IndianaTwin

“...he’s turned himself in to a decent/quality 3B...” So if the 30-year-old has improved himself to 0 DRS, why would we assume the 26-year-old at -5 can’t get there?

Since this discussion has morphed into talking about both corners, it's worth noting that the Rays have DFAed Jesus Aguilar, who is one year removed from a 3.2 WAR season. That would save money on Cron.

Context: 1. When Schoop was signed in December 2018, Sano had offseason question marks, having had the traffic incident with a cop and had missed the end of the 2018 season. 2. At the point Schoop was signed, Gordon was not considered ready, and Arraez wasn't generally seen as an option. Without those, Gonzalez was probably their best option at 2B. 3. Sano would miss the first part of the season, meaning Gonzalez had to fill 3B for the first month and a half. 4. When Sano returned on May 16, Schoop had started 36 of 42 games at 2B, allowing Gonzalez to start 30 of 42 games at 3B. 5. Through those 42 games, Schoop's OPS was .823. That's impressive production from (mostly) the 7 hole on a team that would have an .833 OPS for the year in a league where the average OPS was .762. 6. Though Schoop would only start 64 of the remaining 120 games at 2B, he still ended up with an above-league average .783. His presence allowed Arraez and Gonzalez to move around, spelling others and allowing the team to start someone other than Cave when Buxton got hurt. So no, Schoop didn't carry the team offensively, but he wasn't asked to. What he did do was fill a significant hole without tying up future money. And from what I can tell, while playing well defensively. I also don't recall hearing anything negative about him as a clubhouse presence. I don't know what their other options were on the free agent market at the time, but I think it worked out quite well.

No matter how well he hits in spring training, I think it’s safe to say that he needs at least a few more days of Triple A “seasoning” or to “work on his defense at 1B.” Probably about 16, 17, whatever it takes to avoid a full year of service.

Also, don't forget the time value of money on your first example. I did a simplified version of an investment calculation, and at a 7 percent return, 30-30-12-12-12 virtually matches 20-20-20-20-20. (I'm assuming Mad Bum can invest all of it and use the proceeds from prior contracts for groceries and new motorcycle gloves.)

Fourth tab, section 3.7.4, subpoint C.1.a. Or something like that.

Guess what song just played on the oldies station I'm listening to...

Thanks. So what might that look like? Good as he's looked, I don't think there's a realistic likelihood he starts in the major league rotation with only 5.1 IP in Rochester to date and 9.2 IP with the Twins, none of them in a start. I also don't want to see him start the season in the bullpen. So how about something like about 18+ so starts at Rochester, targeting about 100 IP? For context, he had 47.2 IP in 9 starts this year, so that's a smidge longer outings. (With the new 26th man on the roster full time, will teams still get to add a player for a DH. If so, I could see him using a start or so that way if the opportunity arises). And obviously, if he's pitching lights out and the need arises at the big club, you consider him in the context of your other options. That takes you to around July 10-15. At that point, assuming he's earned it and the team is in contention, consider bringing him to the majors for the final 40 innings or so. If he hasn't or they aren't, go ahead and fill out the 140 or so with minor league starts.

Have you heard the 140 IP limit "officially" referenced in relation to Graterol? Or just making that assumption based on past patterns? (If the latter, I don't disagree with you, and I'd probably make a similar guess -- I'm just curious if there have been actual statements to that effect.)

Let's hope his career can still come together one piece at a time...

With 26 roster spots, I don't think any single player offers a litmus test.

Yes, I haven't seen much comment on Dyson, but I've been thinking the same, even going as far as making it a two-year deal. If Pineda was $2M+$8M and MLBTR projects him at $6.6M in arbitration, how about something like $1M + $7M?

Great article as a discussion starter, and you present a compelling argument! A question on the Statcast data -- does it take shifts into account? In other words, are the "expected" results against a normal defensive alignment? Because if the expected stats don't take shifts into account and many of his outs are hit into a shift, then maybe there's not as much difference as it appears. Beyond that: Gonzalez can play first, but I'd rather not lock him in there. Sano can play first, but he's probably not going to be great defensively anywhere. Being at third uses his two biggest defensive assets -- his arm and his ability to come in on the ball. The likelihood of him becoming an average 3B may be greater than the likelihood of being average at 1B in that he has experience there vs. starting mostly from scratch. Think about what it would be like to move him to RF, for example. Though Rooker/Kiriloff could kick the door in, I'd rather not have that as the plan for a contending team. If it happens, cool. That's a good problem to have. I'd rather have good problems than bad problems. As someone noted somewhere, he those guys do kick in the door, Cron could be trade bait. Or, it Cron is playing well, one of the young guys could also be trade bait as a "major league ready player" that young teams seem to covet. The FO does seem to place a premium on having good "clubhouse guys." If Cron checked the box this year, that's an advantage to resigning him over taking your chance on a different one-year fill in.So with all those, I lean toward "yes." On the other hand, what's the plan at C? I'd like a veteran besides Garver and Astudillo. If the choice is between a fairly-priced Cron and a fairly-priced Castro, I might consider Castro.

Not to mention that, in looking at the schedule, there are six off days during his suspension. If they chose to keep Berrios, Odo (hint, hint), _____, and Dobnak on a five-day pattern, it appears that they could conceivably get by with just six starts from the No. 5 guy in Pineda's absence. In other words, I agree -- there's flexibility, and I'm not overly worried about the suspension in itself. Realistically, the drop from Pineda to one of those guys over six (or even eight, if they pitch well and you don't skip the spot) starts is probably not worth more than a game or two. Not to mention that some have named a concern that he's never pitched more than 175 innings since 2016. Well, gee, I guess we just found a way to limit his innings. I don't know salaries well enough to know if QO dollars are the right figure (though I tilt toward yes, given the overall amount of budget available), but I do like pursuing him if due diligence addresses the chemical issue and the clubhouse issue.

"...Could Gibson be the Game 4 starter, or will they use him out of the bullpen, in a long-relief role...." Yes.

The Twins making the series would provide us with either a rematch of one of their three WS appearances or a matchup against one of their predecessor’s successor.

They would also get the home field advantage after the Wild Card winner knocks off the Astros. Of course, that's not affected by their record.

Hope Dobnak’s registered for candlesticks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diX4myfR6vU

The junior high boy in me wanted to click “like.” So I did. And when I shared the article with my son, he told me that after he got C.Diff. last spring after an international study class and antibiotics were not doing the job, the doctor was very close to recommending that either my wife, other son, or me provide a sample for such a transplant. Apparently the procedure is not uncommon at all. Wow, the things one learns when reading TD.

I agree with you on the first sentence and a half, but unfortunately I'm not so sure about your last 11 words. I've been struck that over the last few weeks there have been a lot more comments on TD that have come across to me as mean-spirited. Perhaps it's because the stakes have increased with their place in the standings and the potential for a playoff spot, but it feels like there are fewer "Gibson (or Perez, or Baldelli, or Schoop, or whoever) is struggling tonight" comments and more "Gibson (or Perez, or Baldelli...) sucks/is scum/should never be heard from again" comments. That's why the tone of some of the comments leaves me unconvinced that all of us actually do hope for the best for him. I'm not calling out anyone in particular on this thread, because that spirit has felt pervasive on a lot of threads. But I'm with you tarheeltwinsfan. I too wish him the very best. The fact is that when we make these pronouncements, none of us have access to any of the medical reports or to the conversations he's had or hasn't had with management, including in the future. I liken it to last year's TD comments about Joe Mauer, which also often took a mean-spirited turn. As the season was coming to an end and there was speculation on what would happen, the main feeling that kept coming back to me was empathy for what he was going through, and even sympathy for him for having to go through it on such a public front. The vast majority of us have never had to deal with that kind of public challenge. We couldn't have any idea how the concussions were affecting him, but I always hoped that Mauer would be able to make the decision for what was right on his own terms. And if he chose to play, that he and the Twins would have been able to have an open and honest discussion on the role he might play on the team going forward. And selfishly, if he still had the health and drive to play, that he'd be able to do that as a Twin. But if not, I'll get over it. Gibson has had nowhere the same effect on the franchise as Mauer did, but he still has carried himself with class and dignity. My first hope for him is also that he'll be able to make decisions on his own terms, both now and in the future. If that includes him shutting himself down, so be it. If not, I hope that the Twins are able to have open and honest conversations with him about his role going forward the rest of the season. I hope they are doing everything they can to get him back to health. And if the answer is, "Kyle, your health situation is different from someone having a broken leg, but we've come to the decision that your injury needs to keep you off the active roster for the playoffs," then so be it. And similarly in the off season. On the surface, it seems hard to imagine that they'll be able to get him back to good enough health to offer him a qualifying offer. That seems a foregone conclusion given the timing. However, as I've said in an earlier thread, I would love it if the message to him is, "Kyle, when you're on, you can legitimately help us as a No. 3/4/5 starter. We can't give you a QO given your health status, but we want to give you the opportunity to make QO money. Demonstrate to us and our doctors that you are ready to start the season, and we'll guarantee the $8.125 MM we gave you in 2019. And here's the incentive plan (based on innings) that can get you to the $18MM you would have gotten with a QO. If you can give us 175 innings at the level you pitched from mid-2017 to mid-2019, combined with the leadership you provide to our young pitchers, you'll be worth it. And we believe in you." Descending from soap box...

Which is preceded by preantepenultimate. (White Sox series) Which is preceded by propreantepenultimate. (Cleveland series)

I suspect that the "Gibson" tonight and the "TBD" for tomorrow night are very related. Given his health, I'd feel great about a 4-inning, 65-70 pitch night.

Their CF made a great play, both in tracking down the bounce and with the throw. But I also concur — if he’s running from the box, it’s a standup triple. The Sox announcers have generally gushed about the Twins the last two nights, but Rosario has been the exception. Steve Stone has called him out a couple times and let him have it pretty good on this particular play.

And don't forget The Doof -- now at 22 appearances without a run.

Around the year 2000, I was at the Twins Pro Shop, pining over the thought of getting a jersey, but not feeling like I could justify the purchase given that we didn't have gobs of money and had two young kids. I've also always been reluctant to get named stuff, since there's such a good likelihood of guys getting traded. As I flipped through the rack, however, I came across one with my name on it. I'd forgotten that I share a surname with a relatively unknown relief pitcher of the era. I went ahead and bought it, and still have it hanging in my office. People assume I had it custom-made.