DocBauer

Down year for the Ray's, but they aren't a horrible team. They are always fundamentally solid. Not putting lipstick on a pig, just saying, we didn't lose to a really bad team. But it feels like we gave away 2 games, no matter how tightly played. I didn't see the Lewis play at 3B live. Looked like it took a perfect throw to get him though. Being aggressive is normally a good thing. And it looked like a perfect throw WAS made. STILL, I might have kept him from. running and trusted in the next 2 batters. I'm not one to ever blame a loss on a RP, unless it's just an obviously poor performance...crap happens. EXAMPLE: Alcala has been very good this season. He allowed the winning run the previous night. It happens. But honestly, I NEVER understood the Jackson promotion. He got a couple innings to SUDDENLY prove the slider was back, even with lost velocity. He's NOT back, which is the reason for the loss today, and a bad read/mistake by Falvey. The limited IP by Castillo were poor. Henriquez and Winder remain on the 40 man. So is Funderburk. If you want to add to the 40 man instead of Jackson, you would have done better giving someone like Blewett a shot vs a 36yo that has shown he doesn't have IT any longer. Thielbar, at LEAST has a track record and history with the Twins thats worthy of rope. I don't know that Henriquez, or anyone else, would have done better. Maybe they wouldn't have. But giving another chance to someone who generally HASN'T performed this season was a major misstep this past week. Today's loss is not on SWR, the lineup, or Okert for a run given up. IMO, today's loss is on the FO for Jackson. I'm sure he's a quality person, but he's just not part of a reliable pen. Good "shot in the dark" addition. But he's not part of tomorrow, or the future. Glad he's gone.

I'm not going to get in the $ numbers of a deal, but I can see an extension for Castro being a smart idea. He has a solid bat, switch hits, has some pop and some speed. He plays at least solid defense at 5 spots, though he has made appearances in RF and 1B, he's just usually not been needed there. I don't think he's a STAR player, but he's a very good one. And the fact that he's a "super utility" player doesn't mean he isn't an every day player. 13 position players on a roster, one of them always a 2nd catcher. That's 12 guys to fill 8 spots in the field and 1 at DH. Only 3 players remain to PH, PR, platoon, etc. Even in a theoretical world where you could set your roster and never have anyone hurt, guys will still need days off. Wallner, Buxton, Rodriguez, Martin, Larnach, Lewis, Correa, Lee, Julien, Miranda, Kirilloff, Jeffers, Vazquez or ?, looks really good, potentially, for 2025 and beyond. But don't tell me there's not room for Castro in the lineup and on the roster when we know guys DO get injured. I'd like him to stick around for a few more years.

MacLeod and Nowlin are both from the 2021 draft. MacLeod didn't pitch in 2022, recovering from TJ IIRC, so he's a little behind. Nowlin keeps getting left off lists like this, but he's got some electric stuff and has made steady progress. He's still a little too wild, but his stuff probably plays up big in the pen if the rotation doesn't work out. A little more command/control and he's a strong rotation possibility. Morris and Culpepper should have been included in the OP, IMO. And I've still got hope for Ohl. Sure wish Headrick hadn't gotten hurt. Haven't heard a word about him being back this year. Hoping we aren't just waiting for word on TJ.

It's been my belief that the FO has been willing to add some payroll at the deadline to help the club. Maybe not a ton, but they would be able to add. This comes from willingness to do so in the past, as well as the TV deal that came together late. I'm NOT begining another debate, just stating my belief. But at this point, are they going to see a single $1 from that deal? I disagree somewhat with the OP that the pen shouldn't be a priority. I think Okert is pretty solid. I love Funderburk's stuff and potential, but he's been a little wild still. Thielbar has been a real stalwart in the pen the past few years. If his current issues are mechanical and he can get right, awesome. If not, I'd like to have an experienced LH arm I could really trust in the pen. If Stewart is back and Varland can slide to the pen in September, I can see the Twins fine from the RH side. The FO seems to have done a lot better job making deals in the offseason vs mid year. Who's got a quality, young-ish controllable SP available to trade for that we want to grab in a deadline auction? I don't know that there's a rental bat for 2B or OF that I want to trade a bunch for just to have a rental. I DO believe on adding for the playoffs when you have need. But who are we going to get better than Lee or Julien at 2B that doesn't cost much? LF? Larnach's doing OK, Wallner might be ready to make a difference, Castro can play there, and we might even run with a RH/LH platoon that could include guys like Keirsey, Martin, and Margot. In theory at least. I'd be OK if they could add a big bat on the cheap. But how cheap? And when do we trust the younger talent we have? I guess we have about 30 days to figure it out.

Very disappointed here. If you draft someone high, and you give them chances, and they just never produce and wash out, you can call that a bad or wasted pick. An example is the recently releases Cavaco. Probably going to end up saying the same about Sabato, but since he's still playing and performing at SOME kind of productive level, it's fair to call him a disappointment or wait a little longer to say so. Doesn't matter to me either way. But Canterino HAS performed, and performed ar a high level since he's been drafted. Now that his TJ has been completed, and he's still on the 40 man, there's reasonable hope he will recover from this shoulder injury and find a role in the pen. Think Stewart as a comp. But he is NOT a bad, wasted, or "worst" pick when he flashes that much talent and potential and is still part of the organization and still has a chance to make it. Ditto for Prielipp, who everyone KNEW was coming off surgery and was a risk. He was also a top 10 talent and praise was generally heaped on the Twins for taking a shot on such a talented prospect. He's had a brace placed on his elbow and should be back in 2025, if not late this season, to try and get his career going. But not only has he not been a drafted player who's underperformed, he was a known high risk high reward when drafted. So before he even gets a chance to see what he might become he's already a bad, wasted, worst pick? This is like speculating the Twins 7th round pick in the upcoming draft, from Louisiana NW State, coming off surgery but was 1st team all conference and 2nd team All American is a bad, wasted, worst ever pick before he gets a chance to see if he can actually be good.

In regard to the OP as written, absolutely not. If Farmer is gone, that leaves Castro as the daily 2B with only Martin as any kind of backup, and he's been spending a lot more time in the OF lately. (Which he should). Wallner replacing Farmer doesn't really make sense from a roster construction point of view. It also takes Castro out if his super utility role. BTW, while he's nothing close to an offensive force, Farmer has been hitting in the .270's the last 30 days, with an OB% above .320. I don't know if it will last, but he's been playing much better. I believe Martin and Margot are redundant. One young, has a potential future, but isn't proven yet. The other is a veteran having the worst season of his career but has looked much better as of late, and has been helping. But from a roster construction situation, they are pretty much the same player. Martin can go down if we need to make a move, or if he looks bad. Of course, he actually needs to play so we can find out. And Margot can be DFA'd if his recent hot streak is an illusion and he goes back to worthless again. But one of these guys goes for Wallner, unless there's an injury. Lee or Julien replaces Farmer at some point, probably. Again, injuries can and do happen. I'm excited about Wallner getting right again. He can be a big part of the now, and the future. A couple more weeks of doing what he's doing at St Paul won't hurt as the Twins monitor the roster as is for now. More than a couple of things could change over the next couple of weeks. I do think, at some point, the Twins, as a whole, need to look at the roster for the remainder of this year as well as the future and make a hard decision or two. I mean, does a platoon 2B or 2nd RH utility OF move the needle over a couple younger players with more talent? But Wallner and Farmer really aren’t connected, and a couple weeks of wait and see is probably warranted at this time.

Guessing Martin won't get going just yet...or not be playes enough to allow him to...or Margot will suddenly turn back in to a pumpkin and Martin will be his "replacement" on the roster and Wallner will come up at that time. Castro is still used best, IMO, as a super utility player. I think it's better for the roster, and he seems to excel in the role. But how do they fit Lee/Julien in at 2B come mid July or 1st of August? Need 2B to be settled and I don't think Farmer is that guy. I also didn't like the Cavaco pick when it was made. I had hopes in the "helium" riser and his tools and he'd be a surprise. Unfortunately, the surprise was that he just was never a good prospect. Anyone paying attention to Severino? After just an awful start to the year he's been mashing since the calender flipped to June. Terrible April, better May, over 1.300 OPS and .400 AVG for June. There were comments made in ST about hie much he had slimmed down... presumedly to keep him affective at 3B/2B...and I wonder if that threw off some of his timing initially? Regardless, he's starting to look really good.

Just dawned on me this afternoon that Keaschall and Martin might be fighting for the same spot on the roster a year from now. I don't want to get ahead of things here, but we're talking about 2 guys who are RH hitters with contact and OB ability who are...some leanancy here as it's early...projected to play LF/CF/2B. Martin played 3B in college, but it's said his arm isn't great for 3B at the ML level. I'm not sure about Keaschall's arm strength, but I do know he spent a lot of time at DH to start this season while dealing with a minor shoulder issue. As I commented on previously, I have no clue if Keaschall's arm plays at 3B, healthy, or not. Martin is in the SHOW, and Keaschall is in AA, tearing it up, and 3 yrs younger. There is an obvious separation there. And Martin's advancement has been affected somewhat due to covid and being pushed perhaps too soon, etc. And it might not be fair to compare the two of them directly, but it's hard not to at this point. When the Twins received Martin in a trade in 2021, he was 22yo. Keaschall is just shy of being 22yo at AA, same for both. While I understand development is NOT linear, SO FAR, Keaschall trumps Martin in AVG by .60 points, OB% by .44 points, SLG% by a WHOPPING .151 points, and an OPS differential of .195 points. While Martin obviously has played more games and accrued more SB as a result, so far, he is about 6% better in success rate. NONE of this matters ultimately matters at the ML level. You either perform or you don't, with some expected speed bumps along the way. And I'm NOT banging on Martin as a viable and good piece of the Twins roster for the future. But it's really hard to NOT look at what Keaschall is doing at the same age and level and wonder what's to become.

I don't think you're wrong. I still have questions about Martin as a ML HITTER, as I'm worried there's just not enough POP in the bat for sustainability despite contact and a good eye. I love Wallner, but I think Martin gets at least a couple weeks run to see how ready he is. He was doing great at St Paul. I'm just hoping he gets to PLAY instead of being a PR. Wallner could be a key for the 2nd half, and the future. But I'm just guessing the Twins will stick with Martin through June and then re-examine Wallner and the roster.

Not going to happen. And not because Farmer has suddenly hit a little bit better. It's about roster construction as well as performance or need. No Farmer means Castro is "stuck" at 2B with only Martin as another option. If and when Farmer might be gone, it will be due to Julien, or Lee, brought up, or BOTH in certain scenarios. But Wallner won't replace Farmer.

I won't say the Twins won't or shouldn't draft a 2B. They probably will. And you do draft best player available. And there's a couple guys here that seem to fit the Twins draft profile the past couple of years. But there is a point where you do look not only at the board, but what's in your system. I just don't see a 2B for the Twins in the first 2-3 rounds. We'll share thoughts and opinions over the next couple of weeks as we get closer to the draft, of course. But honestly, the more I read, listen, and reflect, I'm really thinking that with the $ the Twins have to work with...and the state of the system right now...I'm starting to think the Twins might go HS heavy the first couple of rounds. I agree the draft is probably a circus after the first 10 picks or so. And there's always a surprise or two. But I'm honestly thinking a HS SS who they believe will stick, a HS arm, very possibly a 2nd HS arm since there seems to be a deep group there through the first couple of rounds, and a college BAT, probably OF. Just think it's the right time and place to grab 2-3 HS kids with the $ to play with to sign them and look at college arms later as they usually do.

Never understood some who were so down on Festa because of some control issues. Generally speaking, don't most all pitching prospects have some sort of control issues until they don't? That's why they're in the minors. It seems like the 10-15lbs of muscle he added in the offseason has really helped him as he seems to be maintaining velocity later in the games. I think he's close, but I'm still hoping he's not needed for a while, for obvious reasons. Not sure if I have him or Matthews as my personal #1 choice for top pitching prospect right now, but it's close. Really nice to have Morris, Lewis, and Culpepper not far behind those two though. Regarding Raya, I really do understand...mostly...how they're using him. He basically didn't throw for 2 years after he was drafted due to covid and then a shoulder issue. Everything I've ever heard or read says his pitches are dynamic, with the standard caveat he's a prospect still working on command. He's been allowed to throw up to 60 pitches this season so far, but apparently only gets 2 turns through a lineup. I get it. He's got an arm that might be special so they're being really, really careful with him. And I'd like to think they're a lot smarter than me, lol, so I can't say they're NOT taking the right approach. But in a prospect podcase I listened to recently here on TD, it was mentioned that Raya will be Rule 5 eligible following the 2025 season. That means, of course, adding him to the 40 man or not. So if they DON'T expand his usage here in 2024, they're going to have a single season in 2025 to evaluate and make a decision. That doesn't make a ton of sense to me. I'm still expecting 70+ pitches and a 3rd time through the order come the 2nd half of this season. As far as Keaschall in the OF, I believe @Dmanhas it correct. No reason he can't be a quality 2B, and still might end up there. But barring a surprise or two, that spot is going to be held down by Lee and Julien, who themselves can play other spots. And nothing says Keaschall can't continue to back up that spot. But his bat looks pretty special. And when you have a hitter this good....and he's got good wheels...you get him in the lineup and worry about best position later. Unfortunately, if rumors are true, his arm might not be strong enough for 3B, because I think he has the other skills that would allow him to fill in there. But if the instincts are there, and can be honed, I'd really love to see him as a CF/LF option who can STILL cover 2B to increase his flexibility to the lineup. And I think that's exactly what's going to happen. I don't want Jeffers or Vazquez to have any sort of injury this season. But somewhere, somehow, even if it's an end of the year September promotion, I'd really, really like to see Camargo get some ML time this year. I just really want to watch him behind the plate, working with the staff, and see what kind of approach he takes at the plate against ML pitchers. I want to know if we have a #3 catcher here, or a solid ML catcher who might be a good #2.

I'm a fan and believer in Wallner. He's produced at every level, and made adjustments at every level. He's got the ability to be a dangerous, productive hitter at the ML level. He's the type of hitter that's always going to have a 30% K rate. Not because he swings and misses at everything, but because he's the kind of hitter who works the pitcher/count to find something to hit, and is willing to take a BB. And he is that 3 outcome kind of hitter who's always walked quite a bit. Honestly, he and Julien are very much the same type of hitter, generally speaking, but that's a different subject and not relevant to this OP. Wallner, IMO, can hit anywhere from .235-.260 at the ML level with an OB% of about .320-.340. And he's got legitimate 30 Dbls and 30HR power. He actually runs pretty well for a large man, has improved his reads and route running in the OF, and of course, has that cannon for an arm. He can be a difference maker for the Twins this season, and future seasons, even if he's never a true STAR player. But just because he CAN be that player doesn't mean he's going to be. Somewhere along the line...again, similar to Julien...pitchers have made an adjustment and Wallner has lost a balance of when to be patient and when to be aggressive. (This is also very similar to what Larnach has had to adjust to). If you're going to get fewer and fewer fastballs, looking for a pitch is still the way to go. But that might mean a pitch you aren't in love with, but it's the best offering, and it's up to you to get the bat on the ball. It's not that easy, but it's not so much the wrong approach, as having to change the parameters of the approach in place due to different offerings from the pitcher. I hope that make sense. Wallner finds a better balance in regard to his patience, and when and what to swing at with fewer fastballs, he should be up. He's trending that way now. But it wouldn't hurt to see him do it for a few more weeks. Honestly, right now, 2b is a bigger hole, but again, different discussion.

I wish I had a clue what's up with Thielbar and whether or not he was going to rebound. I'm sure he and the Twins feel the same way. I've watched his curve look just as good as ever. And I've seen him throwing 94 just like he did last season. But SOMETHING is missing. Did missing all of ST just throw off his schedule and he's going to get ironed out for the 2nd half and be a quality and important part of the pen again? Or is this just the year where his stuff doesn't bite like it used to and everyone feels comfortable sitting back and waiting for a pitch? I'm sure hoping it's mechanical and he can turn it around. I've seen other LH pen arms pitch decently in to their late 30's. I generally like Okert. Unfortunately, he leaves a pitch up once in a while that gets crushed. Not sure that makes him different than most any other reliever though. I'd say he's pretty good 80% of the time? Mediocre about 10% of the time, and bad about 10%? I can take that. I love Funderburk's stuff and ability to get batters from both sides out. I don't like that he battles control about every other game and has to get two guys on base before settling down and looking nasty. I think Okert and Funderburk are solid, but the pen's even deeper if the veteran Thielbar still has life left. But it's why I think a pen arm might be a trade target this season.

Would really love to have another young, power arm like Miller to add to what we have. But you'll have to forgive me if I'm a little shy about trading for a power arm who's new to the pen after failing as a starter and having past injury issues. I just don't think I could spend big without a little longer track record and I don't think the Twins will either. But he's really tempting. Sears is interesting, especially being LH and having control. He had an "OK" but solid 2023 and is having a better season this year. I'm interested. But other than being LH, does he really offer any greater ability or potential than the guys we have in the rotation right now? I just don't know if I see someone who actually improves the roster. But maybe I'm wrong and there's some untapped potential better than what's on hand. I could be talked in to Erceg if the price is right. He's only in his 2nd season in the bigs, but his numbers are solid. It's also the best season of his pro career so far, MILB or MLB, so is he developing? Or has he just been lucky so far in a 1/3 of a season SSS? Love the 11.1 K's per 9 though. Hogan Harris in the pen could really interest me, if the Twins believe he can keep the BB down. Nobody else really interests me.

It's my understanding Varland was being asked to work on a sinker as RH batters were his biggest issue. As to his AAA numbers, or anyone else in his situation, we don't know what he's being asked to do inning to inning, game to game. He might be asked to throw 3 straight sinkers to a guy, regardless if he wins the battle or not, simply because they are attempting to work on the pitch. Headrick got off to maybe the best start of his career before getting hurt, and that's a major bummer for him, as well as the Twins. But that's even less depth to work with, and no offense to Boushley, but I'd rather see Varland get the next game as a call up over him. I believe Festa is really close as well. I agree that Varland either has the pitches to remain in the rotation long term...even if he's still working some on command...or he doesn't. But for now, he's needed for depth as we still have a lot of season left to go. I do see him in the pen come September. I'm not saying I wouldn't want to see him sooner, I just don't think we will due to depth. I think the kind of depth that's going to be at AAA next season offers a re-examination of Varland's permanent role going forward. And it's hard not to love Duran, Jax, Stewart. Alcala, and Varland as your top 5 RH pen arms, with some reasonable depth options behind them.

The approach that Wallner has...as does Julien...is sound; don't swing at crap, and wait for something you like...while tiring out the pitcher...and then hit the ball HARD when you see something you like. It works best when you have a good eye. Wallner has a good eye. The problem is if you are getting nothing but breaking pitches, you're going to have to change your selectivity process. The K's aren't just because he swings and misses, but BECAUSE he is a patient hitter. You're going to have some 3-2 type of counts and you aren't always going to win those with a hit or BB. But MAN, I love that swing! I feel like any time he gets any decent wood on a ball it's got a very good chance for a hit or more. I'm really hoping he finds the right balance of patience vs aggressiveness soon and gets back up to the Twins. Ditto Julien, of course. Helman is a very good and very well rounded and very versatile ballplayer. He's just never gotten his ML shot yet as he was a late bloomer and while having the best year of his career last season, he hit the IL 3 different times. And he STILL put up good numbers. I'm hoping he still gets a shot at some point, but I'm just thinking it might be time for him to move on to another organization for a better opportunity. But I bet the Twins would like to have him back.+ I don't expect Severino to get a call up this season, but his recent turn around is very encouraging. That HR Keaschall looked it went "plaid" it got out of the park in such a hurry! AA for the rest of the year and AAA to begin 2025 with a call up sometime in the 2nd half?

IMO, one of the biggest issues with these kinds of deals is you only have the player in question for a single season guaranteed, barring them performing poorly and opting to stick around. And while I don't want to generalize too much, it just seems every time a pitcher signs late he's behind everyone else and either has a bad season, or at least a bad start to the year. Payrolls have been steadily increasing and more than a handful of teams are over the tax threshold from what bean5302 states. A lot of teams have lost their big TV deals, or are about to. I think we're going to see a lot of craziness over the next few years! With all due respect to a 2 time Cy Young winner, I've never been a big Snell fan. He's just had too m any injuries and too many mediocre years mixed in with his 2 great ones that I just wasn't interested in a deal for him. I would have absolutely been in on Montgomery...for 1 year at least...had the payroll situation been different. I don't think he was worth what he was asking, but I liked what he ultimately ended up signing for, for this season. Good thing we didn't get him, I guess. No real fit for Chapman. Bellinger would have been nice. But man, I understand 2 just bad years due to injuries, but no way I would have done anything close to a 7 year deal for the $ based on a 1 year bounce back. But his 3 year deal is much more palatable, even at $27M per. Going to be interesting to see if he opts in with the fluctuation in the market I'm expecting this offseason. Even without a payroll cut, I don't think the Twins would have grabbed Bellinger for $27M per.

I still have faith in Lopez to get over the hump and be the pitcher we saw the second half of 2023. Ryan has been phenomenal, doesn't even have to get better, just stay healthy and keep it up. Take away 2 ridiculous games against the Royals, and Ober has been about as good as he's ever been. Paddack has had a somewhat similar season to Ober's, a couple real stinkers, but otherwise has been solid to really good. He's been a little up and down, but I don't think that's all that unusual for someone coming back from TJ. Actually, he's been better than I had expected, or dared hope for. I never saw Varland imploding like he did at the beginning of this year. I don't know if SWR saved the Twins rotation or not, but he sure kept the rotation off of life support. I offered encouragement after he was traded for and looked bad due to his rushed advancement and the whole Olympic trial and games situation. I was encouraged after a solid 2022. I was really disappointed after last season. I know he was better the second half, but the BB were still up, and K's were still low, and the velocity was still barely hitting 90. I read articles about how his "stuff plus" should offer up hope, but I didn't have a lot, in full confession. The guy we're seeing this season is a completely different pitcher. The velocity is up, some of his pitches just look NASTY at times, and I agree with the announcers in his last game that he's just looking more and more confident on the mound. A little more command, and the ability to finish guys off with 2 strikes a little better, and he might just be a #3 starter based on what I've seen so far. I've really liked the way the Twins have handled him so far. I still don't know if Varland is going to be consistent enough to stay in the rotation, or move to a leverage spot in the pen with his stuff. But for now, I'm pretty sure he's going to stick to the rotation. Hopefully his latest start is a sign of things to come. Festa is awfully close. Matthews, Morris, and Lewis are all at AA now and other than any additional promotions, they should all three finish out the year at Wichita and be ready for St Paul in 2025, at the worst. Ohl is starting to look good again, and Raya is going to probably end up stretched out the 2nd half. I mean, you have to or you're going to be asked to roster him or not based on a pretty small sample size in another year or so. At this moment, I don't see anyone getting replaced in the Twins rotation, including SWR. Everyone's healthy and under 30, or way under 30. But even if Varland does move to the pen, if St Paul isn't pretty much stocked in the rotation next season, I'll be very surprised.

“I was on Jeopardy!,” said the sportswriter. “Twice.” I'm not sure if I like this line best, or the stuff about Gleeman. Wonderfully funny!

I don't know that Santana can keep up what he's generally being doing since the first couple of weeks, but he's encouraging. Margot is hot, and I'm willing to accept the fact that he will settle down and just be the AVERAGE career producer he's been in his career. But I need more than a couple of weeks before I think he's part of the equation for the remainder of this season. Unfortunately, I still have questions about Martin. People fall in love with his OB% and SB potential, and fail to realize his power...except for a solid 1/2 of a season in 2023...is pretty bad. I can still a scenario where Margot just bottoms out, and Martin isn't the answer, and a journeyman like Helman gets a shot. I love Farmer as a clubhouse guy and a gamer. He's been better. But can he climb out of this hole? What if July 1st Julien and Lee are BOTH doing well? Potentially, there might be room for both depending on injuries and the such. I don't believe Vazquez is going anywhere NOW. I feel Santana might stick the whole season if his body doesn't wear out. But Margot and Farmer are still major question marks.

So Wallner is a quality prospect, produces very well at the ML level...maybe more than future portence...slumps some, rebounds for a couple weeks, and then has a poor post season as a rookie, and that's a crystal ball that he would be terrible in 2024 and the rest of his career? By your short leash standards, every young player who struggles a bit should just be dismissed. Better RAKE when you hit the Majors kid, because there's no going back! Is that what you propose? I've never stated Wallner is going to be a STAR player. But he's demonstrated real ability at ALL levels. I sure wouldn't give up on a young talent who hit a bump in the road.

I didn't expect the Vikings to get anything out of this, but I had slim hope they would. There was an incident a couple years ago regarding tampering that had the erroring team send the other organization a 3rd round pick in a "settlement". I might be wrong, but I thought it might have been Denver/New Orleans? Regardless, I can somewhat understand the league punishing Atlanta in this case and not giving the Vikings any reward. The Vikings were clearly looking to add a new, young QB no matter what in this past draft. Where I have issue is that regardless of the Vikings intentions, they were still actively offering Cousins a deal. So if Atlanta interfered with those negotiations, violating the rules, then they interfered with the violated team's course of business. I don't care if it's only a 5th round pick. Instead of being sacrificed, that pick should go to the team that was "violated" in this instance. As is, it's like winning a settlement in a court case but never receiving the awarded compensation. And that doesn't feel right to me.

Entering today, I believe the Twins are top 10 in runs scored per game at 4.9. (What I heard during the game). The larger issue is, much like the first half of 2023, scoring in BUNCHES, but not scoring CONSISTENTLY. I don't think this is entirely due to a LH batter weakness. Royce being gone for 2 months HURT. If you had told me Buxton would be playing full out, healthy, in 50 of the first 60-ish games, I would have guessed he'd have a high .700 to .800 OPS, NOT in the .660's. I have nothing against Martin, still have hopes for him, and am crossing fingers he turns out to be a nice part of the puzzle. But patience and contact will only carry so far when your SLG% is in the .350-.360 range. My goodness, as I posted in another OP, Luis Arraez had a SLG% over .400 in MILB and he has limited power. Had Kiersey been healthy, and not on the Saints IL currently, I have to wonder if they would have made room and brought him up instead. He provides a LH bat with pop, he provides speed and defense. We'll only know if he can hit ML pitching if and when he gets a chance. If you had told me before the season Larnach would look like he's finally figured it out and would be performing as a daily player, I would have been overjoyed. If you told me AK was SUPPOSEDLY healthy and off to a great start, I would have expected it to continue. The fact that he's nosedived is very concerning for now, and the future. 1 out of 2 isn't so bad though, right? If you told before the season that Wallner and Julien would hit a couple speed bumps...which I expected and stated...and weren't performing to the levels they displayed in 2023, I would believed you and said I expected growing pains. If you had told me they would both slump so badly they needed a AAA reset, I wouldn't have believed you. Conversely, if you had told me that Santana, after 60+ games, had a AVG .70 points lower from the LH side vs the RH side, and an OPS .150 points lower from the LH side, but had more HR and twice as many RBI from his weak side, I wouldn't have believed you. I DON'T hate PH, I just don't like doing it too early in the game. I DON'T hate LIMITED platooning, as long as the RH "platoon" options don't STINK against RH arms. I'm also in favor of a couple LH bats in the lineup against a LHP to start a game for a variety of reasons, but not really the issue in this OP. At SOME POINT this season, the Twins really need Julien and Wallner...maybe Kirilloff still...to FIND THEMSELVES and get back up and produce. And let's be honest here, whether you are a believer in Julien OR Wallner, what we've seen THIS season is not indicative of what we've seen from them in MILB, OR, what we've seen them do at the ML level to this point. There isn't a LH batter riding a white horse coming in to save the day. Larnach needs to keep doing what he's doing...I think he just might...and Kepler needs to get hot again. But beyond that, Julien...or Lee...needs to settle 2B and produce, and let Castro be the super utility player he is. (There is potentially room for both). And Wallner, hopefully, can be ready to re-establish himself over the next few weeks as a dangerous hitter in the lower half of the order. The pieces ARE there. It's up the staff AND the players themselves to "get right".

Going back to Ashbury's question about OPS in the International League, do we know what average is in 2024? I know it was really high in 2023, but has it regressed as it has at the ML level? Might give us some better insight as to who might and might not help. To me it's a pretty simple list: 1} JULIEN in a few weeks or so if he just gets back to his "old" self, the right balance of aggressive vs patience. I'm also in favor of his continuing to work at 1B for future reference. 2} LEE in a few weeks or so if anyone gets injured, Farmer doesn't crawl out of his current rabbit hole, or Julien takes too long to "get right". I'm hoping we simply don't NEED Lee and he can wait to debut until next season. That means everything is starting to click for everyone else. 3} WALLNER in a few weeks once he's MAINTAINED the approach and good stroke he's got going on now. Kepler getting hot again, and Larnach just keeping doing what he's been doing now means no pressure on Wallner for a fast promotion, no matter how much power he's got. But yeah...I really want Wallner back in the OF and at DH and knocking the snot out of the ball again. 4} MARTIN was just brought up today, but hasn't played yet, so I'm including him here. I like adding some speed and SB ability. I like that he can play LF/CF/2B for a little more roster/lineup flexibility. I like his eye, contact skills, and OB% ability. I don't like his less than stellar AVG or his general lack of power. In 2023, he had a pro career best SLG& of .405. That's not terrific, but it's OK, especially for the type of player he is. But this season, in the same league, he's back down to .355, which is actually 8 points below his MILB career average. I have hopes for Martin...fingers crossed...but I'm at least a little skeptical. To put his MILB SLG in to perspective, he's at .363. Luis Arraez had a MILB SLG% over .420! And Luis has never been known as a slugger, so I offer that comparison just as something to think about. SEVERINO maybe next season. Really happy that he's started to find himself and improve. I find him intriguing. But he's not ready yet. This is actually the first season that HOLLAND has EVER hit. Seriously, his best season so far has been .235 and a career mark of .215. After 30 games at AAA, he's not going to help in any way unless it's a player emergency due to vast injuries. Shout out to @terrydactylsfor dropping Helman's name before me, LOL. Yes, he and Keirsey BOTH are options to help. In fact, were he not hurt right now, and with the Twins hurting for LH help in the batting order, they might have found room for Keirsey on the 40 man and given him his shot now. Alas, he is dinged up, so not yet. And I'll say the same things I've said before, we don't know if he can hit at the ML level. But we don't know that he can't either. He really should get a shot at some point. The kid really does check every box except for ML experience. Helman, unfortunately, might have missed his shot last season when he RAKED, but was injured 3 times. With Margot suddenly looking like the decent, solid, ML batter we thought we were getting, and with Martin on the 40 man, there just doesn't seem to be room for Helman to get a shot at this point, barring injuries. He's older than Keirsey, he doesn't rank as a top prospect by any means, but if he can play good defense, run the bases, steal a few bases, flash some power, and can actually HIT a little in a reserve/platoon/part time role, should we even care if he's 28yo? Not everyone is a starting 3B or SS with MVP potential. Some guys are just good ballplayers who help a team win. But again...he's never gotten his shot yet. And maybe he won't with the Twins. But I'd still like to see it.