gocgo

FWIW, Garver got squeezed out of a K against Lindor. His numbers should actually be better!

I like the write up, but I'd give the Dozier trade a lower grade...like a D- or an F...I hated taking Forsythe back. I'd rather see Adrianza...or a prospect...or a fan chose randomly from the stands than a guy that we have no interest in seeing in this year or next year.

While we've got a lot of payroll to play with, we don't want to overpay...and therein lies the problem. Winners want to win. In order to coax quality free agents to come to Minnesota and play, we have to overpay for them. We don't want to do that, and they would prefer to play for a winner. So, we end up sifting thru the scrap heap for the diamond in the rough.

Who's grasping at straws? I never said that he should say that nor would I expect it.

Mad at him? No. I get it that he has a tough job to do and it can be rough to let guys go that the fans favor, but I felt that he's trying to sell both sides. We unloaded assets that were going to expire at the end of the year and got back prospects in return...that's reality. For him to then say that he expects a competitive team on the field isn't reality. If you expect a competitive team on the field now, then that means you had a more competitive team on the field before you unloaded the assets. If that were the case, why unload those assets? The truth is that we didn't put a competitive team on the field, but we hope to in the near future.

No, you certainly don't put down Dozier and I know that they have to put the positive spin on everything, but talking about putting a great product on the field while your clearly selling is stretching it pretty far. If he would have said that we are looking forward to seeing what some of the young guys have to offer to assess offseason needs, that's fair. That's honest. Pulling out the sunshine pump and saying that we will be competitive while unloading some of our best players is just lying to the fans.

I'm also keeping my eye on Matt McGill. I know that sounds goofy, but I saw more 2 nights ago than I saw all year. His breaking ball had snap on it and he ramped it up to 97.

I don't know if the guys they got back will ever pan out. What I do know was that the sunshine pump was in high gear last night on the radio. Let me summarize what Derek Falvey said: ...toughest part of my job...blah blah blah...took the best deals we could get...blah blah blah...high upside...blah blah blah...successful future...power arm...power bat...blah blah blah...high expectations for the rest of the season...blah blah blah...competitive team on the field...blah blah blah...we'll see what free agency in the offseason brings...blah...blah...blah. I think that about covers it.

I agree with your assessment and have said for a while now that I don't see Dozier getting traded...not because we don't want to move him. Rather because it's tough to sell what no one really wants to buy. I've detailed in other posts the 2B's that are out there and they are more attractive than Dozier. Time may prove me wrong, but I don't see him being moved.

I'm not in favor of trading Gibby for prospects. At this point, I think you know what you have in Gibson...a pretty quality MLB pitcher (tough to run on, smart, seasoned). Prospects are prospects....they often don't pan out at an MLB level. We've seen sure things turn into fools gold over and over and over again. I think you extend Gibson as he is a key part of the future.

Started a great DP to end the game today. I don't see him being released. And I don't see Sano back that soon. He's had one good game at Rochester.

I know we are selling...but is anyone gonna buy what we have for sale? I mean, there are better options out there than Dozier at 2nd base...Merrifield, Lowrie, Gennett...I'm not so sure that Dozier ranks in the top 3 available 2nd basemen.

Well, if there was a doubt about whether we would be buyers, sellers, or stand pat, I think this series pretty much settled that. I'm guessing the phone lines lit up like a Christmas tree at the conclusion of this game. Offers include a couple of cracked bats and a bucket of abc gum. We got swept by a team that was 40 games under .500!....and we managed to look like we were the weaker team in the process. BTW, Buxton catches that ball to CF and we win 3-2, but that's neither here nor there. If we truly are in sell mode, I don't see how Belilse remains on the team. What's the point of using a spot on an aging veteran that isn't in our future plans? Busenitz...I just haven't been impressed. I know he can throw, but can he pitch? I've grown weary of watching this team.

Now with the early removal of Machado from the mix, the Brew Crew makes the most sense...unless we continue the tear on the 10 game road trip.

I am not convinced that Dozier gets traded. We tend to look at it from the Twins perspective, but looking at it from the buyers point of view, I'm not sure it makes sense to trade for him. The teams that I've heard as being potential suitors - Boston, Milwaukee, Dodgers, Seattle. Boston - Pedroia probably out for the year. Makes sense for them to pick up a rental. Jed Lowrie, Scooter Gennett, Brian Dozier, Whit Merrifield. You get your pick of those 4. Yes, Dozier starting to heat up.Yes, Billie Beane says they are buyers, but let's be honest, there's a lot of BS that gets spewed this time of year to position for the best deal. The A's are further back in the division than the Twins and they have 2 teams to hurdle in a tough division. Lowrie is older than Dozier and the A's have needs. It makes sense to move him rather than extend him. Gennett says he doesn't think he'll be traded. Maybe, but what would you do if you were the GM of a team in last place and had a sell high asset? I'd listen to the offers. Ditto for Whit Merrifield. Milwaukee - they are in the Machado sweepstakes and here's the interesting thing. If you are the Orioles, your are selling...but if you're smart you are taking offers right down to the wire. That could easily handcuff some teams as the pieces involved in the Machado offer will be tied up. Unless they are willing to fold their hand in the Machado game, it will make it tough to move forward on other deals. Dodgers - Jose DeLeon was the offer last year and we didn't like it. New year, new circumstances, but the offer certainly isn't going to go up. I'm not convinced we will get an offer that will make sense for the Twins given our recent surge. Seattle - Robinson Cano. They get him back for the last 6 weeks, but will miss him for the playoffs should they make it. Does it make sense to trade for Dozier when they get Cano back on August 14 for the playoff push. Right now, they have the second wild card. So, do you trade for Dozier for a couple of weeks and a possible wildcard game? Assuming that I have to pay more than a bag of peanut M&M's, my answer is no. There may be other teams that are interested, but I'm going to say that Dozier and his glorious hair stay in Minnesota for the rest of the year.

I think what we are seeing is a result of a conflict between the FO and the players. Molitor is in the tough position of having to keep the peace while keeping the players focused on the field. Remember when they sold at the deadline last year? The players rallied and Dozier took it personally. They were a group that was out to prove the FO wrong. I think there is a residual effect from that. I don't think the players like or trust the front office and I think we are seeing the lack of fire and commitment on the field this year.

To me, Cave seems like a better option than Grossman. He can run faster, play all 3 outfield positions, and seems to take quality at bats.

Sigh...I didn't watch the last 3 games. I'm glad I didn't based on the frustration I'm sensing. I'm sensing that the team is now lifeless in all aspects. I don't know if they have had a team meeting, but I think one is needed. They are professionals and they need to give their best effort every time out there. Being on a MLB field is a privilege. Respect the game and work your hardest. That's all I've got.

I'm torn. I like how Gibson has pitched lately. He seems to have found his confidence and his approach is much better. However, he's 30 and history is not on his side. Selling now, if the return is right, seems like the prudent thing to do. I know people keep talking about Buxton and Sano back next year...Polanco for a full year...there is no guarantee that any of these guys will be able to play in the bigs next year. At this point, they are all just prospects with promise.

I read the other day what the AL Central was against the rest of the AL...are you ready for this? 67-122. Let that sink in for a bit. Now consider that the Twins are 9 games back of the division leader who are 13-20 against the rest of the AL East/West. That should put into perspective just how bad this team really is. We are 9 games back in an really really bad division.

Was he in the game at that point?

We kind of go out of our way on this board of avoiding political talk. Please respect that.

Cave is the replacement for Grossman. He can play all 3 outfield positions addequately. Grossman can not. Regarding Sano, when the coach stops yelling at you, that's when you are in trouble. It means he's given up on you. The fact that we sent Sano down to A ball should be a very loud scream to him, but it means we haven't given up on him. He will come back stronger or he will not be back. No point in trading him, the return would not outweigh the potential.

I was encouraged by Sano taking an outside pitch to right field against Detroit. I thought it was evidence that he was getting back on track, keeping his front shoulder closed and his nose on the ball....and then I watched his next two at bats and he looked like a 10 year old kid trying to hit the ball a mile. His front shoulder was opened up all the way to third base and his chin was pointing towards the shortstop. There was no chance of hitting the ball anywhere meaningful. So, something had to be done. I thought maybe some work in the cage with a focus on hitting to the opposite field. Maybe putting his shirt in his mouth to keep his head still...and then it occurred to me that he is a big league hitter who should know better than to do the things that he is doing and to correct them on his own. This is evidence that he doesn't and he's not. Get back to hitting the ball and stop trying to kill the ball. To me, it's that simple.

Sano and Cave optioned. That's sending a message. I'd rather see Lamarre optioned as I think Cave is hitting the ball hard and hustling, but Sano needs to get his head on straight.