DocBauer

Outstanding! I couldn't agree more with your "mythbusting" analysis! Myth 1: I was thinking 2010 was the big payroll year, but I was probably thinking about coming off that year. Regardless, they could easily be at $120-125M and still not hit the ML mean. And again, even more payroll will be coming off soon, or adjusted downward even if Mauer and Dozier were to be re-signed as they would come in lower than their combined totals. (Hughes and Santana also come off in the next couple of seasons). However, I feel Falvey and Levine are pretty smart cookies, have a plan, and won't outsmart themselves by just handing out deals. They won't be frugal the way Ryan was, but they won't spend just to spend because they can. Myth 2: In principal, I agree with you. Despite some doomsayers here and there, there is absolutely no reason to expect Santana's arm to just fall off. Secondly, Berrios has wicked stuff, a great bulldog mentality, and will only get better. Not only did Gibson make some major changes, but his sample size is roughly half a season and not just a short stretch. Mejia's problem is not ability, just better consistency. There were several times I watched him get ahead but just couldn't finish the batter off. Where I will disagree, however, is not in regard to making the big splash, but I really think you need one more, quality, proven SP. There are injuries. Gibson could still fall apart. I actually like Slegers a little bit and love some of the other kids, but they may not be quite ready just yet. Lots of hope and belief in May, but to be real, he's still coming back from surgery. I have stated for some time I prefer a nice, solid FA addition over trade. Not only can they afford it now, and the next few years without blowing up the books, but it allows them the luxury of keeping the system intact for depth, development, and maybe that big splash during the season. I also think this applies to the pen. We have some good arms, and room for improvement. There is arm talent to work with and sort through, both here as well as close. I would love a guy like Shaw, and maybe a flier, and call it good for now.

Not naming a specific name, but isn't this the perfect time to hire a Latin coach?

Lynn and Chatwood, it would appear to me, offer the best combination of safety and upside these other three can't match. I also am in the camp of adding one SP, via FA or trade. With what is onboard, the probably re-sign of Gibson, and what's on the way, I'd go for the one arm and a couple RP.

Outstanding! "Win 20 in the majors and people will think you're colorful. Until then, it means you're a slob."

Holy crap! Sounds like my love life! Damn you magic 8 ball!

Thanks for that! Very revealing yes? 3 team deals are always complicated, but they do work from time to time. From the Indians perspective, they essentially ended up trading Choo for Bauer. I don't think the Twins really have an equivalent player like Choo for anything similar. By that I mean Rosario and Kepler may be less proven but are also young, under control for a few more years, and each have big upsides still. I would be loathe to trade either Kepler or Rosario unless the payback was just too good to turn down. But I think the organization, and the current roster, could survive some combination of Gordon, Gonsalves/Romero, a top bullpen arm and maybe one more solid top 20-30 prospect for a Bauer caliber arm. I'd rather do something like that than part with Rosario or Kepler.

Love the updates and can't wait for more of what I hope is good news. Is it just me? Am I just an eternal optimist? Did someone fit me with rose tinted glasses when I wasn't looking? Or am I right think/ponder that Jay may just make a huge mark on the bullpen this season? I just have this feeling that the worm is about to turn, bad luck will start to turn from the dark side, and Jay will have a quality AFL, a quality ST, and even if he begins the season in Rochester, he will be up fairly soon and team with Rogers to form a he'll of a port side combination. Yes...it would be better if he was a quality LHSP...but at the end of the day, what concerns me is contributions, wherever they come from.

Personally, I liked Gardy as a person and as a manager. IMO, a few comments he made here and there in the press were greatly exagerated and misconstrued. But these are also memories and viewpoints that are irrelevant. Congrats! But I just don't see the fit. He's a good baseball guy who is going to be stuck with a sinking and rebuilding roster and I'm just not sure it's his forte. But best of luck Gardy...except when you face the Twins!

Just my opinion and $.02. 1] I think multiple ML player trades are just too complicated to make and speculate on. 2] I am very hesitant to trade either Rosario or Kepler. I really, really like both and I'm still of the opinion Kepler may be the better overall player on a year or two. 3] I'd really rather target Cole, or someone similar, with a package of prospects, though it may hurt a bit to do so, and keep this roster intact. When Cleveland traded for Bauer from Arizona, for example, does anyone recall the pieces involved? I think the depth of the system allows for us to give up 3 or 4 really nice pieces without sacrificing the future for one quality young arm.

Absolutely agree with this. However, I don't think the answer would be both Lynn and Chatwood. You still have Mejia, maybe May, and other prospects getting close. You don't want that "dead weight" as you put it. But deciding on one good, solid guy to deepen the rotation is a solid move, IMO. (Assuming no ACE signing or trade). You want a reliable and reasonable chance to win every day. Improving the pen also assists with this, of course. But it still comes down to a solid SP option on the hill daily, doesn't it? I keep thinking, who is the guy out there that doesn't break the bank but can be another Santana signing? I wish I had a crystal ball to make that determination. I hope Falvey and Levine have one. Best I can offer is an old magic 8 ball that I don't trust. Lol

From what little I got to see, and from what I have read, I think Garver has the chops to be a solid to quality catcher with above average offense. Totally happy having him concentrate on that job. Assuming the off season concentration is on pitching and there just isn't that one big bat to bring in, and assuming Sano can play 3B, I'm a little intrigued by Grossman as the primary DH. I don't have the numbers available on hand at the moment, but I projected his past 2 seasons combined over 500 AB and they were interesting; 30+ doubles and low double digit HR if I recall. A little more LH/RH balance hitting with his OB ability and I wonder about he and Mauer helping set the table. Molitor used him a lot to flip the lineup the last month. Could he and Mauer at the top of the order allow Dozier to slide down to a better RBI spot?

Nice write up! I have to echo...echo...that I think he will improve in 2018 and excel in 2019. There just aren't many Dwight Gooden-King Felix types out there. It takes a couple years for a young pitcher to really hit his stride. I know this sounds simplistic, but what I saw was a very determined and talented pitcher with nasty stuff who just needs some refinement. I think the change, even with mediocre improvement, is what could put him at the top of the Twins rotation.

I didnt want to trade Dozier, but I was certainly on board for the right return. And I'm not going to blast JDL in any way, but it just felt like the Dodgers were low balling, though I have nothing to back that up. I applauded the FO for not feeling pressured to make a move. Now, we still need to add some pitching, but I feel the non trade was the wise move. In fact, I'm feeling more convinced that an extension will be in the works with Gordon, or others, included in a package.

IMO, the question is not whether the Twins could or would sign Darvish, or whether he's sign with the Twins. Would I like to see it? You bet! Should they at least pick up the phone? Absolutely! To me the question is, would Lynn, solid career and a year removed from surgery, be a "Santana" level/quality signing? If the answer is yes, or close to yes, he would be a smart move to join Santana and the still developing/improving Berrios to form a solid first 3. Gibson is 4, Mejia, May and open auditions fill the 5th spot. I think it was Brock that said something to the affect fairly recently about a strong bullpen and a deep rotation...not containing a true ACE...was a pretty good idea. I have to concur.

Sure seems like there are some interesting and high quality candidates out there. I was expecting Carl Willis to be the front runner based on reputation and FO familiarity with him, as well as being a candidate 3 years ago. But Maddux is, to say the least, an intriguing candidate. I could be on board with him.

I think I still like Lynn better overall, though he's a couple years older and would be more expensive probably. I think he'll be just that much stronger next season, further removed from surgery. Can't say I hate the Chatwood idea though. Good velocity, relatively young, solid numbers away from Coors Field, and with a new team and pitching coach, may have more upside. Still have a soft spot for Arietta.

I could still see them adding a bat, though it's much less a priority following the signing of a couple arms. I think we're all in agreement on that. But it's also less of a priority following the development of this young roster and the overall depth and versatility of such. In other words, someone taking a half day off because there is a solid reserve to fill in for a day or two. I hate to say it, as it seems to be beating that poor dead horse carcass yet again, but do we really have a feel yet for how the FO and field staff feel about Vargas and Grossman? Is Grossman done developing? He's not anything special, but if he could "combine" his overall numbers the past 2 season's, with some pop and decent speed and his high OB%, he could be a viable, almost daily DH who can fill in the OF here and there. Do we yet know who and what Vargas truly is? Or can he at least be a decent backup 1B who can DH and provide some bench power? I'd sure like to know what the FO is thinking about these two.

I tend to agree here. Let's just make the bold prediction a starter is signed. The bullpen, IMO, really needs that one proven arm for talent, depth, production and leadership. Kintzler and Belisle added a lot to the club despite not being "top shelf" options. I believe some of that was a veteran stability. And I don't think it's "safe" to just look at the talented young BP arms and simply assume we'll be OK. But on the other hand, Pressly, Duffey, Rogers, Hildenberger and Busentiz all offer a starting/building point with Curtiss, Reed, Bard, Jay as some that could be close, along with a return to health, eventually, for Burdi and Chargois sometime in 2018. What about Moya, Enns and maybe Melotakis yet from the port side? I could easily see a second BP arm, but I wouldn't get carried away with years and dollars. There ARE options to build with, turn to, and on the way.

Based on the ML payroll mean, money off the books, and the reported percentages of income vs expenditure, I'd also look for something more in line with $120M. The highest payroll in Twins history, if I recall correctly, was 7 years ago in 2010 and it was around $110M for a team expected to contend. Should we expect, and wouldn't it be logical, to assume the team could afford $120M going in to 2018? We talk about payroll and FA contracts as well as signing all our young talent to extensions in the future. But don't forget, another $14M for Hughes comes off the books after 2018. And another $15M comes off after '18 or '19 depending on the final option year for Santana. That's nearly $30M additional for payroll. And let's assume, for the moment, that both Mauer and Dozier are extended. I believe they will combine for approximately $33M in 2018. An increase for BD and a lower contract for Mauer should still result in at least some additional savings there. There is absolutely money to spend on the right couple 2 or 3 FA options without mortgaging future extensions, especially considering only one of said FA signings would be long term.

32 is a better number, no question. But I wonder if expansion creates more problems than it solves. There is such a dearth of quality pitching already, and would be made that much worse with expansion. Further, the revenue imbalance persists and would, I propose, continue with 32 teams. Would any of the proposed markets prove viable long term financially through fan support and various radio and cable packages? Or would they be adding a pair of bottom market teams that perpetually struggle to compete, much like a few of the more recent NBA franchises? I know it still comes down to ownership and the running of a team properly from top to bottom, but the means to acquire players, and keep them, is still heavily weighted at the top of MLB and I don't see a solution coming any time soon. If it happens, keep both leagues, keep them as intact as possible, and have even divisions in both leagues.

Lynn and Rosario. Solid track record for Lynn, good bounce back year and probably better and stronger this season. And again, we keep all of our players and prospects both for depth and future trades, whether this season or next.

And in this scenario, Dozier could slide down to an ever better RBI spot while still helping to set the table for players behind him.

Been thinking about the DH spot a lot lately when looking at 2018. While I am tantalize by a major move at this spot, the lineup and roster is so, overall, deep, young, talented and versatile, that it's simply not at the top of the priority list unless the Twins went all in. TK, and Gardy, seldom had a true everyday DH. There were exceptions, of course, such as Davis and Winfield, but mostly they just put a good bench bat in that spot, and gave guys half days off. Personally, I like that approach; a balanced roster with depth where you rotate guys in and out. I think this team can do that. And let's be honest, any real investment should come first in another quality SP, and maybe a RP of quality, maybe two, before we look at the DH spot. Nothing says your DH has to be a power hitter. The jury, unfortunately, is still out on Vargas. But what if, especially with his recent comments about getting in better shape, Vargas begins to put it together? What if Grossman can begin to bridge the gap between 2016 and 2017 splits and become more balanced? And what about Granite? He could be a true 4th OF with the potential to give guys breaks, but also DH at the top, or bottom, of the order and provide AVG, OB and speed. If you paid attention to the normal batting order the last couple of months, you would see Molitor putting Grossman's OB ability in the 9 spot. This helped flip the lineup. He could do so again. So could Granite. Vargas would be more of a middle order option. Grossman's numbers, if you look at them, and I have, could blend his RH and LH production over a full season could not only flip the lineup, but maybe provide a very interesting 1-2 punch at the top of the order. And Granite, again, if he continues to grow and improve, could be a valuable 4th OF who could also flip the order, or hit with Mauer for a nice 1-2. In both of these scenarios, it allows Dozier and his offensive ability, to slide down. Just saying, I think there are options and potential here without making an external investment.

Yeah....reading this article and all he accomplished...just too bad Santana stinks so bad and we held on to him huh? And I'm what's worse...his arm is due to fall off sometime early next season. Read it somewhere...just completely fall off.

THIS. Sano and Buxton are probably the first two. Followed by Rosario (who I love and will only get better but an OF is easier to replace than other spots) and Berrios, who has less service time. And then you make it a clean sweep following those guys.