Shane Wahl

As usual, I like how you think, even if some of the details I disagree with. I basically agree with cutting those players straight up (save for probably Wilkin if he can just be DFAd eventually). What you basically call for is an actual evaluation of the bottom 1/8 or so of the 40-man and a working through of the filler filling the top of the organization. And I am not going to listen to "Rochester needs to be competitive . . . "--guess what they were finally this year and much of that has to do not with filler, but with prospects who happened to be playing there. Evan Bigley has to be looking at the likes of Clete Thomas and Alex Presley (who is already turning into a pumpkin, by the way) with shock. I don't think that highly of Bigley, even, but the continued filler brought in . . . Speaking of . . . Doug Bernier instead of Deibinson Romero . . . ??? Like, wha? With Escobar on the roster, there is no reason to not bring up another bat like Romero to get a taste. I don't worry too much about Beresford and Santana--they should just be manning the infield with Rosario and Sano in Rochester to begin 2014 and be ready to take the next step (each of them has one more step, I think, before being ready to contribute to the Twins) and it just seems clear that BJ Hermsen is about done--he certainly could be removed from the 40-man without any worries. He is a poor man's RH Andrew Albers . . . I wouldn't mind seeing Dakota Watts up in order to see how deep the bullpen could potentially be and how many guys the Twins could swap in trades (Burton, Swarzak, and Fien at some point into next season). Martis and Fryer crack me up. I guess with Doumit not catching it makes some sense for an emergency catcher.

I was most interested in seeing the return of Aaron Hicks and the cup of coffee for Deibinson Romero. It seems kinda dumb not to get Hicks back up and Romero deserves the reward. Martis and Fryer are laughable additions.

If Mauer catches another game this year I would hope that both Terry Ryan and Ron Gardenhire are fired on the spot. And I am not kidding at all. That would almost have to be a time for the owner to actually step in and say "No."

Pinto is exciting to watch. That ball was pounded. Colabello has also started to make headway. JUST GIVE PLAYERS TIME and stop messing around with oldsters and AAAA players like Doumit and Presley/Thomas, respectively.

I am mondo excited about Gonsalves. Good summary. It reminds me that I have to do the same for my adoptees.

Parmelee destroyed AAA last year. And then the Twins decided to mess around with him YET AGAIN this year. Clete, Wilkin, and Alex are somehow more relevant for the Twins future . . .

It would be pretty embarrassingly stupid to not have all three on the Twins roster on opening day 2014. And two of them (Hicks and Parmelee) starting (unless the pitcher is a lefty, in Parmelee's case). That Alex Presley is considered as the starting CF is completely atrocious. Start Hicks in CF and Parmelee at 1B (assuming an OF of Willingham-Hicks-Arcia) and bat them 5-6 or 6-7 in the order. Let them play, damn it. Filling in the roster with has-beens or never-wills is what the Twins minor league system is for . . .

Jermaine Mitchell probably shouldn't be the leadoff hitter in a playoff game. I heard that they have this guy named Aaron Hicks . . .

The problem with Arcia in RF is that Buxton-Hicks in CF-RF is going to make too much sense by 2015 at the latest. Now maybe an argument can be made for Hicks in LF, I suppose.

I am down with all four. I would be very happy with two of them, and happy-ish with one of them.

If there weren't multiple posts about signing a replacement level or worse pitcher for millions of bucks (and now a "bargain" of 2/$12 million), I wouldn't need to make multiple posts pointing out how terribly silly such a move is. Full stop.

Now signing Pelfrey for TWO years and up to $12 million is on the table. Have people forgotten the entirety of the season up until a month ago, the majority of Pelfrey's career, his age, his actual future prospects with the team when it is good down the road, etc. etc. etc.? The Twins could have a full rotation with replacement level pitchers for less than Mike Pelfrey's salary

American League: Projected Platoons for 2013 I'm not sure how these all played out this year, but I don't know how to square your claim with this article.

Pelfrey is not good and his career numbers show this. And it is this kind of mismanagement of smaller amounts of money that drives me insane about this organization, from Punto to Pelfrey.

Do you deny that a Plouffe-Parmelee platoon might be useful at some position? Even assuming that you are right about platoons and bullpens, have you seen Plouffe's splits? Parmelee's splits are clearly not that dramatic, but he is a competent player against RH pitching--put the two together and maybe there is a use for them together as opposed to filling in with nonsense like Clete Thomas, Wilkin Ramirez, and Alex Presley. 13 players and 12 pitchers seems to still allow for great RH/LH platoon opportunities.

It keep happening around here . . . Re-sign him for WHAT purpose? He is NOT good. And he certainly isn't a FUTURE pitcher for the Twins. The Twins lost games because of this bad pitcher. You expect what out of the future for him? Why not just let young pitchers get an actual tryout to see if they can offer something going forward. WE ALL know that Pelfrey brings nothing going forward. WHY is this crazy to some people?

To clarify, I do not mean that Diamond, Worley and Gibson are not good generally. I am not surprised that an injured Diamond and a terribly misused Gibson didn't perform in 2013. Not sure what the issue is with Worley. Anyway, I don't mind, at all, those three in the rotation.

I am currently punching myself in the face. Pelfrey is NOT good. He has managed to throw hard like he did in yesteryear, but he was never good back then. He has managed to be effective into the 7th inning a few times .. . . . holy hell, stop everything . . . resign him!!!! No. There is absolutely ZERO future for him beyond 2014 anyway. It is perhaps the case, and it is a BIG perhaps, that he means more than one win for the Twins above a replacement, but he has already stolen millions of bucks from this team with his terrible performance. No more, please. Why is that so crazy? I simply replace him with Liam Hendriks and say here you go. Deal or you get dealt. No one, and I mean no one, is going to TRADE for Mike Pelfrey. It would seem that the default, no FA addition, zero injury rotation is: Correia Deduno Diamond Worley Gibson The bottom three are not good, but the top two don't belong where they are. I would seek, desperately, to try to trade Correia and Deduno in some kind of trade package involving other players and maybe lower prospects to actually fill the top of the rotation with viable pitching candidates. I feel like I might end up blogging about the lunacy of signing Mike Pelfrey again for millions of dollars. The whole post would just be me swearing at the stupidity of it. And then swearing some more.

Plouffe's major league abilities really limit him to a platoon role, either at first or in the corner OF and he should platoon with Parmelee so that the Twins can thus have one good player made from two.

I would like Willingham and Doumit gone in the offseason so they don't continue to clog up the roster. Neither one is going to be around in 2015. I would like to see them sign Johan on principle. I would be completely shocked if he is able to return. Ervin Santana, Tim Lincecum, and Phil Hughes are the three I would consider.

And, by the way, I do think it is high time to start using platoons if they are keeping the Plouffes, Parmelees, and Colabellos around. Mastro and Presley may be another one.

Plouffe may really only have a future with the Twins as a super corner utility guy and/or platoon with Parmelee at first or right field against lefties.

I think they will end up with Hughes. I won't be overjoyed, but it will be an improvement. No more Pelfrey. Why would we ever want to see what "he can do" next year when there really are guys much younger who we need to see what they can do so we can get on with our lives . . .

There is STILL talk about signing Mike Pelfrey again? This is still occurring? Throw money at Ervin Santana. And throw money but 1 year at Lincecum. I would hope to get one of them. I am not as pessimistic as so many around here about Gibson. The Twins handled him wrong this year. I, from day one, wrote about how they needed to limit his innings in AAA and give him 100 innings for the Twins. Now they are left with a bad performance and doubts. What? Would people really rather have Mike Pelfrey pitching than Kyle Gibson next year. I would rather have LIAM HENDRIKS pitching than Mike Pelfrey. There is no point in re-signing bad pitchers for millions of bucks.

He was pretty high up, but I personally don't even put him on my list. A full season gone and now another. I don't have much faith in this at all.