DocBauer

Absolutely agree on a rest for Gibson and, IMO, I feel he is under weight due to his illness and never quite got all his lost weight and strength back. To me, it seems obvious at this point. I think a rest for Berrios is also on order, but more of the mental break variety by missing a turn. I see no good reason...other than a sudden loss in games ahead standing...where Smeltzer, Thorpe, or a ML version of a bullpen game couldn't be done a couple times in September.

While SSS and nothing yet proven, I have been pleased and amazed that virtually every single young arm brought up has performed quite well: Littell, Poppen, Stashak, Smeltzer, Thorpe and now Dobnak. While I feel Smeltzer and Thorpe are still SP options, and good ones, there are a couple nice looking BP arms I just listed. Not throw Alcala in there and find me a LH and I'm feeling pretty happy about the 2020 pen at this point.

I also want to send some praise May's way. Maybe my imagination, but I recall a couple bad appearances before the All Star break, but still did solid. After the break, he looks even better. As someone stated, seems the bad games are always the ones remembered. SSS or not, really been impressed by Littell this season.

My gut reaction, sign him the same way Kepler and Polanco were signed. Could a similar contract be undervalue at some point? Absolutely. But just like Kepler and Polanco, the player is also gaining security. Rosario will only get more expensive going forward IMO. At some point, and it could be this off-season, the Twins will need to move 4-5 top 30 prospects...while keeping their top 3...to add a controllable SP. The system can handle that. OR, they will have to make a move as you suggest, and hold on to Larnach and Rooker...along with Kiriloff...and make due in OF for a season. Said trade also keeps a couple top SP "prospects" in the system for the next few years and hoping they continue to progress, hopefully quickly. I'm not sure I have the right answer. My gut says to keep Rosario and make the big trade. I'd guess Rosario and his agent would have a lot to say about it; security vs betting on the future.

First of all, I still believe in Romero's arm and potential. At the beginning of 2018 he was not only a highly regarded prospect, but one of the Twins top prospects. He absolutely flashed as a SP in 2018 but then struggled some. The biggest issue, IMO, was not affording him more opportunity in the lost season of 2018. But, that's over and done. Considering need, roster crunch, lack of options, I believe the Twins will make an off season trade for a quality SP with control to compete with Berrios to hold a spot near the top of the rotation. Right now, this moment, I can't tell you who that guy is. The Twins have so much depth of milb talent, I believe they could do so without moving Lewis, Kirilloff or Graterol. They have several top 4-20-30 candidates that include INF, C, OF,and SP options for a rebuilding team. Said team would, IMO, fully embrace Romero as a 5th player, without options, that could comfortably roster him and work with him. Such a trade would hurt, but not deplete the system, and potentially reward both teams. I've always said, if it hurts, then it's a fair value to both teams.

A great topic, and FUN ONE! Especially after last season. To me, this seems pretty easy with the caveat everyone is healthy and ready to go, naturally. And a second caveat that September could bring an unexpected surprise: i.e. someone like Graterol could make things difficult, let me say I'm totally onboard for Graterol look see for September, along with others, but I'm just not buying in to him being a difference maker at this point. Players: [13] Rosario Buxton Kepler Cruz Sano Polanco Arraez Cron Gonzalez Adrianza Schoop Garver Castro Pitchers: [11] Berrios Odorizzi Pineda Gibson Perez Dyson Rogers Romo May Duffy Littell Your 25th man spot comes down to a 14th position player or 12th pitcher. As much as I love a HEALTHY Astudillo and believe he is a quality bat when healthy, Cave would be the easy choice. He is a far better player than he showed most of the season until finally getting hot lately. Now, I don't expect him to keep up his currently torrid pace, but I think he makes the most sense. He also offers decent speed as a PR. I'm pretty bullish on Littell as a member of the pen. And while there is no guarantee Perez would be successful out of the pen, he offers a LH in the pen who could assume a number of roles. Right now, we're the Twins to decide on a 12th pitcher, I'm not so sure it wouldn't be Thorpe. I love Smeltzer, but with a good September, Thorpe has better SO stuff. There could be a surprise, of course, but to me it's Cave or the 12th pitcher.

Despite virtual lost seasons for Wells, Wells, Gonsalves and certainly Romero, just look at the arms who have excellled, or at the very least have teased, as you listed them. Toss in Thorpe and Smeltzer, along with Poppen and Littell and Stashak, maybe even Dobnak.

Two things: 1] Rowson did work with him, as if he read Parker's breakdown here. It seems to have made a huge impact on timing and visualisation of pitches. 2] Smalley made a very obvious comment in tonight's game a lot of people forget about. Playing! 2018 was a wasted year. 2019 didn't start great and he may have been rushed, arguably. But with the adjustments made, and playing failing, thjs super talented and still only 26yo is developing.

Pardon me, but how in hell do you not walk a single man and SO 8 and leave down in the 6th inning? Don't misunderstand me, I'm a fan and believer in Gibson despite his inconsistent season. But what in the world is going on? We sweep 4 from a .500 team in intense heat in Texas and then come home to lose 2 of 3 from the Dirty Sox and lose the opener to arguably the worst team in MLB. A win should always be celebrated. We are 78-51 and still one of the best teams overall in MLB. But lately, our best pitchers are Pineda, Perez, Duffy, May and the steady Rogers. Cave and Sano are our hottest hitters. The good: Cave is just not as bad as he looked earlier this year and is starting to look like the guy we thought he might be. Sano is doing what he is more than capable of doing. Pineda doing what I always thought he might do, and Perez maybe finding himself again, May being what most of us thought he could be, Duffy continuing to prove he is a completely different pitcher than we saw the last 2 years. The bad: Berrios, Odorizzi and Gibson are all 3 quality arms. But it just seems like all 3 of them need some kind of break. They just don't seem sharp right now. I agree with Brock on rest. At some point, with the expanded roster coming up, designated starters or full days off, use some of the depth we seem to have developed and rest them for a re-set. Not upset after a win, and watching a winning team having a great season...just...FRUSTRATED that such a good and talented and deep team can't seem to perform consistently lately.

His late signing was an absolute gift considering his potential. Very unfortunate for him and the organization. If you want to look for a silver lining, he should be ready to go by next season, at least fairly early if not almost immediately. As far as his pro career, he loses his initial half season of rookie ball only. Best of luck on his recovery.

Arraez is special. Period. Despite being reported as an average 2B defensively, at best, I think he has held his own, even making appearances at SS, 3B and OF. 2B is undoubtedly his best spot. And he still needs to develop and refine his abilities. But we are talking about a 22yo hitting machine who was in AA this time last season after missing all but 3 games in 2017 due to a bad injury. He needs to improve his defense. He will. He needs to improve on power/pop. It seems that is taking place. There is almost a running joke about how he comes to the plate, surveys the field and situation, and just hits the ball where they ain't. I doubt he will ever be any kind of power hitter. But there is such a thing as "man muscle" that happens with experience and physical development. I think he is in that stage right now, leading to doubles, etc. We are beyond SSS at this point. I EXPECTED Garver to excel, but maybe not to this degree. (Though I openly stated I wondered why Castro was expected to win the job over Garver before the season began). Truthfully, I never expected Duffy to be this good, despite a talented arm. But did ANYONE expect Arraez to do what he has done? I know I didn't, despite being hopeful and following his career. This kid is a keeper! And the best is yet to come.

Duffy was a closer in college. Duffy was converted to a SP and tantalized for half a season at the ML level before being exposed. Duffy was converted back to a RP again. Duffy showed glimpses, but generally showed he couldn't get the job done. We all thought he was done. But the FO, Rocco, Johnson, saw something beyond options. I ABSOLUTELY get why some don't want to trust Duffy at this point. And except for the absolute cream of the crop, there is volatility for any RP. Even the very best allow a run or two or blow a game or two. It happens. I would invite anyone and everyone to take a look at the 28yo Duffy's season numbers...IMO about the time most pitchers reach their prime...and then state the Twins don't have something here. Again, every RP will have a bad day or stretch. But honestly look at what he has done.

THIS! Two seasons ago, Rosario was a 4th OF candidate in some people's opinion. This past off season, some opinions had Kepler as a 4th OF. Other opinions also had Polanco as a future 2B, no doubt, before he made the All Star team as the starting SS. (I am deliberately ignoring nit picking further growth and development for reasons that should be obvious). And here we are, despite a plethora of expectations and just weird injuries and general "crap" about the history of a 26yo 3B wondering who and what we have. And he is not only producing, but producing at an almost .900 level despite an abbreviated and weird start to his season, coupled with a maddening awefull couple week stretch. Perspective is important. So is patience. If you don't see what time and patience is offering up now, then I don't know what else to say.

Ted, absolutely respect your opinion and that of your source. Various reports/observations/opinions are the change and breaking stuff are there but need refinement. And I'm OK with that 100% for such a talented YOUNG pitcher. I have no problem with a young man who seems to be mature and hard working and dedicated as Graterol seems to be getting a September look, in whatever capacity. But I remain guarded in regard to what he can bring THIS YEAR to the team. I repeat that his auditioning isn't an issue at this point, but adapting to MLB as well as the ML baseball so soon to make a difference is a mistake in my opinion. Take a look. Go ahead. Lightening may strike. I hope it does. But to really expect him to supplant Romo, Dyson, May or even Littell at this point is a fools errand IMO. If lightning happens, great! But I think any promotion shoukd be about gaining exlerience to get ready for 2020, and nkt some inflated hope he will make a difference for a playoff push.

Just a side note in regard to the wonderfully surprising Duffy: I thought he had developed a slider on the fly that was also making a huge difference?

No question Ober is having an amazing year. Really too bad he missed time due to injury. I hate to play the age game as I don't really think it's fair, but he turned 24yo in July and is now at AA. This is only his 3rd season, his 2nd full season year. Might have him flying under the radar a bit as a result.

How about, despite a lack of imperfection, that all teams have, they are still one of the best teams in all of MLB?

Jeremy, I appreciate your thoughts and efforts in this post. But I think Graterol and Alcala are really the only two to be considered here. I think we all know full well that Graterol is seen as a viable SP option with a very high ceiling. I think we also know full well that for NOW, the FO is seeing him as a potentially viable asset for 2019 in the pen as a power arm to make a run. No question he is back to starting in 2020. I think we are all less certain how to view Alcala. More to the point, how the FO views him. You hate to give up on a power arm as a potential rotation piece too soon, but everything I've read from day one is he just may never have that 3rd/4th pitch consistency to be a starter. But there is absolutely nothing wrong with him becoming a dominate bullpen arm, especially in today's game. My concern for both, however, is not their stuff, their potential, nor the jump from AA. My concern is time to adjust to the ML baseball in so short of a time to truly have an impact the remainder of this season. I suppose a healthy and re-built O'Rourke shouldn't be discounted flippantly. Especially considering his LH dominance. But I'd say too little too late for the rest of 2019. Right now, I'd say he is behind Thorpe and Smeltzer.

I liked your comment, even though I disagree with the last part. I feel a veteran backstop to team with Garver is very likely. I am also very much hoping it is Castro on a more team friendly 2yr deal. The market is way too unpredictable to speculate. On the one hand, good catchers are hard to find and Castro is probably having his best season. On the other hand, he is over 30, mjssed almost all of 2018, has a repaired knee, and may be seen as an every day option to most/all teams. Where I disagree is Astudillo, especially with the 26 man roster next season. I think the Twins like him very much, and not just for his personality. He's had ups and downs this year to be sure. But when he has been healthy, he's hit well and provided pop and some quality production. He offers roster flexibility that thus team really embraces. I think they view him as a keeper, just maybe not the true #2 catcher.

Color me extremely disappointed dropping this series. Especially because it was the Dirty Sox and I just hate losing to them. All the more disappointing coming off the Texas sweep. But reality is, 5-2 the last 7 games. I'll take That! Sometimes, it's not who you play, but when you play them. Did someone cage the squirrel?

After tonight, with his 33rd Bomba, I believe he sits at 393HR for his career. We're he healthy and playing every game of the 36 yet to play, he is on trajectory to hit 13 more. That would give him 46 for the season. Let's just say he is healthy, but gets a few days off here and there and doesn't maintain quite the torrid pace he is on. And let's just say he hits 7 more for an even 40 on the season. That gives him an even 400HR at the end of 2019. Considering his age and usual career numbers, realistically, he would need at least 3 seasons, probably 4, to reach 500. Can he do it? I don't know. But be seems to be a cyborg so who knows. I think there is little doubt he's back next season. Healthy, he could continue similar results and crank another 30-40 in 2020. Ortiz played until he was just shy of 41yo. While productive until the end, it seemed his body started to give out. I made a flippant comment weeks ago that Cruz was a good karma signing in regard to our loss of Ortiz. Cruz's body could just start to give out. Age happens. What I know is he has made a tremendous impact on this team, and more than likely will in 2020 as well. Selfishly, beyond that I'm not sure I know or care at this point. But what I do know is I'm enjoying every moment of him with our beloved Twins.

Mediocre? Might be accurate. But there's been a lot of talk about the Twins, and other teams, and their records against .500 or better teams. The Twins were on the road, in terrible heat, and playing a .500 team. That team is now 4 games under .500.

I'm not going to write a letter, but I am going to address the various points: Defense: I agree with trade offs defensively in regard to the infield, particularly at SS and 3B. IMO, Polanco and Sano are solid. They make most all routine plays as well as some great ones. They also just throw the ball away or drop a ball at times. I believe each is very capable of developing over time as they gain experience. I believe each are still only 25/26yo. We've already seen improvement from both. But I'd like to add, there is nothing wrong with Adrianza giving Polanco a day off here or there. I think he may be getting a little fatigued from the grind. No matter what the error totals show, I've really liked Cron at 1B. Bullpen: I loved Brian's comments, tongue in cheek or not, about good teammates and nice guys that should have been gone sooner. But to be real, a few things just didn't work like they were supposed to. The Dyson and Romo moves should prove excellent. But I sure wish they could have been done earlier. The entire complexion of the one might have different if the quality young arms of Mejia and Romero had come through as hoped. I applaud the Rochester shuttle auditions and feel there are a couple young arms that could help shape and deepen the pen going forward. And Romo could even be back next season. Regardless, I'd like 1 more quality arm before 2020 starts to go with what we have on hand. Largely, I've been pleased with the way Rocco has used his pen. The exception maybe being Rogers. Hopefully, going forward, there can be far fewer games of 5-6 outs on consecutive days. I would add, however, even with a lead, I have been a bit frustrated when a RP has come in and just looks like he doesnt have it and Rocco stuck with him too long. Injuries: You just can't stop them. But this year and last are night and day different. And depth has allowed us to weather the few we have had. The entire pitching staff has been very healthy. The Buxton situation is a tricky one to be sure. I still like the idea of him playing deeper this season. And I think his hard offseason work to get stronger will continue to pay dividends. I'm still a bit dumbfounded I have never heard anything about Hunter being used as an experienced sounding board for him.

So many good posts I had to quit "liking" them and skim. If Cave actually did something wrong, or felt he did, his apology should have ended it. Throwing a hard object at someone who had nothing to do with the situation is childish, poor sportsmanship, and borders on mild assault. To lay down and not try...as I guess Cave was supposed to do...is ridiculous. He didn't hunt or steal a base...he hit a 3-0 pitch down the middle for a hit. In the heyday of my Cornhuskers destroying other teams, they would run up yardage and the score using 2nd, 3rd and sometimes even 4th team players. They quit throwing the ball and they never ran trick plays or fakes. But they also didn't instruct the reserves to quit playing and not try. I guess Cave should have just stood there with his bat on his shoulder and waited for a BB or called SO? Come to think of it, that's probably what the rest of the team should have done, just stand there and let the pitcher do what he wanted. Just ridiculous!

I am a bit late but here I go. 1] I agree Pineda is a key. He bas been very solid and consistent. As pointed out in the OP, his ERA...not exactly the best measurement..is a bit inflated from a few bad performances. That can be said for a LOT of pitchers. He has good stuff, has had a nice career, and his biggest problem has simply been injuries that have slowed him. His signing was very smart. Coming off TJ, the Twins have handled him perfectly! 2] I don't know that Pineda is my #2 when playoff time comes. The problem with the rotation, right now, is NOT that anyone stinks. The problem is that everyone seems to be hitting a lull at once. Berrios bas one of the best starts of his young career followed by a bad one and then a mediocre one. Odorizzi seemed to have a recent finger issue. But I remind everyone he finished both 2017 and 2018 strong. Gibson had a STRONG year and a half coming in to this season before a rough start due to illness, missing time, etc. He hasn't been quite the same, but you still see starts where he is the same "new" pitcher he morphed in to. Usually, batters and pitchers have highs and lows in a season. Unfortunately, our rotation seems to all have had a lull recently. There is still a month and a half to set things straight! Before the season began, we all knew 3 pieces of our rotation were potential FA. I stated then that nobody should be surprised if Pineda turned out to be a priority when all is said and done. I think that is coming true. This OK is about the post season, but we also understand the reality of tomorrow, and this thread is leaning that way. I get it. Makes sense under the circumstances. This team has truly has the ability to go deep and win it all. They could also be done 1st round. But isn't that true every year? If we want to discuss next year, my personal belief is anywhere from 50-50 To 75-25 the FO makes a major move to add a major rotation piece to join Berrios. My vastly differential exists because the entire market has changed so much the past 3 years. FA options have changed so much. The first year of the new trade deadline left so many teams holding their cards thinking they had a shot. The Twins have a deep enough system to trade away 4 top 20 prospects for a quality SP without doing anything to "damage" their system. Regardless, especially considering how the market has changed, I believe the Twins can, and probably will, bring back 2 of their 3 impending FA SP. The question is which 2? Not necessarily a proven ACE, but a talented arm with a couple of years of control is brought in to team with Berrios. Pick your player! Between Odorizzi, Gibson and Pineda, which 2 would you choose? Because I see finances and production making cases for any of the 3.