EGFTShaw

Cue the wood chipper LOL

I am shocked! Shocked there is gambling going on here. Enough Casablanca references for Baseball. But an overall positive view of the Twins roster is a shock to me on TD. I am on board with being up beat with the Twins, (aside from the Scrouge Owners), roster. There are some additions needed. There is definitely a need to improve consistency. And despite all the crap that surrounds our off season due to the pennies being pinched, we need to stop shopping the scrap heap.

Trade him for what? Wrong rationale. You are right that availability matters a lot, but I can't imagine how you would come out ahead in trading Buxton. The contract is friendly to the team, if you aren't sure about that take a look at salaries for players making $15M regardless of position and see what their value to winning is?

I don't disagree. I think the value system itself is sort of flawed. It would be interesting how much the FO's look a the WAR to $$s ration? My guess is not at all.

The value doesn't work that way. There may be a site that figures out the negative value or sunk cost of a contract but all I have seen is taking the WAR (or equivalent) and multiplying it be number determined by someone. A few years ago that number was $8M/1WAR. I think it is now $10M/1WAR. Just as you can't assume he would have the same ration of WAR for more games played you cannot assume it is a lost of WAR for not playing those games.

or chasing your kids or slip-n-slides or ... 🫣

This is interesting data IMO. Catcher appears, not surprising, as the most difficult. SS reason might be because you can't rotate out this slot as easily as others for rest. Same with the Hot Corner. So 9 MLBers played 150+ games at CF... Stop bashing Buxton everyone. For once a positive type article on TD and we get crap like "BUST". It will be interesting to see how the pieces are put together for the Twins next year. A lot of internal options with upside, but upside is not guaranteed results.

TBH I wasn't sure. I felt first it was simply tender him, but then I started thinking you meant tender/trade as was proposed in the article. I with you 100% on tender him. I think it was Nick had a good article on JD's bad luck in most cases.

Several comments. Learn from does not mean copy necessarily. Money helps to get you to happiness but cannot necessarily buy happiness. Mets 2023 for example SD 2023 as another example But then again LAD took their examples and did it better. 1) Scouting, Scouting plus Developing, Developing your own talent. The consistently successful teams are built this way. See Tampa more years along with the Dodgers in the past 10-15 years. [Note: Scouting to me is both human and analytical data driven] 2) Key acquisitions. This is also attached to scouting. The Rainmaker, (BAD), Carols "Black Magic Woman" Santana Good as well as Nelson "Da" Cruz. 3) Pitching it feels to me is the most volatile aspect. I dread most free agent pitching acquisitions cuz they usually blow up for one reason or another. TylerG did not help the LAD this post season. But counterpoint would Mad Max who went to the Nats and was incredible or JustinV in Houston. I like much of our pitching pipeline now. Our staff as to HONESTLY evaluate every pitcher and how can we make them better than the year before; every year. Also we need to stop being wishy washy and HOPE this guy becomes a starter. You should have a pretty good idea of your home grown guy by the time he gets to AAA. Would I take an Ace, (not simply a #1, but an actual Ace), the guy who can stop a losing streak when it is happening. The guy who craves the ball in a Game 7. The guy who is a pitching version of Juan Soto. Absofreakinglutely. Just don't know who that really is and where to get him. So Lopez, Ryan, Ober, SJW, Festa, Zebby and more have me comfortable with our pitching with a PLUS 1 if the are clearly an ACE, 1 or 2. 4) Front Office: I think our FO has the ability to be creative but are also handicapped by the owners. But f-ck the MLB GM/FO Box and just do what you think should be done to build a team that has a shot.

I didn't take this article to say that Money was the only factor in winning the world series, but that money plays a big factor. Identifying talent is more important, both as in drafting, trading or signing free agents. However you acquire them, you need to be able to identify good talent. But with the dollars, your parts can be of higher quality versus trying to hope for lightening in a bottle. What I would like to see, is taking the same idea of salary with respects to winning at least the LCS. First how much was spent. Where did the money come from? (better TV contracts, attendance, corporate sponsors) How was it spent? (pitchers or non-pitchers) How much of the talent was Developed Internally? How much of the talent was acquired via Free Agency? How much of the talent was acquired via Trade? How much of the team were on long term contracts? lets get some meat behind this idea.

Make it rain... 😎

Good or bad, we get to say "What the Hellman?"

it is October, so this is Scary. 🫣

Ugggggg, Ooops, I enjoy the article Nick! There is a solid core of players with more coming. We have not been able to say that very often as Twins fans. The only type of pitcher I would go after is one that slots in at SP2 but has potential to be SP1 or maybe the Ace. That is NOT an easy find and if you find one, even harder to acquire from another team. Our staff, somewhere in the Twins Org, should be able to coach up and teach defense. So someone who under performs in that side of the ball should be coachable to be at LEAST league average. I do understand the younger players may need more time. But there is the Sano Bar, if they are not improving then we need to find alternatives either inhouse or outhouse, (yes I wrote this whole article just to say outhouse 😁). SWR - had a very good full year Ryan - I think took the next step in his development Ober - also took a step, but need to figure out why when he is off he is OFF THE CHARTS off. Festa: impressed by what he did and how he responded to adversity Matthews: Holy crap guys, he went from High A to the Majors in one year? I think he has potential too. IF: We do need to figure out our 2B and 3B and how fits which spot best. Then get them reps, coaching and more reps. OF: We are sitting good, not great, at the OF slots too. Wallner responded well to his ABYSMAL start and being demoted. Larnach actually seem to figure somethings out. Here is where I think we have the dog from Hades 2.0, (this one has four heads), Buxton, C4, Lopez and Duran. Their performances need to be more even. Hitting-wise I think C4 and Bux-Truck did better than expected. But these injuries...more regular time off? Lopez - why does it take so long to get on track? Duran - still young and relief pitchers are very volatile, but identify why the drop in performance. I had advocated for retaining Sonny. He was Sonny this year, started a bit rough, ERA 3.84, WHIP: 1.09, 200+Ks more the 9Ks/9Innings. Would he have made the difference? Perhaps if he started in place of some of one of our 3-4 rookie pitchers maybe that saves the couple games that could have gotten us to the playoffs. Long winded, I got to work in the word Outhouse, but the Bottom Line because Stone Cold says so is: You cannot as either businessman or baseball fan, stay stagnant or cut the payroll. It needs to go back to the 2023 PLUS the baseball inflation amount. Invest in the product ROI will be a better TV deal. Cheapen the product ROI will be a terrible TV deal.

Don't disagree on JoeP at all. In fact I'd be surprised at $140M based on history. But, I am living in a fantasy world. 😁

I'm answering this as I would do if I was DF, not as I think will happen. First I'd go back to JoeP and push very hard to get back to 2023 levels minimum. The selling point, aside for increased fan attendance, is the viewing rights deal. These rights were at a high after the 2023 seasons, but by trimming payroll, JoeP gambled and devalued these rights. So as the master salesman that I am, I convinced JoeP to spend $165M; the $10M our current team was going to cost + the $155M of the 2023 team. Based on this report above of it costing $132M to keep status quo and not including the expiring contracts, I have $33M to spend. First I would look at Carlos Santana on a 1-2 year deal. Good glove, good bat, good teammate. Starting Pitchers: I know a lot of people are not enamored with our staff, but I think we have a good core. But was is lacking is the shutdown starter. The guy that will stop a losing streak. We contenders but no one has stepped up. But the good. Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober and SWR. All made good to excellent steps forward. The potentially good: Festa/Matthews: Easily good 4-5 starters with potential to be better. Coming: Marco Raya, Corey Lewis and Andrew Morris. The Inconsistent: Pablo: when he is dealing, he is at an Ace level. The issue is this is not consistent enough over the season. He can't have so slow starts. Mediocre starts OK, but then you hit your stride and it lasts the year. Relievers: Good: Sands, Jax and Duran The rest: Meh. I mean Acala and Vaarland as full time reliever, but no one else who finished the season is worth much. Stewart has to come back from injury Topa barely pitched so is really also an return from injury Dobnak is same boat. With $33M I am not signing at FA Ace. But can I get a solid #2 with upside? How much will I need to spend to keep Carols "Guitar" Santana? I'll go into a complete plan during this offseason. Basically this is really just to address what I think the owners HAVE to do and that we have a good core of pitchers, lacking the a True Shutdown Ace, and the Twins are almost never in this position. Remember Ryan will be in is 4th season? Ober as well? Festa/Matthews their first and SWR his 2nd. Also, Buxton, C4, Royce and Paddock are going to under go a comprehensive exercise regimen to focus on their problem areas. Losing Bux, C4 and RL as much as we did is virtually unacceptable. It may be a change in playing habits, or treatments, or workout routine. They all need to be around 80% of the games minimum; 130 games. Coaches will be designated to different players specifically to work during the offseason on hitting, fielding, pitching all with the goal to improve each facet of their games.

As an OG, capitalize on that and run with it. Killer, TonyO, Carew, Kaat and Blyleven are who got me started when i was growing up in NW MN. Also I can't forget Cesar "HBP" Tovar. The "Clean" Perry, Jim vs I Can Sell A Video on the Spitter Gaylord. Walter Johnson: Wins: 417–279 ERA: 2.17 Strikeouts: 3,508 Shutouts: 110 Manager W/L: 529–432 Percent: .550 I didn't know he managed as well.

Correct, not so much in this thread, but other Twins Daily threads they do.

Ive abstained from reading most TD Comments because of the Doom and Gloom, (justified in many aspects tbh), but I am someone who moves on right away from an action, positive or negative, and look to the next step. Any SP brought in had to beat the Dobnak Bar AND, (this part is important) cost the appropriate players/prospects in return. The SP who would have justified that cost were not moved. JF of Detroit maybe but Detroit was probably never sending to the Twins without a treasure chest sent back. I think Toronto hoodwinked Texas, but Tampa did great business. All that business Tampa did wasn't really going to come the Twins way when you look at what Tampa received. That said I am OK with the pitching at the moment. Its not Great, but it's not Horrible either. Ober is quietly having a good year despite his initial shellacking he took. Ryan is also having a quality year. I am looking forward to seeing more Festa and hopefully seeing Zebby on the Big Twins. Also very curious to see what RandyD turns out giving us. So lets get behind out players and stop beating them up. Its not as though they aren't trying, (yes I'm talking about you JButler). The Guardians are still gettable, so lets go get 'em.

Yeah, I didn't understand how low Zebby was given he is now at AAA and has the best stats across the MN farm system, I'd put him at #4.

Before reading this article I had AK-19 E. Julien K. Farmer ??? C. Vasquez - has improved dramatically since the beginning of the season P. Lopez - similar to last year, but I feel he is still a bit off.

No shade on anyone, but... Reliable link on the Internet... 😁

tough to do isn't it. 😎 I think, despite his GSs, HRs, Playoff performance and the start of this year, I am most impressed with his overall attitude and outlook.

An unwritten rule that was never unwritten in the first place? Plenty of examples why Kepler should have done what he did, when he did it, because it is what should be done.

The correct answer is this totally speculative. Fairness it was not presented as anything else, but we just hit May 1st. This would be a good conversation to have on July 1st if the usage is the same. It lies with Buxton, training staff and team as to how he feels and how much management wants to manage his workload. All of us Chair GM, Chair Managers and Chair Physical Trainers all have opinions without any actual data to the day-to-day health of Buxton. He looks healthy. There was no way in hell that ChiSox were going to get him at the plate from 2nd based on the RBI hit by Kepler Monday night. Let's just hope Buxton is honest with the trainer and training staff.