DocBauer

A valid question. When I examine the roster...looking at every position...while I can find question marks almost everywhere, I also see potential answers everywhere. EXAMPLE: We have Lee at SS. If Lee can become the .270-.280 hitter and .320-.330 OB producer we've been believing he could be, we've seen he's got some power. We've also seen he's OK, solid at SS, though not great. We have the more athletic, more talented K-Pepper right behind him. And down further is an even better glove SS, probably, even though his offense more than likely won't match Culpepper. No need to break down the OF and the various options there. But again, while questions remain, there is talent to provide answers. But IMO, the biggest hole this lineup has had for more than a few years now, is at 1B. And that should be the easiest position to fix/fill. That's not to say we haven't gotten a couple decent years of play here and there, but it's been sporadic. So with an open spot that screams for improvement, no prospect beating down the door to claim that spot, what if I can spend a little $ to fill it for the next 2-3yrs and not have to worry about it? I keep bringing up Naylor as he's a perfect fit, IMO, for this role. While he's not exciting, he's also very solid, proven, and provides a veteran in a lineup and lockerroom that is starting to get younger very quickly. (Or should be). He'll only be 29yo, is a legitimate 20 HR LH bat, but he's also pretty solid against LHP career wise. Therefore, I don't have to force a platoon situation. He deepens and helps solidify the lineup amidst all of those "questions" we still don't have answers for. And in the grand scheme of things, he really isn't that expensive financially. Does it have to be Naylor? No. But he's a perfect fit, IMO, and he costs $, not prospects. Even if it takes a little while to "settle" the other spots and get answers to some of those questions...such as how soon Jenkins is an actual stud for instance...Buxton, Naylor, and probably Jeffers are 3 spots that are stable. A couple others aren't far off. So in other words, stability and production for a lineup that has been frustratingly instable and inconsistent in production the past few years.

Yes, WAY too early. But this is something I play around with in my head daily so I'm game to play. CATCHER: Jeffers and a $3M-ish veteran backup with Pereda as the #3 in waiting. I also agree on an extension for Jeffers through 2008. By then, Tait and a couple others should be ready. Jeffers gets some security, and he won't break the bank. INFIELD: Lewis, Lee, and Keaschall are locks. While MY VOTE is for Josh Naylor at around $14-15M...maybe on a 2 or 3yr deal?...there are a handful of somewhat interesting secondary options such as Hoskins on a rebound. Maybe O'Hearn, who I've seen mentioned elsewhere. (Would it be nuts to bring back Polanco for 1B if Seattle doesn't want him back)? But there are no 1B prospects ready. They need a decent, competent bat and glove there. I hate to say it, but they may need to do another 1yr deal for someone. But that's all the more reason to invest a little $ in Naylor, who will be 29yo next season. I'm OK with Clemens getting a shot for a bench role. LH power off the bench and the ability to play 4 spots adequately is at least interesting. He's played some 3B earlier in his career. Might he be able to be at least an "emergency" type there? I'd have him spend some time there in ST. I really hadn't thought about Kiner-Filefa as an option. Would he come cheap enough? Even though K-Pepper appears to be on a "Keaschall-like" advance, he probably still needs some AAA time. Right now, I'd predict Fitzgerald opening with the club as a cheap utility option with a decent glove. Of course, they'll bring in some MILB FA to compete and hope they find another Castro. But I don't see a $ investment of more than a couple $M at utility, so Fitzgerald is the choice. OUTFIELD: Forget about any long term control issues, it's not unlikely Jenkins begins 2026 at St Paul to just get a little polish and get in a nice groove, and then come up. Not saying he won't make opening day, or shouldn't, but the FO tends to be a little conservative about losing depth. If he has a great ST, I'd be tempted to give him the job. But let's not pretend that beyond a little polish, a little more work time to work on the power stroke, an additional year of service time wouldn't be a bad thing. Just about everything I said about Jenkins applies to Rodriguez as well. Except for the fact he's a couple years older and his option clock has already been ticking. Honestly, if he has a good ST, he's my 1st priority to just hand out a job in the OF. Wallner is in, and Larnach is out, hopefully in some sort of trade to bring someone of decent value back. Wallner fits best as the primary DH and part-time corner OF. But he may be in RF DAY ONE. I say that because there's a difference between what I WANT, and what I think opening day will bring. There's a good chance Martin, Buxton, and Wallner are your starting OF to begin with. Rodriguez and Jenkins come up later. Roden and Outman just might be the reserves, even if I don't like it. I still think Outman is 50/50 after proving once again he can't hit at the ML level. But if Roden has a solid ST, Outman can fill the role Keirsey had for most of this season. Personally, I'd be OUT on Outman and offer him a MILB deal and give either Rodriguez or Jenkins a DAY ONE job, let Roden compete against anyone and everyone else...including maybe Outman if he sticks around...and call it a day until the Rodriguez/Jenkins "loser" is brought up to settle the OF for keeps. ROTATION: Lopez, Ryan, Ober all healthy hold down the front 3. They can afford it. Anyone can be traded at the deadline. SWR has been solid, might just be taking another step with his splitter, and might be out of options. (Not sure on the options). I think he's in the rotation to begin the season. Could his new splitter make him a viable pen option though? Bradley, also out of options, would figure as one of the remaining rotation arms. The talent is there. Matthews has tons of talent, but hasn't been able to put it altogether just yet. So he probably goes to St Paul to begin the season. If he has a great ST, would the Twins consider moving SWR or Bradley to the pen? Matthews, Morris, Abel, Prielipp, Rojas, Klein, and CJ Culpepper are the depth options remaining at St Paul. BULLPEN: OBVIOUSLY this is a mess. But you have to start somewhere. First comes Sands. After a tremendous 2024 he was mediocre this season, then looked really good following the deadline, then looked bad the past 10-14 days. But there's a good arm there. Ohl and Adams both have short comings, but also some intrigue. Both have a chance throwing 1 inning at a time. (I like Ohl and his changeup a little more). Funderburk...who I had given up on...has been much better post deadline. His last 30 days have been pretty darn good overall. Has he finally figured out how to get LHH out? Laweryson is a mediocre K arm who just gets guys out. He might be a decent middle arm. That isn't much, but it's a starting point. Prielipp and his new 2 seamer are staying in the Saints rotation for now. I also believe Morris will stay there as well. For now at least. I think Raya and Lewis are both relievers going forward. But is Raya ready? He probably begins the year at AAA, but what if he has a good ST? I know Lewis had a rough season, but he's got enough stuff to throw an inning, two once in a while, and can you imagine that crazy Knuckleball on 0-2 and 1-2 counts? He might surprise. And IF Festa gets the absolute best news about his TOS symptom, it's possible he's ready to go from early reports. If it's slightly worse, his ability to be ready for ST comes in to question. Anything worse, and he becomes a real question mark. But I think he's just "built" to be a back end of the pen arm and not a starter. But we can't count on him at this moment without more clarification. But what to do from there? Despite being 35yo in 2026, I'd bring back Coulombe for 1yr. He's been excellent for the Orioles and the Twins for 4-5yrs now, and I'd be willing to bet he's got enough gas left in the tank for another season. But maybe Rogers back or Chaffin as options as well? From there it's got to be a couple of just decent, experienced options. But they aren't going to be big $ signings. The FO needs to be looking at guys coming off poor seasons, coming off injury, maybe coming off a mediocre season following surgery. Pitchers looking for make good deals. Maybe a late 20's hurler who has just never put it together and is ready to transition to the pen to extend and re-build their career. You're smart enough to find a pair of arms from this category, you just might get a nice surprise. From there, you always look for some MILB deal fliers. That's how they found Thielbar, and Stewart, and could have kept Jeff Hoffman had they just been more patient with him. They also got solid single seasons in the past from Wisler, Clippard, and the likes of Blake Parker, among others. So it's guessing and scouting properly, maybe with a little luck thrown in. So there's no easy answer in the 1st attempt at putting together a new pen. But you have to start somewhere. A] Sign a decent 1B for 2026 at least. But they can afford a larger investment for Naylor unless the bidding suddenly goes up. B] Sign a.decent, veteran catcher to back up Jeffers that won't completely embarrass at the plate. C] Spend a few $ on the pen, but don't go crazy. And they won't. And just be smart/lucky with the couple 2-3 FA and the MILB FA you sign. D] DON'T be afraid to keep and play the BEST young talent you have. EXAMPLE: Give Rodriguez a job if healthy and having a good ST. You can still send him down and bring someone else up if you really feel you need to. Same with Jenkins. Same with Gonzalez. Etc, etc, etc.

If this version of Martin is, more or less, the real version, then he has a useful role in 2026. I'm still worried a lack of pop/power is going to see him come crashing down. But 30 Dbls, a handful of Trips and HR, he's got enough pop to succeed with a high AVG and high OB%. Combined that with speed and much improved defense, he can be a quality backup/part-timer, or the starting LF. Fedko is an unknown as he never put his game together until this season. But his mix of power, speed, and OB ability makes him worthy of at least a look. He's a potentially better version of Martin, about 6 months younger as well. Long term, Gonzalez is the better prospect. But how soon might he be ML ready? But he's RH, has a good arm, seems to be able to HIT, and has more power than Martin. He doesn't have Martin's speed by any means, but he might be the more dangerous hitter. But Martin has taken advantage of his opportunity and if he continues to run with it, he's got a spot on the 26 man to begin 2026. As much as Buxton likes batting leadoff, I'd sure like to see him hit #3 behind a combination of Martin and Keaschall to allow more RBI opportunities for his power to be more effective. I think it's generally accepted that Rodriguez and Jenkins joining Buxton as the primary starting 3 is ideal. But even if that happened opening day...in an ideal universe...Martin still has a role on the team. In this scenario, Wallner becomes the primary DH and part time corner OF. But the pattern here is still the same in that THIS version of Martin is the #1 RH OF at the moment, with Fedko and Gonzalez behind him in whatever order of preference you like. Roden is still deserving of a shot. While his MILB hitting hasn't translated yet, he really doesn't have a lot of ML PA yet. (I think his previous 1B experience should be explored more as well.) But pure talent and potential, he's behind Rodriguez and Jenkins for a LH OF role. And yet, it's possible he and Martin could form a quasi-platoon in LF to begin next season. So again, Martin has a role almost any way the initial 2026 OF lays out. I sort of like Clemens coming back as a LH, power utility player. But I don't want him in a daily role. They should be aiming higher than that. I think Larnach is moved. I believe Keirsey and McCusker are removed from the 40 man and offered MILB deals. Will they accept them? I don't believe Outman has any role other than the one Keirsey had for the majority of 2025: defensive backup and PR. I'd remove him from the 40 man and offer him a MILB deal as well. I'm not convinced the Twins will do that, but it's what I'd do. 50/50 they keep him as an "asset" until someone else appears ready to bump him off the roster. 5 OF spots and Buxton, Wallner, Martin, Rodriguez, Jenkins, Roden, Gonzalez, and Fedko are the best 8 guys to fill those 5 roles. That's based on production, talent, and age. (Clemens and possibly Keaschall can help out some as well). Outman remains a 9th option, but I really don't see the need. Any of the others offer greater upside than a 29yo who simply can't hit at the ML level. But it's unlikely Martin isn't on the opening roster. How big his role is doesn't just depend on the prospects, it's also up to him to continue producing in his current manner.

I have zero issues with Royce's comments over the past couple of seasons...and there hasn't been many honestly. He didn't like trying out 2B during the season? He said directly he was afraid of blowing a big play and would prefer a change in positions during the offseason instead, for better prep and more work put in. That's ALL he said. BUT, he went out and played some 2B, and then worked at it daily for 2025 before the Twins decided they weren't going to play him there. He's not wrong when he talks about arbitration and salary being dependent on your numbers. But he's probably a little too "opened mouth" while dealing with frustration when he makes some of his comments like this as they come off poorly. He's a kid who wears his heart on his sleeve and just says whatever he's thinking and feeling. That can make you look good, or make you look bad. I just think he needs to hit the PAUSE button once in a while before he speaks. ON THE FIELD, he spent the past offaeason not only working out needlessly at 2B, but working with a trusted physical therapist to increase flexibility to try and avoid the soft tissue injuries that have hampered him. Also, he confessed earlier this season about being frustrated not being able to find a base/stance/approach that felt comfortable to him with all of the injuries he's had to endure. Open, honest, and understandable. I guess I'd hope that being healthy the past few months, going in to the offseason, and more hard work, will allow him to play 120 games or more, and FIND that comfort zone he needs. He doesn't have to be Superman. He just needs to be Royce. And as pointed out earlier in the OP, his .757 OPS the past few months is more than acceptable, especially with solid defense. I think he's still got the potential for more than that, but it's a start.

McCarthy is still close to rookie status. His OL did him no favors in the first 2 games. KOC had admitted his play calling might have not been the greatest. No question McCarthy has room to grow and improve. But from what little we've seen of him, including late in the Bears game, I don't have a lot of doubt the kid has a bright future. But he does remain a work in progress. That defense, even with injuries, looks potentially dominate! The DL impressed the hell out of me against Cincinnati. And that line was Allen, Redmond, and Rodriguez most of the game. Darisaw back makes a tremendous difference. I expected more from Skul. I thought Jackson had a hell of a game, and I also thought Fries took a step forward. Never understood certain websites stating Jurgens was a big question mark. I thought he looked pretty solid as a rookie in last year's preseason, and even better this preseason. I thought he had a good game as well. Losing Jackson really stinks, but Brandel is a solid, experienced player who should do a decent job. Quick shout out to Scott off the bench. And is Price the best return man we've had in years?

Ober is still the #3 SP until someone overtakes him, IMO. Until told otherwise, I will hold out that his hip issue is not career threatening...no indication it's anything long term at this point...and his mechanics and normal velocity will be back in 2026. TODAY, SWR might be #4. But there's a whole offseason and next ST for Matthews, Abel, and Bradley to take the #4 spot from him. (My hunch is Festa is moving to a high leverage role in the pen with a good medical report later this month). I can't totally disagree with your take on Ryan. He's going to be 31 going in to 2028, IIRC. There is hope of lower level arms currently in the system that will be ready to replace him by then. But then again, Morris, Prielipp, Morris, Bradley, Abel, and Rojas are also part of that equation on an earlier timeline. Still, if we could buy him out of his first couple of seasons of FA on a somewhat team friendly deal...IDK, 2 for $34-36M?...you pad your talent level, he's still very tradable at something similar, and he can still sign a new deal going in to his age 33 season. So I can see reasons for an extension on both sides.

Stealing more bases only tells me Royce is feeling GOOD physically. And that's all I care about. He worked out hard in the offseason with a personal trainer he trusts to work on greater flexibility to avoid all the soft tissue injuries that have plagued him the past couple of seasons. Alas, he couldn't get out of ST without another injury. And while he might have been rushed back, he's remained pretty healthy since he came back, even with disappointing results. By his own admission earlier this season, he's admitted having issues finding a stance/approach that works for him considering his 2 knee injuries, larger muscle mass, and the various injuries that have slowed him at times. He doesn't have to be the Superman player he's flashed at times early in his career. He just needs to be healthy and find a BASE at the plate that he feels comfortable with. He doesn't have to hit .300, but I think there's a .270-ish hitter there. There might still be potential for 30HR, but I'd be happy with 22-25. If he never stole another base in his career but could play a good 3B, hit in the .270's, and crank out 30+ Dbls and 20+ HR I'd be ecstatic. He might be capable of more, but that would be a cornerstone type of player. It's all about just staying on the field and finding a stance/base/approach that feels comfortable.

NO! The hardest thing to find in MLB is quality SP. As Twins fans, we can point to YEARS where the Twins had someone like Radke and WHOEVER behind him. Even in some good years earlier in this century they seldom went 3 deep. Currently they are 3 deep with everyone healthy, and a deep pool of talent to flesh out the last 2 spots and have additional options. If you want, I'll even say POTENTIAL depth. But it all starts by actually HAVING arms with talent vs fringe guys. There is enough talent on hand, and about to appear, hopefully with at least 1 solid FA BAT to augment the lineup/team to have a decent lineup. They are moving towards better athletes, more speed, and hopefully/probably even better defense. Again, trying to re-build the pen to at least a solid, competent level is a different story. But unless you want to tear the whole damn thing down and start from scratch...which doesn't always work BTW...you KEEP Ryan AND Lopez and keep building around them with players on hand, prospects about to debut, and hopefully a couple smart FA additions within whatever proposed budget is put in place.

I want to address Greg's OP more directly, but I have to digress slightly and look at ownership first. The FO made some very interesting moves in previous years. Both offseason and in season. Some were quite aggressive. Some worked well. Some did not. Where they suddenly became passive was mostly after 2023 and the Pohlad's "right sizing" mantra. How in hell do you sign both Buxton and Lopez to extensions, and then bring in Correa TWICE and THEN have Joe Pohlad speak about the payroll continuing to increase and he could even "see a day where the Twins might have a $180M payroll" and then the forward movement of the organization wasn't just put in neutral, it was put in reverse. The Pohlads are suffering financially, apparently. (Have to put in a disclaimer). So they, allegedly, borrow against their biggest single asset and mess it up. That is a HUGE DISCONNECT within the family and their corporate structure. ESPECIALLY when the team had some real momentum following 2023. I can't blame that on Falvey, even if I don't like or agree with moves made, or not made, over the past 2 seasons. Yes, I feel a sense of disappointment and frustration and have a hard time seeing a light at the end of the tunnel with the 2024 collapse and the way the 2025 season has turned out. The roster needed some changes made. A shakeup of sorts had to happen. Without going in to rehashed details and opinions yet again, I will just say I wouldn't have made a couple of the moves at the deadline that took place, and I will leave it at that. So my ongoing disappointment is more focused on POST deadline operations. In all honesty, I may be frustrated by the appearances of most/all of the "ready" prospects brought in. (Also frustrated with some of the Twins own prospects). But I simply have to state that a couple months, a few weeks, a few appearances really shouldn't cloud the opinion of most of these acquisitions, or some struggling current prospects. I'm not trying to Looney Toons painted artificial escape at the end of the tunnel, but in Bradley, Abel, Rojas, Roden, and our OWN Lee, Matthews, and Festa, we are MOSTLY talking about players who have just debuted, are only in their 1st full season, and are all 24-25yo. Even Abel, despite his ML experience with TB, is still only 24. I didn't even list SWR, who is also only 24yo, but hasn't struggled as others have. It would be awesome for a traded for young player to come in and flash and provide optimism for 2026. It hasn't happened. I wish it had happened. I'm disappointed it didn't happen. That's the part where to Roadrunner paints a tunnel and the Coyote runs in to the side of the mountain. But then I recall Gibson and Berrios looking downright awful initially. And Ryan was solid, but not the pitcher he became. Ditto for Ober. Just examples, and I'm not going to keep beating this particular drum. I'm just saying that TODAY'S disappointment and frustration shouldn't cloud at least some optimism for TOMORROW, meaning 2026, and learning curves and development that might take place over the next several months. Right now, agreed, it's a bummer watching your team stink up the place. What has really had me down, frustrated, and having a hard time believing in that OTHER painted exit of the tunnel, is choices made by the FO over the past 2 months since the deadline. I totally understand that INITIALLY, they just grabbed some arms/players to simply fill out a 26 man roster to play games. But it's from there that bothers me. If they really wanted to take a look at a few guys to see if there was SOMETHING of value to keep around, OK. But did they really believe there was enough to "see" in Davis, Ramirez, and Urena for the staff? Why wasn't Laweryson brought up sooner? Why didn't Paredes jump from AA for a pen audition? Why play games with Adams and Ohl up and down instead of getting them all the ML audition time they could grab? I know the MLB pitchibg cupboard at AAA was bare, but why not get out of your own way and start thinking about 2026 ASAP? If they really and truly believe Outman has a chance to be "fixed" after the Dodgers couldn't in 2yrs, I guess I can understand that to some degree. I don't agree with it, but I can understand it. But they bring up McCusker to sit on the bench and not play? If they didn't want to give the still only 21yo Gonzalez a ML audition, FINE. But why not Fedko after a breakout season to come up and PLAY and see if he's got some actual ML potential? It took an injury to bring up a AAAA Pareda at catcher while sticking with Gasper who really doesn't seem to be a ML catcher and doesn't appear to be able to hit at the ML level? Hell, it you aren't going to win anything anyway, give Cardenas a shot just to let him see what MLB is all about to maybe get him ready for a promotion in 2026 at some point. I'm not one to yell for the recently promoted Jenkins, or Rodriguez...who's just come off a rehab stint...to be tossed in to the fray at this point. But when you aren't playing any longer for 2025, you should be preparing for 2026. I mean, you aren't keeping BOTH Keirsey and Outman on the 40 man...maybe neither...so why not look at someone younger that MIGHT help next season. Same for some of the arms I mentioned. If you keep Lopez and Ryan, a healthy Ober and a number of talented young arms gives you real optimism for the rotation next year. And quality SP is the hardest thing to find. There is a BASE for optimism regarding the potential of the lineup next year, especially with a handful of top prospects set to debut at some time. The pen is an entirely different conversation, of course. But it's the USE of the 26 man roster in a disappointing, losing season that has me angry, befuddled, and having a hard time recognizing that end of the tunnel exit that has me feeling down.

😪

I think KOC is a hell of a good coach and team leader. But I also think he's learning. And I'm OK with that. I'd rather that than a stubborn curmudgeon know it all like Zimmer was. He admitted the comeback win over the Bears was changing how he called plays and letting McCarthy run the offense. I understand and appreciate the "new age" of approaching preseason games with all the offseason camps and even practices against other teams. But McCarthy was really a rookie this year. I think KOC was overly protective of him not playing preseason games based on his injury last year. The kid needs to play! But then again, when let loose, he had that great comeback against the Bears and showed what he might be. His high ankle sprain is not some benching. It's real. Skule not playing well is real. Thielen not producing in 2 games is real. The injuries are real. But getting back to basics is something OKC can do. Run the ball. Set up screens for Scott. For goodness sake, get the TE back in the game plan! While Wentz is not a GREAT QB, he's got years of experience. Give him a little time and a game plan that makes sense, he can help keep the team on track.

Come on! He's not great, but he's pretty solid in all phases of the game. Honestly, if they weren't going to draft a RB this past draft, he should have just been re-signed. He's had a solid career when healthy. At least this time he doesn't cost a draft pick.

I have developed the utmost respect for Dan Hayes over the last couple of years. If one can be a fan of a reporter, then I guess I'd be one. But I think Dan overstated in reference to this being a "cost cutting move". This past Wednesday on a Patreon with G&G he agreed that right or wrong, which is a growing tendency for many teams to eliminate advanced IN PERSON scouting and relying on video and computerized data. It's a growing trend. It's also similar to good old football having enough FILM to look at you don't always need an "in person" look at the opposition. And there is undoubtedly some truth to that. *Note, this is not prospect scouting we're talking about. Eliminating 4 guys from the advanced team scouting, including flights and accommodations, is less than a single rookie level player salary. Hence the idea that this really isn't really a cost saving move. The 2 biggest points presented were: A] The 4 scouts dismissed had DECADES of knowledge across baseball that might be hard to replace. Once in a while you just want to know little things about a player you might want be interested in, for example. B] Hayes biggest concern was that when Falvey took over the Twins made a huge financial overhaul of the analytics department that was about 3 guys. But since the FO made this huge overhaul, they've stayed stagnant while other teams have surpassed the Twins. In reality, this just isn't the Pohlads being cheap. The financial cost is pennies in relation to a total operational budget. But there is a cost in experienced personel who have decades in the game that might be greatly shortsighted when you're looking for any advantage you can get. Especially if other teams are advancing their analytics department and surpassing your own. IMO, you really aren't saving any $. But you are costing your team if you don't either find roles for these experienced scouts, or at least re-invest the cost back in to the analytics department. But wasn't this whole OP about spending on the roster? I just had to comment since it was brought up.

We don't often disagree, and I'm not saying we do here, but I'm going to take a differing opinion because: A] The OP is asking what I believe to be a legitimate question. B] As completely down...borderline disgusted...with the Pohlads, and not crazy about the FO these days, I'm still going to ATTEMPT to look at the HOPE side of the Twins. You mention 6-7 wins brought on board by spending $30M. You are correct that that doesn't bring in a winning team that might compete for the ALC or a WC berth. We agree there. But let's imagine a world, for a moment, where another offseason of hard work gives us a Royce Lewis healthy for most of 2026 and we actually get to see him return to the player he can be. Not Superman glimpses, but a legitimate. 270-.280 hitter with 30 Dbls and 20+ HR. Suddenly we get another couple WAR. A healthy Wallner produces at DH/OF like his 2023-24 version and we suddenly pick up another couple of games. Lee's bat starts to come around a bit better, we have the promising Keaschall for a full season, and at some point...opening day or not...we see Jenkins, Rodriguez, Gonzalez, and K-Pepper debut and provide some offensive spark. We even improve the speed and athleticism of the team, hopefully/probably the overall defense as well. SOMEONE other than France at 1B I'm already calculating in to your original 6-7 wins. The Twins NOT tearing the whole thing down could/should mean a healthy Lopez and Ober to head the rotation. That helps there as well. Young SP don't succeed right out of the gate all that often. SWR, Bradley, Matthews, and Abel are still only 24-25yo at this point, and have a lot of talent to work with. I'm NOT claiming you have a sudden 90 win team. But potential of players on hand being healthy and productive plus a couple additions, plus the excitement of talented young prospects debuting starts to change the complexion of the team to being something interesting to watch, with better athleticism, speed, and again, hopefully better defense. As horrendously poor as the Pohlads have been in running the team, equally poor in public relations, NOT gutting the rest of the team, actually spending the proposed $30M, and the debuts of some very talented prospects just might provide some excitement, and re-kindle public interest. Informed fans such as ourselves would look at a $120-125M or even $130M payroll and grind our teeth when comparing that payroll to the rest of the league, and the ML average. But in basic theory, KEEPING Lopez and Ryan and actually adding that $30M...hypothetically Josh Naylor for $15M per for 2-3yrs plus a backup catcher and 2-3 interesting ML FA pen arms...plus Jenkins, Rodriguez, Gonzalez, K-Pepper, etc...and I'm repeating myself now, LOL, makes this team a lot more fun and potentially interesting to US, as well as the general fan base doesn't it? It would also make good business sense. Though I don't know that any of us feel the Pohlads have great business sense at this point. Overly optimistic? You bet. Smarter than tearing it all down? Guess it depends on your perspective, but I say yes. I've been a fan for about 50+ of my almost 60yrs. And I will continue to such. But I'm way more likely to watch if they do as suggested vs blowing the whole damn thing up.

I really appreciate articles like these on the DSL. As closely as I follow the Twins MILB system, the FCL is hard to keep track of except for about half the roster that I recognize from recent drafts, and top performers from the DSL reports like these that help me key in on specific players. Once I read all the various reports on their initial signings, the names just become a blur many months later when we're reading MILB reports and checking out box scores for 16-17-18yo kids that are years away. But again, I really appreciate the work put in here because I begin to hold names in memory for the next season of the FCL.

Right or wrong, the Twins wanted to see what they have in Roden...now injured of course...Martin, and Outman. Poor McCusker gets hus 3rd shot on the roster and is getting splinters in his backside for the 3rd time. For the last month of a disappointing, lost season, why not take a look at McCusker or Fedko in the mix as well? I can understand Rodriguez just coming back from injury and rehab and just letting him finish out the year at AAA at this point. But even though he finally broke out at 25yo, why not give someone like Fedko...pushing for a 30/30 season...a ML looksee? He may or may not make it at the ML level. But there's some OB% ability there to go along with speed and some power, as well as positional flexibility. He just might be a 4th OF for 2026. And if you don't add him to the 40 man, someone will probably grab him in the rule 5 for those very reasons. And what kind of message does it send when a 25yo player having a breakout season doesn't get a shot? He's not a top prospect based on previous history, but how can you afford to just ignore your own internal talent? 25yo is not exactly ancient! But if they would have kept playing Outman and keep Fedko on the bench the way they have with McCusker, I guess I'd just rather just see him play daily at St Paul to finish out the season. But I really don't understand some of the recent roster decisions AT ALL.

Obviously the story of this game wasn't even the win itself, it was the pitching, most notably Prielipp. He's had a healthy and solid season, flashing his vast potential. And he finishes the season with probably the best 2 games of his year...and brief career...at AAA. Now, he just needs to keep working on his new 2 seamer, and continue LEARNING how to pitch. IMO, that's his next big step. In a lot of his starts he threw too many pitches per innings. That may also explain why his BABIP was so high this season. It's one thing to have nasty stuff and be in the zone consistently, but it's another thing to learn how to set hitters up and polish them off more quickly. Good game back for LH Misiewicz. The Twins reportedly like him a little, and he didn't have a bad season for St Paul. I wouldn't mind him back as a non rostered arm for the Saints next season. Parades had an outstanding year! Really though, he's never had a bad one. Other than not being a big K arm, all he does is go 1-2 innings and keep guys off the bases and get outs. Too bad he's only going to get 1-2 games at AAA this season. Another good day for Fedko. I would have cleared a 40 man spot a couple weeks ago and had him up. And now Keirsey is up again to replace the injured Wallner? But if all he would have done is sit on the bench, I guess I'd rather see him playing daily for the Saints. I'll say again, no proof he's going to succeed at the ML level. And I don't care that his breakout came in his age 25 season. There's some talent there and need/opportunity. He needs to be added to the 40 man this offseason. Bride seems to have made some positive adjustments and is closing the season strong. He was pretty solid for Miami in 2024. No way he's a rostered player, but I wouldn't mind seeing him back as a depth piece for the Saints next season as well. But Prielipp is the shiny part of today!

I refuse to use injuries as an excuse for a 2nd collapse 2 years in a row. OK, 2024 was a complete collapse, but here in 2025 the ship seemed to get right around May/June and optimism rose before everything collapsed again. So yeah, 2 yeas in a row of a collapse. But I can't completely dismiss injuries this season, even though I don't lay blame entirely on that factor. There is a difference if your #4-5 SP get hurt vs your #1 and #3. And when your depth pieces of Matthews and Festa struggle with injuries, suddenly the depth you thought you had is also getting hurt, it does have an affect. Again, I'm not making excuses, but if Lewis doesn't pull a hamstring before the season starts...and maybe came back to soon...does that change his season? Does Wallner have a much better season if HE doesn't also have an injury that derailed his season and just hasn't got his timing back and is underperforming? I had forgotten that Correa had a slight back injury until listening to the recent G&G podcast where they and Dan Hayes discussed how his defense suddenly had a turndown. Did that also affect his bat to some degree? But when your offense has 4 major BATS to drive your offense...not that there weren't also solid players on hand...and only ONE, Buxton, was healthy and productive, your offense is in serious trouble. Especially for a lineup that was built shallow due to ownership cuts. The loss of Lopez, IMO, was big. Ober getting hurt just piles on. Then when your 2 young arm replacements have their own issues adds to the issue. I still think the biggest problem was the lineup. When you can't produce runs, the pressure on your staff increases tremendously. When the defense is marginal, that only adds to said pressure. Once again, the injuries the Twins had this season in regard to games missed is not nearly as poor as it's been in the past. Other teams had more games missed. But sometimes, on a roster that isn't deep, a couple key injuries can make a difference. That's what happens when your roster is limited by ownership. When France is your 1B and Bader as a platoon/complimentary piece are your best additions in the offseason you still really need that top 4 to come through. I do think the starting staff is in good shape with Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Sim, Matthews, Bradley, Abel, Morris, and a couple others. Yes, some are still developing, but the talent is there. Borgshulte might be a good hitting coach. I honestly don't know. But it's beyond bizarre to me that Popkins gets burned as the problem in 2024 and gets a job a couple days later with the Jays who have one of the best offenses in the league. And the Twins offense, mostly with the same players, got worse. (Dan Hayes also reports Popkins brought in an assistant coach who was better with in game adjustments). The Twins need the lineup/offense to be better in the field, more athletic, and find more power. They've got a couple guys who have been affected to some degree due to injury. And they have some very good prospects who have debuted, or about to debut. And they can make a difference. But I remain concerned about the coaching staff and the APPROACH that the FO wants put in place. Injuries be damned. Matthews and others should only grow as rookie or young hurlers. But is the coaching staff in place to make that happen? There's a ton of talent sitting at AAA and AA about ready to make their mark. But is the coaching staff in place to make that happen. I honestly don't know. Is the issue the coaches? Or is it the APPROACH the FO has in place that might be of issue?

Well, ai covered this a couple of weeks ago in a Forum article I created. And have said the same thing in various OP's since. So I guess might as well go down this path one more time. Josh Naylor is the best fit to take over 1B and add a veteran bat with some power to the lineup. He's also acceptable against fellow LH for his career so he's not an automatic platoon player either. But it's going to cost $15M to get him, IMO. Then, they spend about $3M on a veteran FA catcher to backup Jeffers. If you've got $30M to spend, you'd have about $12M left at this point. Not including som3 MILB camp invites at minimum $, that $12M gets spent on 3-4 pen arms...however you want to spread it around. You're not signing TOP arms. You're signing guys on the rebound from bad years, guys coming off injury, former starters that just never put it together in the rotation but might make really good relievers. That $30M should have the Twins around $120M, which is actually less than they spent last year. You full 1B and backup catcher. You can still keep Lopez and Ryan. And between a few pen arm options on hand, a couple pen conversions, the 3-4 FA arms you sign, and a handful of other fliers, you're trying to build a pen that's not going to be great. But you're looking for serviceable at least.

"His cutter, curveball and splitter probably need further refinement, but he's already killing spin better on the latter and throwing them all harder, too." THAT'S THE KEY IMO. The Rays are a well run organization with a history of producing quality arms, or finding new ways to use them. But even with their smarts, they missed the potential on Ryan. Did they miss on Bradley? Did they promote him too soon on potential and not fully develop him? It's entirely possible. A better, smoother delivery to increase velocity is nothing but a good thing. But that only takes you so far. As the quote from the OP states, work on his secondaries needs work. Pure velocity doesn't make a good pitcher. SWR is starting to refine his splitter to go along with his velocity in his 2nd season, with some injury hiccups interupting. Matthews has the frame, velocity, and pure stuff to be very good. He's still learning a bit about command if his stuff and "pitching" which is different than pure stuff. Honestly, all of this applies to Abel as well.

I think Provus is excellent! I think Morneau is really solid as the color guy. It just takes a little while to understand he has a "twinkle" in his eye and speech as he has a wonderful but dry humor about him. I absolutely love having different previous Twins in the booth, though I have some favorites there. Perk and Plouffe might be the best. But others are good. Caught a bit of Gordon in the booth the other night and was impressed. I seldom listen to the radio broadcast these days with my access to the ML streaming of games. But I think Atteberry does a great job! He does exactly what he's SUPPOSED to do as a radio announcer. That means not only calling balls and strikes, but trying to set the game and atmosphere to the listener. IMO, his only real issue is following ALL TIME GREATS like Carneal and Gordon. Growing up listening to radio, and hearing those voices, they are both right up there with Scully. Atteberry loves the Twins, loves baseball, and paints a complete picture. As he should. But he lacks some of the charisma of those before him. But he's good. And I think more listeners should just appreciate what he's doing. I'm an admitted apologist for Gladden. He's rough around the edges and I'm not really good about how he calls the game at times. I like him a lot more as the color portion of the broadcast. I enjoy his rough edges and playing off whoever was his previous primary broadcaster. You don't listen for Gladden being smooth. You listen for the player he was, and the person and broadcaster he is. A guy who loves baseball, who has stories, who will state things as he sees them, and who won't back down. In a broadcasting world of too many button downed broadcasters, I appreciate his rough edged approach...even though I don't like his play by play.

Mike, a good idea, and we'll probably get some sort of capsulated report about them at some point. Traditionally, pitchers seldom throw in games other than maybe a couple innings here and there from a couple. (Arbitrary as to who). Instead, the Twins let them rest a bit, then spend time with them at the Ft Myers complex and get them ready for the Instructional/development camp they hold there in the offseason. That's also somewhat true for position players, but they are more inclined to let them see a little action, particularly if they are college draftees. As I'm sure you are aware, Houston has debuted and played in 24G, with an almost even split between Ft Myers and CR. He raked at FM and didn't perform all that well at CR. But let's not a long year for him and K-Pepper did pretty much the same thing last year. Ryan Sprock, 3B/1B and 8th round pick also got in 23G at Ft Myers. Surpringly, he got 3 games at C. Didn't see that coming! And a few games in LF. He hit a little, but with such a SSSS, not sure numbers really matter. JP Smith II, a 1B in the 17th round, also go 24G played at Ft Myers. He started off really hot and then went cold. Agin, SSSS so the numbers really aren't that important. College position players Jacob McCombs/OF/7th, had an 8G debut; Shai Robinson/SS/10th, had 4G; Ryan Daniels/2B/11th, had only 2G. It surprised me somewhat to see 2nd rounder Quentin Young and 6th rounder Bruin Agbayani make their professional debut with 5 games each at Ft Myers. But again, with only 5 games, it's only noteworthy that they got a very small sample of pro ball at all as prep selections. Of bizarre interest to me is 16th round RHP Jonathan Stevens from Alabama...who never actually threw for them...actually threw 6G and 13IP for Ft Myers. It didn't go well despite K-ing a good number in the 13 innings he appeared in. He's a crazy story because unless my memory is worse than I'd like it to be, LOL, he was one of the top Prep players in Alabama coming out of HS. And even his summer league numbers are oy a few IP. So who is this guy? Why was he even drafted? Well, the Twins have a really good relationship with Alabama. (This goes back to Prielipp if not before). There must have been some sort of communication between AL and scouts that this was an underdeveloped but talented arm that the Twins should take a shot at. There's got to be a hell of an interesting story behind him that I'd love to hear about one day. Because drafting him doesn't make sense on the surface. Actually having him throw even a few innings would seem to mean there's SOMETHING there. But that's kind of a limited rundown of the draft class of 2025 barring anything forthcoming from TD.

Hats off to yet another exciting season for the Kernals. It's too bad they couldn't have brought a championship home, but no shame in getting that far and losing to a very good team. CR had a lot of talent flow through this season and they could be excellent next year as well. Kind of feels like they ran out of gas a bit at the end. Great game again by Morris. He's had a solid season overall, but he's been more locked in since coming back from his IL stint. Maybe a better focus? He's definitely in the mix for 2026 at some point. I'm still excited about Macleod's seeming conversion to the pen. I like his potential there. But right after a very nice appearance, he blew up in this game. Of course, he's still new not only to being in the pen, but pretty new to AAA. I think he might end up contributing in 2026 at some point in the Twins pen. Since it was brought up... I think Martin gets 1st crack as the Twins RH OF in 2026...leaving Buxton out of the convention for obvious reasons...as he's really responded with the opportunity given him the 2nd half of the season. He just looks like a different hitter than 2024, and his defense in LF has definitely improved. I'm still not entirely sold due to a lack of pop/power that he can maintain his current HIT and OB ability. And he really needs to improve his CF defense from what we've seen previously in order to be a factor there. He's on a precipice of STARTING LF, or a 4th OF that might not have a job before 2026 is over and done. Personally, I've got Fedko, Gonzalez, and then Rosario behind Martin, and in that order. I understand that Fedko has never been much of a prospect until this year. But he's been kept around for a reason, and making a major jump at 25yo doesn't signal "too old" to me. Fedko has more pure playing time than Gonzalez. More time to just refine the subtleties of the game. He's been primarily a RF so far, seemingly indicating a decent arm. And he's not a stranger in CF. He's probably got comparable speed to Martin, as much or more power, has been learning 1B to increase his defensive flexibility, and has aways had an OB% around 80-100 points above his AVG. LONG TERM, I think Gonzalez has the better bat with more power, and is probably the better prospect. Reports are he's gone from a poor OF with a good arm to at least a solid defender. That makes his potential even more exciting. But at 21yo, I currently rank him below Fedko for the moment. I still believe a lot of people are sleeping on Rosario. He's really worked hard on his K/BB numbers and has shown some real improvement in '23 and this season as well. 2024 was a bit of missed opportunity in his AA debut due to injury. He also has a strong arm and a questionable defensive profile, similar to Gonzalez, but if he can also improve there the same as GG, he's got a very interesting bat profile. While his SB numbers this season probably don't translate going forward, it shows he's not just a statue either. So I wouldn't dismiss him at all as not only is he seemingly ready for AAA, but I believe he ended up finishing in the top 5 of his league in R, HR, SLG%, and RBI. I didn't mention Olivar previously, who had a decent season. But as high as many have been on him, I'm just not seeing him in LF with any stand out qualities. And as a catcher, I'm not convinced yet that he's anything but a #3.

Probably going to repeat some of what I said in yesterday's game log, but I was crazily impressed with SWR in that last game. I didn't watch every inning, but he was consistently hitting 94-95 most of the time. The slider and splitter were just NASTY! I think we often forget how bizarre Sims' development path was, or the fact that he's still 24yo. I'm going to agree with others here that I don't believe Ryan and/or Lopez are necessarily on the trading block considering the projected $90-95M payroll the team depending on Larnach's status. Who, I believe, will be moved. Boston called and we listened. Falvey has always been very clear that he will listen. It was erroneously reported there was a deal for Ryan by a reporter. East Coast/Boston reporter IIRC. SWR has still been growing as a SP. Greatness, or very goodness, doesn't happen overnight all that often. Not all that many years ago Berrios looked borderline awful when he debuted. Matthews has the frame and the control and the good stuff to be successful. This season has really been about a full ML debut and development. So I wouldn't be dismissive regarding him at this point. I like some of what I've seen of Bradley. Also very young despite coming to the Twins with 300+ IP. Morris has really been coming on at St Paul the latter portion of the season. And Abel is just way too talented to be dismissive of a couple poor appearances while still working on some changes to his repertoire. Depth is only a word until you see it in action. Still, allowing growth and consistency can take a while, IF the Twins enter 2026 with Lopez, Ryan, Ober, SWR, Mathews, Bradley, Abel, and Morris as their top 8 options, I'm feeling really good and optimistic. That leaves Rojas, Prielipp, Klein and CJ Culpepper as options later in the summer. I'm not including Raya, Lewis, or Festa as I think all 3 will move to the pen. Each offers some real intrigue there. *Early, somewhat hopeful, reports are Festa's TOS issue may be minor. It's possible a botox injection and rehab might fix his issue. Beyond that, perhaps only a minor procedure. We'll know more later this month. Keep fingers crossed. I really appreciate the high performance games that Cody included in the OP. I don't believe it's cherry picking to show great performances against good teams for a 24yo in his 2nd season. It simply shows potential. Sim needs to put away hitters earlier in counts. More K's help with that. If he can keep that splitter working, and he can keep his velocity between 93-95 consistently, there's room for him to take another step forward. He might have the potential of a #3 rotation arm if he can do that. Only time will show if he's capable of more than that. But that's true of all young starters.

To be fair, I read the article by Dan Hayes, though I don't have a link to share. The Twins had a 5 man team for advanced scouting and kept 1 of the 5. It was also stated that this is becoming more common place in MLB as teams are using video scouting more and more. Not saying it's good, bad, or otherwise. Just saying the Twins aren't the only teams cutting back in this particular department.