polanco and get him used to 1B to make him a daily option at all 4 spots. But I can see Farmer MAYBE avoiding arbitration and signing for less??? Either way, room for just the one. Castro plays INF AND OF. Prato and Helman do the same and provide competition and depth, depending on 40 man and rule 5 implications. A lot of depth, a lot of options for the 2024 INF.

Grichuk absolutely. He's an immediate upgrade over Luplow. And while I don't know howbgood he is on CF, he's certainly logged time there. He might be an ideal RH OF bat for 2024. He can help now, and by getting to know the organization a bit better, might give us a small leg up to bring him back next season. I'd take either pen arm, but I'm mostly interested in Moore. All due respect to Funderburk, adding a quality, veteran arm for nothing more than the remainder of his 2023 contract is a no-brainer, IMO. Nothing against Lopez, I just think Moore helps..well..more. I'd take either one...along with Grichuk. I mean, we're going to be in the playoffs and didn't a single contract $ other than trading out Lopez for Floro. They can't afford a few $M for some "free" talent to help?

BTW, Ober is sitting just over 140 IP for the YEAR. Have to remember he threw almost 18 innings at AAA before being brought up. This is well above his career high. He's just being rested. Lewis...what more can be said? We keep talking about the young players leading the offense...and we should...but let's not forget Kirilloff and Jeffers in that conversation. Great debut from Funderburk. And they waited until the end of August to bring him up for what reason again? What is up with Winder lately? He's been looking pretty solid. Not trying to look too far ahead, but Castro, AK, and HOPEFULLY Stewart all back by mid September. Awesome things look almost rosy. Twins manage to sweep these home games, probably closes the ALC and gives them a little more breathing room to rest a few guys, Correa in particular.

I only saw replays, and what happened live, so my context is not from the heat of the moment. Was Jeffers hit by accident? Possibly. But a hell of a coincidence don't you think? And yes, it would make a lot more sense to face Gallo, the human K/no contact machine, than Jeffers in that inning. Gray throwing at Garver had to be intentional in retaliation. The fact he's a catcher only helps confirm this. Both sides are very wrong, IMO. Throwing a hard object at a high velocity at defenseless batter is childish, brattish behavior. The whole idea that a player "showed up" or "insulted" an opposing team because a batter, Jeffers in this case, hit a momentous, game winning blast, took 4 steps, and then flipped his bat aside is ridiculous. It's called displaying emotion in a celebration worthy moment. He didn't point fingers at anyone, he didn't talk smack, he did nothing egregious in any way toward anyone. If what he did was wrong, then there should be a plunking and bases clearing fight after every such game when the winning team collects at home plate to a slap high fives, pour Gatorade, dance, and whatever else they decide to do. Surely that far and away is more insulting, celebrating the demise of the losing team And I don't say this as a Twins fan, but as a sportsman and baseball fan. These unwritten rules are outdated and childish.

I liked what I saw of Paddack after the Twins acquired him and tweaked his approach. Hopefully he comes back 100%, but it's not guaranteed. And even if he does, how quickly does his "feel" for his pitches come back? Varland looked really solid in his 2022 debut, with a pair of games in Yankee stadium IIRC. His ERA was lower this season, while maintaining his K rate, right up until his final 3 starts when the wheels suddenly came off. I like his future. But why not 6 arms to start the season, like this year, instead of 5? I mean, you're going to need 7 or 8 before the season is done. I love watching Maeda pitch. He's a craftsman. And his rebuilt arm looks to have some good life left in it. Still, he's not getting any younger and we don't know for sure how he will hold up up for an entire season. So I don't think we're talking a $20M deal. I'm thinking somewhere around $14-15M per for 2yrs. I'd love a 1 and 1 with a buyout, but I think demand will be high enough that it will take a guaranteed 2yrs. I don't know who becomes #7,8,or 9, but I like our first 6, especially if we finally deepen the pen.

I never liked the Gallo signing, though I made excuses why it was a smart flier. And really, it was with questions about Larnach and AK being healthy and Wallner ready to go. I still wouldn't have done it, TRUSTING in Larnach, AK, Wallner, and even Gordon at the time. Isn't that what you do as a mid market team? For this year, so far, I admit the FO stubbornness for Kepler and Pagan has been right. More than willing to eat previous words. SOMEHOW, SOMEWAY, Kepler is FINALLY squaring up his bat and hitting the ball HARD. And while HR are great, I mean he's SUDDENLY hitting singles and doubles as well as HR. Is he, 30yr old, SUDDENLY, FINALLY adjusting his approach? Because he's suddenly looking like the player we always thought he might be. I just can't help but believe Pagan is going to implode every single time I see him come in. That's 2022 and most every season before. But damnit, he's mostly been good for 3 months or more. So changes in stuff, or approach, he's been good. I can't deny that. Is that stubborn or smart with those two? And then there is just stubborn/stupid. The FO was all in with AK and Julien when given opportunity. And to be fair, they have treated Larnach somewhat fair. But they have watched Gallo as a black hole offensive for months now. They FINALLY gave Wallner a shot and he's been producing and playing better defense than predicted. And the toguS producers have been the young guys, along with Jeffers...also a young guy...and the resurgent Kepler and somewhat resurgent Correa. And the stubborn portion of their thinking has been holding on to Gallo this damn long thinking snd hoping SOMEHOW he SUDDENLY turns everything around! Its not going to happen. Almost ANY bat from AAA could exceed what he's done the past few months. The FO did a great job to about 90% of what they COULD have done. They built one of the best and deepest rotations in all of MLB . PERIOD. But that rotation needs support.if The offense isn't entirely on the FO, though an approach change is necessary. They ARE approaching a different contact, speed format, but it doesn't happen overnight. But now that the "kids" are starting to make a difference in the lineup, we can start to see the changes. But right NOW, we are seeing either their stubbornness, OR, misguided attitudes to the pen. I Absolutely believe you bring in various arms to help make a pen. And for a while it sure looked like Stewart was a steal. And maybe DeLeon as well. But they should have been ADDS, not counted on. While I know bullpen arms are hard to predict, the FO, and their scouts, should have been smart enough to taken a shot on THIS GUY. And if we want to re-right history , and look back, there were a couple of arms who were in camp and let go that have had good seasons. And that's more where I'm looking at failure.

Good day on the farm. I'd love to see Stevenson back for St Paul next year for depth and questions about CF and depth since there are uncertainties about Kepler's option, even though I suspect said option will be picked up. But he might see greater opportunity elsewhere. Isola, IMO, is a clone of Williams. He CAN catch, but he's not a catcher prospect. But the bat is starting to play as a 1B/DH as the power is starting to catch up with BA and contact/OB. IF the CATCHING part of his games improves, he might challenge Camargo as the 3rd catcher, but he's still a good half season or more from that. I think Williams and Isola should not be ignored, but it's up to them to force their way as both catchers and bats. I think, right now, they are interesting bats but Camargo is an actual catcher prospect. I believe Festa is a legitimate prospect, with work to be done. They were aggressive with him this year. And while his performance has been a bit unsteady, he's done very well. I'm worried about the Saints rotation for 2024, but I wouldn't mind Festa getting a month or so at AA to begin next season.

Still not sure how they will run a 6 man rotation, if that's the direction they go. A straight 6 man? Or do they run a 5 man and skip everyone once a week...assuming they keep their lead. I agree he was helped out by the ump's zone against Pittsburgh, and he still might have been OK with a tighter zone, but wouldn't have had 6 perfect innings for sure. And that's OK. Facing the Rangers is a whole different situation. I'd expect something closer to the Phillies game...though maybe not as bad...where we just hope for 4 or 5 OK innings and keep the game close. But even if it goes bad, 2 OK or better and 2 bad, might still get him a 5th start to see. And he's probably earned that. I give him tremendous credit for him working hard to come back and try to compete and continue...or go out on his own terms...but I don't expect more than a few games to just help mitigate the IP if the other starters. I think it's still very much up in the air if he's on the team foe the rest of the season. No to the playoffs unless it's as a middle/long man. But good for him.