DocBauer

A whole new statistic to measure how bad performers might not really be that bad? Clemens hasn't looked bad with a glove anywhere he's played so far. He's had some big AB for the team. I can see brought to camp next season to see if he might be a solid bench option. If he could maintain a .700-ish OPS with that LH power, he might be useful. They should be looking for someone better though. Maybe someone from their own system that they haven't given a chance to yet? (Amazing how waiver wire acquisitions receive precedence of in house options). He's a poor hitter with poor OB ability. He's simply a poor offensive player. Trying to find ways to say he's better and more valuable than what he is straw grasping. Again, possible bench option if the power stays as is and he can somehow keep a .700 OPS going. But let's pretend he's anything better than that.

Just to add...and I'm repeating myself for the umpteenth time here...it's my belief that Raya was added to the 40 man because of risk of losing him. I've NEVER believed the Twins expected him to debut this season. It's always been a slow play with him for various reasons. (Watch them promote him and prove me wrong, LOL). I'm still uncertain whether or not his future lies in the rotation or the pen. But regardless of his future role, a 4th round pick out of HS in the crazy 2020 draft, overcoming a missed season due to covid, and another one due to shoulder issues, to become even a good BP arm would be a success story. But I would still have him as a SP for 2026 to begin the season. I agree with you 100% on Prielipp. IDK that he might be a dominate BP arm for 2026. And I GET the idea of bullets in the gun mantra and not using them when you can. But his 2nd surgery WASN'T a 2nd TJ. It was adding the mesh brace to his elbow that was rather new when he had his 1st TJ surgery. I still believe he needs a 4th offering...rumors have it they are working on one...his biggest issue is just LEARNING how to be a PITCHER and not just a thrower. Despite some very good numbers this season, he's a little like Matthews, in regard to setting up batters. His BABIP numbers indicate that. Should we care if he's a really good looking SP late in 2026 as a 25yo? Should we even care if he turns in to a potential top of the rotation arm in 2027 as a 26yo? He can always be moved to the pen at any time. Adams and Ohl should BOTH be in the pen ASAP to see about 2026. PERIOD. The whole 1-2 IP development of them during this season every 3-4 days is right in front for everyone to see. They should be up and throwing as hard and best as they can for 1-2 innings. That should already being part of the plan. I think we're in agreement there. I like Morris more than you do. His 2024 season was only a half step behind Matthews. I still think SWR has another level to reach at a still really young age...another pitch or just learning how to set up batters better...but I think Morris might just overtake SWR really soon as a viable SP candidate. Rojas should probably be in AA right now, but I can't disagree with challenging a kid with his stuff. But what do we do with Culpepper? When healthy, he just keeps getting guys out and doing a great job. If it weren't for a ST injury holding him back, he'd probably be at AAA weeks or months ago. I'd argue that Lewis...former MILB pitcher of the year...who had an injury in 2024 that set him back somewhat, and who has been working on sequencing differently this season and has only recently been looking better, might be in the same boat as CJ. What's your thoughts? I'm thinking CJ and 6 pitches with max velocity makes him a Jax type replacement soon. And I'm imagining Lewis throwing hard for 1 inning with his other offerings and then throwing that crazy, hard knuckleball on 0-2 or 1-2 counts. I understand some of what I've stated is a bit off topic in regards to MILB SP. But there is some overlay presented here.

Nobody wants to hear this, including me, but it's POSSIBLE that Abel is a, more or less, replacement for the guy he was traded for in Duran. But while I've been disappointed in his initial appearances, I've been disappointed many times previously in rookie SP. Witness Berrios when he first came up, and more recently, Matthews, who looks like he's starting to settle in. And Abel is working on a new sweeper as well. It's a mistake to get worked up over a young arm not BLOWING UP in their debut. Pitching at the ML level is HARD! BUT I do wonder if he might not turn out to be a stud reliever if he doesn't get his BB under control. Rojas should probably be at AA Wichita based on age and IP. The Twins are being aggressive with him. He probably won't be ready until mid 2026, but the talent is there. Can you imagine the CR rotation in 2026 with Olivares, Soto, Hill, and Bohorquez as the prime 4? And there are a couple other interesting arms to add before we even talk about 2025 picks who haven't even thrown and inning yet! I've had a really good feeling about Langenberg since he was drafted. I initially thought he might move to AA this year based on a solid 2024 debut. Not only didn't he advance, he was pretty bad to begin this season back at CR. But whatever he's been working on seems to be "working" as he's been on a roll for a couple months now. He's definitely in AA to begin 2026. CJ Culpepper is kind of a favorite prospect of mine as he tends to be in the background compared to fellow 2022 draftees like Matthews, Morris, and Lewis, prior to Lewis's struggles this season. CJ didn't throw a ton in college and was a bit of a late bloomer flier as a 13th round pick that season after a jump in his 3rd year at a non power program. He's had a couple mild injuries that have slowed him a bit. But he's been very good when healthy. His numbers have been good across the board, even though you'd like to see a little better K per 9. I'm NO EXPERT, but it's been my understanding he throws 6 pitches. And while all of them are solid offerings, none of them are dominant. I've also heard his velocity dips a bit after a few IP. That's not to say he isn't a viable ML prospect as a backend starter. But he kind of reminds me of a young Jax. I wonder if he might not just be an excellent BP candidate who could get both sides out with his arsenal of pitches, and throw hard for 1-2 innings.

Too bad a horrendous pitching performance at AAA overshadowed some good player performances. Personally, I could care less if Jenkins starts next season with the Twins or the Saints. The talent is real. It's only a matter of what date he debuts. No matter how excited I am about him, I can wait until June 1st or July 1st if that's what's best for him. We're talking about a 21yo who might be a generational Twin. Great start at Wichita by Gallagher. I've noticed Bowen has been coming out of the pen these days. He was inconsistent this season, but has flashed at times. I wonder if this is an innings concern or a permanent move. Hoopes with ANOTHER good appearance out of the pen. And Whitaker is a 2024 draft choice that I have largely forgotten about. Take away 2 appearances and 4 IP after being drafted, and this is almost a rookie pro season for him. He's a big kid with solid numbers this year. The K's have to come up for him to have a chance as a 25yo professional "rookie" late round pick. But I find it interesting that while AAA had a poor pen for this season, AA and below has a collection of interesting arms that might actually have potential as future pen arms. Rosario keeps producing. I doubt he maintains his sudden rise as a base stealer going forward. But it's a further indicator he's not some slow, lumbering power bat. And he's got a good arm from every report I've ever heard. I think his defense hinges on better reads and routes. How well he hits RHP will determine his future, IMO. He might be a quality RH bat in the OF, DH, or even 1B. He's starting to look a 40 man add this offseason. A tremendous start by Olivares for CR! The consistency isn't there yet, but the talent sure is. How good might CR's rotation be in 2026 with him, Bohorquez, Soto, and Hill as a starting point? Wow! The Box Score for Ft Myers lists Sprock as the catcher and Jiminez as the 1B. Is that maybe an error? Or are they looking at Sprock as a possible catcher conversion candidate? Considering Jiminez had a solid 2024, I was surprised the Tigers had him repeating this season in the FCL level. Very happy to see the Twins move him directly to A- after the trade. What's surprising to me is both leagues are still dealing with the "dead air" of Florida in the summer. But he's been performing better at the higher level so far. Not hard to get excited about the catcher position in the Twins minors with Cardenas rebounding from a bad 2024, the addition of Diaw and Ferrer in last year's draft, and then adding Tait and Jiminez in trades recently.

Nick, I love that your passion for the Twins mirrors my own. And that's saying a lot. I'm almost 60 and spent YEARS of my youth grabbing any rag I could find to read about the team and the MILB system. Years of strong and weak west coast static filled broadcasts to listen to games. LOVED trips and summers at my grandma's house in my hometown in S.D. just to catch a few games on TV. Lately, I feel some of your posts have been coming from a disappointed and almost desperate fan perspective. Dare I say a confused and Pissed Off perspective? There! I said it! LOL I feel the same way my Twins brother. I want the Twins to find THEIR IDENTITY. Call me crazy if you will, but as many times as I've questioned decisions made by the Falvey lead FO...and I have a few ongoing questions currently...I believe Falvey HAS/HAD a certain direction for the Twins. I think that direction included various aspects borrowed from Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Tampa Bay. Again, I have issues with various decisions made, or currently in flux, I can see examples of producing a SINGULAR identity from draft changes, to FA, to trades for Ryan and Lopez. IMO, the biggest opportunity for the Twins was to follow something ALL these teams did which was to NOT ignore the talent on hand and give them their shot. For whatever reason, probably being burned a few seasons from injury, the Falvey lead FO has started to construct a roster almost out of FEAR. Which is weird as they've been seemingly negligent in assembling some of their AAA teams, but not cutting poor ML rostered players, and actually giving other players/pitchers opportunities. I've always stated and will again state, I would have LOVED to see what Falvey MIGHT have done following 2023 if ownership had just allowed a normal 10-20% increase based on normal payroll inflation. I AM for the idea of Jenkins getting a 7-8-9 year deal for $80-90-100M deal. I'm with you 100% because, not of the percentages of top prospect numbers succeeding, but because of his talent production and what he's already accomplished at his age. But there is then the rub. Even IF the Pohlads and their STILL unamed minor partners have clear books, the Pohlads are still head of the board. Despite rumors that the Twins still might be open for sale in the near future, they are still in charge. Exactly WHO the new investors are and how much control they have is TBD. I just don't see a deal for Jenkins actually happening unless ALL owners believe Falvey that's it a good idea. And maybe that happens. I've heard previously that Zoll has been instrumental in many deals behind the scenes. But WHO THE HELL IS ACTUALLY IN CHARGE? The Asros owner bypassed Zoll, and Falvey, and Joe Pohlad, and went to Jim Pohlad to get the Correa deal done. Sorry Nick, but a big extension for Jenkins might make sense if and when anyone figures out who in hell is actually in charge of what's going on.

No. These types of decisions aren't about $. These are inexpensive players we are talking about. It's really 2 factors IMO: 1] They are so damned SCARED/WORRIED about depth and missing out by giving up someone too soon, that they hold on to them too good at times. 2] Combined with point #1, they are just short sighted at times. I can excuse Davis coming up as he's only filler until Lopez is brought back in a couple of days. He, or someone as bad, will be gone then. And Adams has the potential to convert to a potentially decent pen arm the same way many others have previously. But Keirsey AND Outman on the same losing team? Why?! They won't have room for both on the offseason 40 man roster, and perhaps neither! So instead of bringing up Fedko...a RH OF who can potentially help at 4 spots and who is also a potential 40 man add anyway...to get some ML time/experience in a losing season they have a clones that offer almost the exact same profile. Why? What good does this do to help set 40 man roster ideas for 2026? None. IF they actually like Gasper and think they'll keep him, and for SOME reason think he might actually be able to catch at the ML level...(cough)...then let him catch at St Paul the rest of the way and take a look at Perada to see if you even want to bring him back, much less seeing him as a #3 option for 2026. At least he's a true catcher. I'm not sure Gasper ever was, or could be. And while I think his HIT ability still needs a few more months at AAA, why not Cardenas? He's actually got a good arm, I've always heard he's solid behind the plate and calls a solid game, and he's almost always maintained a good OB% indicating he has some zone control, and isn't just some automatic out. Again, I don't think he's quite ready for the ML level, but how much worse could he be with the bat than Gasper? And he's also a legitimate catcher. I get Morris just coming back from injury and letting him finish the season at AAA. Same with Lewis who has been better as of late...and might be a perfect bullpen transition arm...but who has struggled most of the season staying at AAA to finish the year. I see reasons for keeping Raya down similarly. I never expected him to debut this year. He's on a deliberate slow play for 2026 at some point. So the pitching cupboard is pretty bare from AAA at this point. But it's borderline stupid to have Ohl down at AAA at this point. I sorta, kinda understand wanting to give Hatch and guys like Cabrera, Kriske, and maybe even Davis a little more time/rope to see if you are at all interested in bringing ANY of them back, Ohl at least has some potential. Right now, these other fliers are only proving you DON'T want them back. So get Ohl back up ASAP. But NOT bringing up a still only 25yo RH OF with speed and power with helium having a breakout season in Fedko instead of either Keirsey or Outman is beyond short sighted. It's an egregious error in roster management to prepare for the offseason and 2026. The whole Gasper situation is confounding, to say the least. He just hasn't HIT at all! He's not even a natural catcher based on Boston removing him from those duties, and a seemingly poor arm. And I understand I'm repeating myself, but the FO should already know if they want to bring him back at this point or not. Either way, they should use September to take a good look at other alternatives to even be the #3 option next year.

I don't know if I see Chaney as much of a prospect even if he is switching to the pen full time. IMO, he's too old to be at CR. But Baker, while a little longer in the tooth as well, is at AAA now at least. Might he find success in the pen going forward? He did pretty well at AA this year. Parades has been really consistent in his results. But does he have enough pure stuff to get ML hitters out at some point? I had let myself fall asleep on Bragg because, as is typical, he didn't throw in a game after being drafted. Then he only threw about 8 innings in 2024 due to injury. That's why he was sent to the AFL this past offseason. He performed pretty poorly so I just dismissed him from memory. But I went and looked at his season numbers a couple days ago after I noticed him popping up a lot in game write ups. He's having a hell of a season! Great ERA, low HIT numbers, and high K numbers. He gets his BB down a little bit more and he could rise QUICKLY. This is actually not just his first full season, but almost his first season PERIOD if you take away the 8 IP last year. I had totally forgotten about Hunter Hoopes as well. Not intentionally, but non drafted arms tend to either disappear quickly, or remain in the lower minors for a couple of years. And I just pay more attention to starters at those levels. The video showing him hit 107 is impressive to be sure. But he's not throwing from a mound doing that. It's just a wild, running start and full effort toss. But 25yo...and same age until early March...and putting up great numbers this 1st season with the Twins and reaching AA already is encouraging. A great ERA, only 22 HITS in 49 IP, and 19 BB and an impressive 62K in those 49 IP is very impressive. He and Bragg just might the real deal, and both anomalies: actual MILB RP that make it AS RP, and not just failed starters later converted. Not on this list, but is it my imagination or has LH Jaylin Nowlin at AA been throwing better as of late?

Larnach by himself, or part of a package, to someone who could use a LH DH/OF with a career OPS of .765 against RHP. Maybe they can even get a decent pen arm or pen arm possibility out of the deal? Everyone else should stay where they are and ownership should hand about $30M to the FO for some additions for a solid BAT, a decent backup catche, and 2-3 pen fliers that might pay off.. Even then, they wouldn't match this year's payroll. Then start playing more of the top kids, and figure out who are the best options to the pen.

Adams, sure. There's some clay to work with there. But Davis has looked awful so far, without hardly a glimmer of hope. And they already have Keirsey on the roster. He goes by the name of Outman now. For the love of the baseball gods, how about ANYONE who offers potential to actually help the team going forward. But Keirsey AND Outman on the same team to close out a losing season? There's just no sense in that.

Langenberg continues to be on a roll! Definitely looks ready for AA next season. Probably not worth it to send him there now. All but AAA almost done with their regular seasons. Good news on Hill. That was scary! I've really fallen asleep on LH Kade Bragg. Selected late in 2023 and only got about 8 IP in 2024 before going to the AFL where he didn't exactly shine. But while his BB this year are a little high at 4.3 per 9, his K rate is 11.4 per 9. And only 41 hits in 60 IP is very impressive. Gotta make sure I keep an eye on him going forward.

If the Twins do decide to tear the whole thing down...and I sure hope they don't...then I also wouldn't want a veteran SS blocking a prospect like Culpepper. But I believe there's still room for veteran depth options and clubhouse leaders. I believe in being aggressive with top prospects, but I don't necessarily believe in pushing them just for the sake of doing so. For example, there's a difference between Funderburk being up soon and even being pushed a little, and moving Tait to the Twins or AAA just because you can. When I use $150M as a floor, I'm just tossing out a number that makes some sense to me. Maybe that number should be closer to $100M? But with equal revenue sharing across the league, I just can't imagine teams not being able to have a payroll above $100M as a floor. The NFL doesn't have a true FLOOR CAP, but all teams must spend 90% of the current CAP over a 3 year period, broken up how they would like. I don't think any NFL teams spend that little over a 3 year period. But it does allow for a team to tank and rebuild. MLB could have a cap floor as I've stated, and whether it was $100M or $125M or $150M, I have a hard time believing an industry that brings in tens of billions of $ couldn't have all teams meet that minimum. However, I could understand provisions that that allow a team to be at a certain % below that floor as they rebuild. Possibly something like 25% below for a single season in a 3yr time frame, 15% below in another season, and 10% below in a 3rd season. But then not again for a 2-3 year period. That allows for teams that suddenly get old, suddenly have a bunch of injured players to move on from, and allows for a sudden loss of expensive players all at once who may sign elsewhere. This offers up a little financial flexibility for teams in re-build mode and doesn't FORCE them to sign guys they don't even want. But again, actually, true revenue sharing across the league should allow all teams to at least be able to meet the minimum. But I'm OK with provisions as I've suggested above for temporary time frames during a re-build.

So while I appreciate this exercise and run through TONS of options in my head daily, there IS a difference between OPENING DAY versus say JUNE 1st. You mentioned May 1st due to control options. I'm going to ignore the Twins playing that game and just guess "readiness". But let's play it as a bit of BOTH maybe? Of course, we're assuming good health. OUTFIELD: OPENING DAY? Wallner, Buxton, Rodriguez, Outman, and Fedko If Rodriguez is healthy, he should be placed in LF DAY ONE and allowed to sink or swim, following the Brewers MO. It's time, and the option clock is ticking. There's also depth to send him down for a re-set it needed. The FO has Fedko playing some 1B right now. That tells me they are interested in having him as a versatile option. They might be finally giving up on Martin, but it's a really tough call just considering how the FO USUALLY operates. Are they FINALLY going to "man up" and just play the best players and quit OBSESSING about mediocre depth? Outman is superfluous with Rodriguez able to backup CF, but he's out of options, they don't want to admit they got nothing in the trade of Stewart. He's got the Keirsey role to begin the season. JUNE FIRST?: Really depends on Rodriguez. But Jenkins may be flashing enough to prove he's ready. There's room for Both considering the team doesn't have a full time DH. Outman is gone. Fedko might be in danger of losing his job to Gonzalez. INFIELD: OPENING DAY? Lewis, Lee, Keaschall, and FA Josh Naylor. And yes, I'm serious here. Naylor gives the team a quality lineup presence, settles 1B, provides some leadership, and fits in to the budget that begins at $90M when Larnach is gone. Clemens will be back as a 4-5 spots bench option. (He's played some 3B previously and needs to get re-aquainted with it). Fedko can help some at 1B, and Fitzgerald will be the veteran utility SS backup if they can’t find someone better on the cheap. If Eeles can show enough glove at SS in ST, he's got a real shot to displace Fitzgerald. The 2nd utility spot is a complete unknown at this point. I could see a $2M veteran late in the offseason as a possible add. JUNE FIRST?: Injury to someone might happen. But regardless, K Pepper will be ready. You don't want a TOP prospect sitting on the bench, but that's really not a worry as everyone needs rest, and Keaschall may see some time in LF, at least against LHP. Eeles still has a shot here as a depth piece. But you MAKE ROOM for your TOP prospects when they are ready. CATCHER: OPENING DAY? Jeffers, though he might start to catch closer to 60-65% of games. Sorry, but I don't have a veteran FA in mind at this time. Too many things to play out. But if Hedges is the best option, might as well bring Vazquez back. But based on his career, I'd probably target Elias Diaz for $3M as the backup. I had my eye on him last offseaeon as a possible Vazquez replacement were Vazquez traded. So I'll go with him. JUNE FIRST?: Jeffers and Diaz with Cardenas performing well at St Paul as the #3 and ready for promotion. ROTATION: This just isn't set the same way as position players might be. The 1st 4 are Lopez, Ryan, Ober, and Matthews. SWR, Bradley, and Abel fight for the 5th spot, with the others at St Paul along with Morris providing 3 quality options along with Rojas, Klein, Prielipp, Klein, and CJ Culpepper. And that's leaving out a couple possibles. It remains the strength of a possible competitive team. BULLPEN: Sands is back and you hope for something closer to his 2024 version. Festa is moved here for the sake of his shoulder, much like the Duran move a few years ago, and his vast potential in a limited IP role. Topa is back because he's inexpensive and doesn't totally stink. One of Adams or Ohl is there, but they might roll in and out. Coulombe comes back for 1yr at $3M again as a 1 out or 1 IP middle LH. MacLeod moves to the pen to challenge Funderburk for a 2nd LH role. It's his easiest path to the ML. But Funderburk has been throwing better as of late, has more experience, so I'll give him a spot for now. But his spot is tenous at best. The Twins will grab 2 or 3 inexpensive options on the FA market looking for the next Stewart or Thielbar. They'll grab guys coming off surgery, guys who didn't perform as hoped coming off surgery, or someone like Hatch...who might be brought back...that are failed starters looking to change their career path. I'd also strongly suggest Lewis and his crazy knuckleball could be a perfect example of a prospect who could throw harder for 1 IP, and just KILL with his knuckler on 0-2 and 1-2 counts. Might Raya be destined for the pen, at least my mid-season? Most pens are always in flux. But there's enough talent on hand in the pen, with a couple conversions, and a few inexpensive FA options brought in to build a pen that's at least respectable. If Festa and Sands take off and you find ONE MORE Stewart/Thielbar surprise, you might be too bad if you some decent middle options. And nothing says the rotation depth options couldn't pull a "Santana" or "Liriano" number and go back to the rotation later. I really have little faith in the FO currently to do the right thing and PLAY THE KIDS vs holding on to some deceiving ideas that poor depth is a good thing vs looking towards the future. That's why I'm so torn about the OF, for example. But that's how I see it. And I like it. I admit I broke your FA signings rule with Naylor. But with Larnach eliminated from the roster, my signing of Naylor is still pretty much in line with your criteria. Add in a veteran catcher, Coloumbe back, and a couple of pen fliers, the payroll is still below $120M.

Absolutely nothing but love and respect for Arraez and what he did as a Twin and what he's accomplished in his career. But bringing him back is an absolute no for me. He's a mediocre/OK 1B defensively. He has no real power, and no speed at all. And while he's young enough to maybe rebound on the HITTING side of things, he's on a 2yr downturn of AVG and OB%. 1B is the PRIME place for the Twins to actually add a BAT who can produce. And I'm to yet again mention Josh Naylor as a potential FA addition example of what could be added to deepen and improve the whole lineup. While the team is slowly moving towards defense, speed, and athleticism, they still need power and production. Arraez offers a contact bat with limited pop and no speed, and his previous AVG and OB ability may be waning.

I don't disagree that there are some IF's to be answered in order for the Twins to be an 85 type win team and compete for the ALC or a WC. But there is ZERO chance if they just blow up the team and trade Lopez and Ryan. That's just a complete teardown that I don't think they have to do. Buxton is a stud. Keaschall looks a potential one. What if 26yo Lewis can have a healthy year and get his stance/timing figured out? How about a healthy Wallner getting 450 PA and perform like he did in both '23 and '24? Jeffers is one of the top 4-5 offensive catchers in MLB over the past 5 years. Lee is hopefully going to continue his current improvement arc. And are we just going to dismiss TOP prospects like Jenkins, Rodriguez, and K Pepper being so close? Yes, granted, there are some real IF's in there. But my whole point was the team ISN'T devoid of talent, even in a disappointment season. Add a veteran BAT, convert a few arms to the pen, add a couple interesting arms that might be on the rebound and you just might have a solid pen. (Always additional arms to bring up later as well). And your total payroll for 2026 sits around $120M. That's less than this season. ZERO guarantees! But I sure like TRYING rather than NOT trying.

The 4 day routine was just for arms that have talent, but who don't project to being legitimate ML starters. Adams and Ohl are the poster boys but there were others used in that way as well. It's a way to develop some solid 7-8th man swing guys in the pen that can give you a couple good innings every few days rather than a collection of only 1 IP arms. As far as Prielipp is concerned, he'll be 24yo next season in AAA. That's not exactly old, especially for someone with so little experience. Speculation and rumor has the Twins working with him on a 4th pitch. His pure stuff is dynamite. But he's still learning how to "pitch". A 4th offering couldn't hurt. He's had one official TJ surgery. Depending on what source you read, he's either had a 2nd TJ surgery, OR, they DIDN'T perform a 2nd one, they just added the new mesh brace to his existing previous surgery. From what I've read, that's the more accurate procedure. Still, there is the debate about someone with his potential maybe being a top of the rotation starter at 24-25yo...not old by any standards...versus not wasting bullets in the gun and just turning him to a potentially dominant arm in the pen. I think both sides have merit. I believe the Twins are going to stick with him as a potential SP for now. Duran kept having shoulder issues. Not surgery issues, but fatigue and the such. Some arms are just built for shorter innings more often. There's a couple of similar arms right now in the system that might make a similar move. Festa is one of them.

I believe Jenkins is really close. And when we do see him, even if he does well, I don't believe we're going to see anything close to a finished product to be sure. And I'm fully in favor of following a more Brewers-like philosophy of promoting top prospects quicker, and living with some questionable early production. They've pretty much done that with Keaschall this year. But just MY opinion, as great as Jenkins has been, a couple of minor injuries have robbed him of actual playing time. I think that's part of the reason his power is just begining to translate. I think a month or two at AAA would serve him well to just work on his growing power and ease him a bit better to MLB. June 1st as a 21yo works for me. Rodriguez is an enigma. And maybe he always will be. If we're honest with ourselves, there's as a chance he's a bust as a potential All Star. But as much of an enigma as he's been, he's still been the same productive player at every level. And the talent is undeniable. HEALTH remains the issue. IMO, his actual BATTING AVERAGE is what's in question. There's still concern he might be too passive at the plate, looking for the perfect pitch. Not dissimilar to Sano. (Or even Julien). But a .423 MILB OB% seems to state he does have a sense of the zone. The power is great. The speed and defense are very good. Following the whole Brewers-like approach I'd like to see the Twins follow, I'd put him in OF tomorrow if he had a healthy stretch. And if he struggled enough, send him down, and get him right back up when he looks good again. If someone could promise he'd only HIT in the .240-.240 range, but still keep his OB% around .350+...still WAY lower than his MILB numbers...K around 30-35% of the time but have a BB% of around 18%, with 30+ doubles and be a 20/20 guy with great defense, I wouldn't care about his AVG or K numbers. I'd also like to see Fedko in September. I'm tired of NOT giving fast rising prospects a shot just because they aren't 22-23yo. Interesting that he's playing some 1B for St Paul. Gonzalez, while not as fast, and probably restricted to a corner spot and DH might be the better player in the long run, Fedko has earned a legitimate shot.

Took me a minute to digest this as it got all messed up on my phone, lol. Thank you! I've always stated that despite being on the 40 man, Raya wasn't really expected to contribute until 2026. I still maintain that belief. But the numbers you've shared here definitely show he's on the rise.

There's just way too much to unpack here so it's bulletpoint time. 1] I personally don't feel, generally speaking, that MLB mistreats their players. A rookie minimum salary of around $775K is downright envious. Add in daily meal allowances, treated like a king with quality travel/hotels, and other perks, they have it pretty good. 2] The minimum built in raises per year for a young player seems fair to me as well. They are still young, and many of them are still proving themselves for the long haul. I don't like debates that talk about early mega deals for someone that is a STAR right out of the gate. I've seen too many guys shine early only to then fail, or become hurt. 3] I'm not a fan of the arbitration process. While it's not always the case, it can be destructive in team/player relationships. As the system works TODAY, I'd rather see larger built-in increases for young players with riders such as games played, production rankings, All Star game selections, etc, to more greatly reward those younger players that truly excel. 4] The NFL, and the NBA as well I'd say, though their various clauses and ceilings are crazy...prove the health of a league should be based on a more neutral financial "playing field". In MLB, there are too many owners who just accept FREE MONEY from the current revenue sharing and just pocket it and seem to care very little about the on the field product. I'm still flabbergasted to this day how the MAJOR MARKET teams just seem to idly stand by for this. Though a few teams, the A's as a recent example, have been FORCED to add payroll just to allow this free welfare program to continue. But I remain just as flabbergasted as to the union being so absolutely BLIND about the health of the league and it's lesser players that aren't MEGA paid All Stars. The sport grows with better competition. Better, more exciting competition drives fans to watch, and increases IN HOUSE revenue as well as makes the MLB product even more desirable for TV deals. There ABSOLUTELY SHOULD BE A SALARY CAP in baseball. But that cap could be $300M! But there ABSOLUTELY NEEDS TO BE A CAP FLOOR along with greater overall revenue sharing. Maybe that floor is $150M? I'm just spitballing those numbers as they should be tied to a fair and equitable revenue sharing for all teams. Like in the NFL and NBA, revenue splits will vary sometimes due to TV deals and the such. Should there be some sort of moratorium on delayed future contracts? Maybe. That's not where my concern lies currently. I want a more level, financial playing field where it's up to the TEAMS to actually run their organization better. When you draft and development better, when you manage your roster and cap better, when you run your entire organization better, you can win. Yes, that sounds a lot like the NFL. But that's the model MLB should be following. The GAME is better when you even the odds at the beginning. Your team gets old, or top players get hurt, you guess wrong on some prospects, you might have a downturn, just like in the NFL or NBA. But if you run your team/organization well, you can be back in competitive mode in a couple of years. A] There's still room to reward TOP players and FA and they still get PAID. B] The lower tier players get paid better overall, partially because smaller market teams now HAVE TO, and also have the $ to do so. C] Rookie minimum wage might bump a little. And I have ZERO problems with teams still having 5-6yrs of built in control, but you can ELIMINATE the whole mess that is arbitration with higher yearly bumps, potentially with escalator clauses as previously mentioned, and you might even cap control by AGE. For instance, no more control after age 28 no matter what age the player was when they debuted. EQUITABLE revenue sharing across the board with a CAP and a FLOOR, the elimination of arbitration, and some changes to control and built in salary increases for younger players. While there may be fewer $40M salaried players, the OTHER 80-90% of the league gets paid better. And the game, as a whole, is better due to better overall better competition. Shouldn't THAT be the goal for BOTH the UNION AND the OWNERS? D] I think Royce gets dumped on a bit for some of his comments because he doesn't have much of a filter and is just very open and honest and sort of wears his heart on his sleeve. EX A]: He didn't want to move to 2B mid season caused a lot of pushback. But what he actually said was he was afraid of blowing an important game doing so mid-season. He actually worked a ton at 2B this past offseason and then the FO said don't worry about it. EX B]: His recent comments about arbitration and changing his stance, and how arbitration works are born out of frustration as well as truth. He didn't say anything that wasn't true. HOWEVER, he's also commented/admitted that his swing/approach don't feel right due to his previous injuries and he's still trying to figure out his swing/approach due to 2 knee surgeries and his larger, more muscular build post surgeries. I feel bad for the kid. He's gregarious, optimistic, hard working, talented, and by all accounts a good teammate. But he has endured setback after setback begining with his dual knee surgeries. I'm not going to demonize him if once or twice he's letting some frustration show through. He worked very hard this offseason to improve flexibility to try and avoid additional soft tissue injuries repeating. It didn't work out the way anyone wanted it to, most especially himself. HOPEFULLY, a 2nd offseason of the same will do the trick. I wonder, had he not had the hamstring issue just before the season began...and came back earlier than I thought he should have...what might his season looked like? Would we even be having this current conversation? Yes, he needs to find a way to stay healthy. Yes, he needs to get some of his confidence back, IMO. But he also needs to find a stance and approach that WORKS for him on a consistent basis. Where can he find the balance and timing place for his swing to see the pitch and make good contact with a twice repaired leg and increased muscle mass? More hard work, and better health should allow the still only 26yo to still be very good, even if he doesn't achieve true greatness at this point. But he's not wrong about arbitration being a mess. But the issue is FAR greater than just arbitration. It's about billionaire owners actually wanting to preserve and grow their investment/team and the millionaire players wanting the same, as well as looking out for that other 80-90% that they are supposed to be representing. The stubbornness and blindness of BOTH parties is almost beyond comprehension to me!

Not a good day on the farm overall to be sure. I'm very intrigued about Fedko playing some 1B. Increases roster flexibility, if nothing else, in a potential shot with the Twins. Gonzalez just keeps on hitting! The kid gloves appear to be off Raya and he might still match or exceed his IP in 2024. But I do find it interesting he's been used a lot out of the pen lately. I'd love to see a split in his numbers from the 1st to the 2nd half because it has appeared he's been better the 2nd half. Some quality hitting at AA was nice to see. K-Pepper looked to be in a slump, or tiring. Nice rebound. Still betting he gets a couple weeks at AAA as their season goes a little longer, and he probably begins 2026 there anyway. Not sure what to think about Alejandro Hidalgo at this point. He's either looked really solid or just awful. And it can vary game to game. But he's only 22yo...and will be to begin 2026...and is coming off surgery. Hits and BB are too high, but he's also flashed K ability. He'll be at AA to begin next season, and is too young, probably, to move to the pen just yet. But I do wonder if that's where he might end up. Time to cross fingers on Hill. He was probably going to see his season end soon anyway, but an injury is not the way anyone would like to see it come to a close. Here's hoping it's just a mild strain and nothing worse!

So they have 2 choices. Well maybe a 3rd option as well, but we'll get to that in a minute. DON'T TRADE: I already made a long response piece to an OP similar to this on the FORUMS page, so I'm not going to go in to great detail here. Look, maybe I'm just stubborn, or too much of an optimist, but I just don't see a reason to tear this whole thing down. Especially when Lopez and Ryan are still on the right side of 30yo and absolutely top of the rotation arms. I still see a viable lineup...though it needs some guys to figure stuff out...with Buxton, Wallner, Lewis, Lee, Keaschall, and Jeffers. I see Jenkins, Rodriguez, and K Culpepper all debuting at some point in 2026. And there's about 6 other OF between AAA/AA that could possibly debut/contribute begining next season I see a payroll of $90M with Larnach moved due to the young OF prospects, and because I just don't see the Twins paying him $5M. They don't have to go on an expensive shopping spree to add some useful players to the club. Say Naylor at 1B for a solid, veteran bat. Maybe around $14-15M? How about a veteran backstop to Jeffers for around $3M? Then 2 or 3 fliers for the pen that are rebounding, or haven't quite put it all together yet but might with the Twins. Maybe Coulombe is back as one of those options? Point is, you're not going to break the bank. You're looking for the next Stewart, or Thielbar, etc. You're talking about $6-10M max there. You're talking $28M max and keeping DH open as a rotating spot. (Unless they want to ante up extra $ for one). That puts the payroll UNDER this year's number by $10+M. And you've eliminated all that bad debt you accumulated previously. (Or most of it, depending on how they divide up their new, instant cash flow). You've got a TON of arms to sort through for depth as well as a 2 or 3 going to the pen. I know a prospect is a prospect until they prove themselves. But Lopez and Ryan were also just prospects at one time. DO TRADE: This one is pretty simple. Either ownership just wants to line their pockets in 2026 and further alienate their fan base...or...they really question if the team can win over 80 games with the talent/prospects on hand, and are scared about ML baseball in 2027 and don't want to "waste" $ as a result and decide to add MORE prospects/young talent for potential baseball in 2027 and beyond. If they really question the talent on hand, and their prospects debuting and taking "too much" time to settle in, and really and truly are concerned about 2027, then maybe they should just trade one or both of Lopez and Ryan and tear the whole damn thing down. It's not what I would do, or want. And it's NOT what Eric says he wants either. But if they are really lacking in faith for immediate returns on their talent for next season and worried about 2027, then again, I can see the sense in it, even if I hate the idea. OPTION THREE: I don't see this happening. But what about NOT trading either of them, doing the buying I mentioned previously, give your fan base a reason to still want to come to the park...and THEN tear it down at the deadline if things aren't going well. Both Lopez and Ryan would still offer about 1 1/2 years of control and should still bring back a solid return. Again, I'm stubborn, and a bit too much of an optimist at times. But top end pitching is the hardest thing to develop. And I see too much potential in the players/prospects to disregard a decent lineup. If they can assemble just a decent/solid pen they have a chance to still be a decent team in 2026.

I DO think they look at Prielipp as a SP option. He's going to be 25yo in February and he needs better command and maybe a 4th pitch to truly DOMINATE ML SP. EXPERIENCE WISE, Prielipp is a 21-22yo kid still learning how to pitch. Wouldn't you give him a couple of months to see if he could BE that kind of pitcher?

Im going to repeat a few things I stated in the previous thread with a few alterations. Removing his rather brief 2022 debut, Wallner's Quad Slash line for a healthy 2023 and 2024 are as follows: .254/ .371/ .515/ .885 with an OPS+ of 144. That means he was ABOVE AVERAGE in EVERY category, including BATTING AVERAGE, and was 44% BETTER as an all around batter than the rest of the league. 44% better overall than the rest of the league. INCLUDING his brief 2022 debut and a rough 2025...with an OPS STILL ABOVE .800...possibly due to his injury, but who knows for certain, his CAREER Quad Slash line is: .238/ .350/ .501/ .850 with an OPS+ of 133. That means over 4yrs his BATTING AVERAGE has been slightly less than the rest of the league. But it also means for his career he's been 33% better than average as a productive batter than the rest of the league. 33% better overall than the rest of the league. Decades ago, hitters were judged on 3 things, AVG, HR, and RBI. Now, those aren't EMPTY stats. They still have relevance. BUT, teams got smarter over time and realized a batter with a high AVG, but didn't have power and didn't drive in runs, had less value than originally perceived. They also realized guys with big power who couldn't get OB, or drive in many runs, and sometimes had a poor AVERAGE, had less value than originally perceived. It's really not that hard if you drop old perceived values/walls and just understand the greater perspective that ALL TEAMS...not just the Twins...discovered over time with deeper research. Average, HR, and RBI by themselves DON'T paint an accurate picture! Remember, over the years, when you saw various hitters with 25 HR but only 60-ish RBI and you wondered how that could be? It's because nobody was OB for them to knock in! OR, they couldn't HIT for a damn, only had power, so that was the only time they knocked guys in! It's actually MATH over DECADES of research by ALL TEAMS. OB% was a measurement that simply went ignored for too long. And they finally figured out the best way to measure a batter wasn't to use any SINGLE statistic, but to combine them ALL to figure out who was ACTUALLY a good OVERALL hitter. That's why the Quad Slash line exists today. OPS + is a way to quantify how below or above a hitter is compared to the rest of the league, or by each position. EXAMPLE: A catcher only bats .250, and gets OB about 32% of the time. He strokes enough Doubles and HR to have a SLG% of around .425. His OPS would then be around. His OPS would be around .740, which would make him ABOVE average considering the LEAGUE AVERAGE usually hovers around .700, give or take about 10-15 points. Right there you'd have a hell of an offensive catcher! Again, it's not mysticism or magic. It's JUST MATH measuring a players overall offensive ability! NOBODY is trying hoodoo-voodo to convince you of some strange new world of baseball. It's simply a newer, more complete and accurate picture of hiw to measure the performance and potential a player/batter has. BACK to Wallner again: He's NOT slow. In regard to SPRINT SPEED, he's one of the faster Twin players. But he's also not QUICK. That means his READS have to be better in order to be a quality defensive OF. Some previously couldn't watch the Twins for a while. Some maybe have refused to. I'm not in a blackout area, and I've watched a TON of games over the past few years. And I can tell with honest heart that he really has improved his tracking skills over the past couple of seasons. I can also honestly tell you that his defense has slipped in 2025. And I don't know if that is physical, or him taking offensive frustrations out in to the field. He has a 95mph CANNON for an arm that is also accurate. So good is his arm that teams don't even try to run on him any longer. So I automatically dismiss any comment about his arm. Wallner will ALWAYS K more than a lot of people want to see, even he's lowered that number this year. But Wallner will also always have a solid OB% due to BB and some hit batsmen. (Witness a career .350 OB%). He's also never going to HIT to a .280-ish AVG. (.250 is about AVERAGE these days). IMO...other than some fan bizarre perception he should HIT at a .270 AVG and have a K% of 20%..MY ISSUE is his usage and FO perception. Most sluggers will run hot and cold. But when he had a poor 2024 ST, and then a poor start to 2024, the FO sent him down to AAA. But they did so after about 26 AB. What does 26 AB tell you about anyone? Especially for a player coming off a previously good season before? But FINE, they wanted to give him a brief re-set. But then he RAKED. And they still kept him down? Why? Because they didn't KNOW who he was? And when they FINALLY called him back up, what did he do? He produced ANOTHER .800plus season. To begin 2025, Rocco decided they should put him at LEADOFF as he was one of the teams best hitters. There was SOME logic to that due to his power and OB ability and being one of the best batters on the team. But I never really liked that plan. He and Buxton and Lewis should have been a 3-4-5 option with Castro and Correa as a 1-2. But Wallner was pretty good there initially and then got hurt. And since he's been back, his defense has slumped somewhat, and he hasn't been the BATTER that he was in 2023-24. But how much of that is post injury "getting right", or coaching, or Wallner's own head? Do anti-Wallner haters realize he's STILL got the highest OPS on the team behind Buxton? And sorry, I'm dismissing Keaschall in this point of the conversation for reasons that should be obvious. You want to build back Wallner's confidence? Then stop throwing him down in the lower third of the lineup. Should Wallner be a part of the immediate Twins future? ABSOLUTELY. He's almost as talented of a potential producer as Lewis. You can't ignore an injury season on a bad team team where he's still better than almost anyone else. Again, MATH, previous numbers, potential to repeat high numbers, nobody is going to take away your Fandom. Is the team better with Uber prospect Rodriguez getting healthy for once and grabbing a spot and fellow Uber prospect Jenkins joining him and making Wallner a mostly full time DH and part time OF? Absolutely! That would be OUTSTANDING and what most of us have been dreaming of. But there is no guarantee it WILL happen. **BTW, @LA VIkes Fanhas produced some interesting numbers lately showing Wallner is trending towards not being negative towards LHP. That's a really good thing! And I could ramble on forever and never get through the ingrained minds/opinions of some posters. And I'm dismissing the current coaching staff or the FO and ANY kind of direction they might have. But Wallner is a potentially HUGE component of the lineup over the next few years. The really good numbers are there to look at.

Wallner is not slow. He's actually one if the fastest players on the team in regard to sprint speed. But he's a very large person and it takes time to get up and moving. Therefore, he's fast, but isn't necessarily "quick". That means he's never going to steal a ton of bases, and must get solid reads in the OF to be effective. THE BAD: He's never going to be quick. He's never going to be a great defender. But he's previously been better than this season. He may be taking some of his frustration to the field with him. He's always going to K more than people want. THE GOOD: His arm is in the 90+% in MLB for strength/speed and accuracy. Teams don't even try to run on him any longer. His power is tremendous. His QUAD SLASH for his CAREER....meaning briefly in 2022, and including THIS down season, PLUS 2023'-'24...sits at: .238/ .350/ .501/ .823 Those are excellent numbers! That's an approximately leage average HIT tool, and ABOVE league average OB%, SLG %, and OPS%. His OPS PLUS is 133! That means as a hitter he's 33% BETTER than average. He can't control where he gets put in the lineup or how many runners from a poor producing lineup are on base in front of him. But by all means, if you haven't learned that there is more to measuring ballplayers besides their BATTING AVERAGES, then I suppose Wallner will look bad to you. But considering the LEAGUE WIDE AVERAGE batting average is below .250, I guess baseball is just filled with really bad players everywhere. Ideally, Rodriguez and Jenkins will both be fine ML players and take over the corner spots, and soon. That's not only good for the lineup, but it does put better defense on the field. It would allow Wallner the ability to DH more often, and be a backup corner OF. But any notion Wallner has been a bad player, and that he hasn't still been one of the better bats on the Twins this season, or that he isn't/can't be very important at his 2023-24 levels going forward is just not accurate.

A pair of great performances from Armstrong and Morris. Morris helps lead what should be a great St Paul staff. But is he the #8, #9 depth piece? Does he push himself to be in consideration for the #5-#6 spot? He's got the potential. Guess we'll see depending on what theownership/FO do. Could we have asked for a better start to Tait's and Jimenez's Twins careers? Rosario leading the league in Runs, HR, BB, and now probably RBI? And to think a few weeks ago I asked if I was the only one who still saw him as a prospect and some responded no. He's starting to look more like a 40 man add all the time. Regarding Winokur? He's still high on my prospect list. I'm just not worried about his recent slump. He started a little slow and might be finishing a little slow. But he's done some really good stuff in between and is still only 20yo at A+. I think whether he starts 2026 at AA vs CR again really just depends on offseason work/improvement and ST. But the talent is undeniable. Begining at A+ as a 21yo next season doesn't mean his shine dims. It just means a little more time to work on the contact portion of his game. From what little I've seen of him at SS...not much to be sure...he's surprisingly nimble for the position and has a tremendous arm. But if 3B and CF really are his future positions, then I agree he should focus on those 2 spots.

Just to be clear, Fedko hasn't been a great hitter, but he's OK. He's better at avoiding K's and taking BB. The lack of a HIT tool was a reference toward Cardenas. For instance, he hit .257 at Wichita but is only hitting .217 with St Paul. Your idea of sending him to the AFL might be a good one.