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Taildragger8791

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Everything posted by Taildragger8791

  1. Taildragger8791
    It seems like it would be more productive to add talent in the offseason and subtract it at the deadline in exchange for future assets if it doesn't work out, rather than sit idle in the offseason and try to add at the deadline when teams have you over a barrel and you've put yourself a few games behind where you could otherwise be.
  2. Taildragger8791
    I’m not even saying it’s any team’s fault. Just that baseball in general is having a lot of problems marketing themselves and their players. Having free agent fiascos like your top names be unsigned in spring training takes away from the positive press that should be surrounding this time of the year. Then to top it Machado goes to a market that typically is uncompetitive and an afterthought nationally. This is the league that can’t even market Trout in L.A....
  3. Taildragger8791
    So after the PR nightmare of a top free agent still being unsigned in spring training...the resolution was going to an underachieving organization where he'll likely be buried by mediocrity and obscurity? Sounds like the PR and marketing problems for MLB continue.
  4. Taildragger8791
    The heel laceration is barely an eyebrow raiser for me, and only then just because it hasn't healed after a month. He probably didn't give it adequate rest, and after last year I'm more than willing to give Sano a pass on working a little too hard. I'm not going to worry until he misses several ST games as a result, or we find out it he cut (I mean lacerated) it Taylor Heinicke-style by roundhouse kicking doors or something. I get the frustration with Sano and I was hard on the guy early last year, but that energy has been spent and I'm willing to give him some leeway again now that it appears he and the club are both seem all-in on saving his floundering career.
  5. Taildragger8791
    Kyler is 5’10” if you’re generous, and under 200 lbs. He’s small even by Russel Wilson standards, and not just his height but his overall build. It’s fair to be concerned about translating that to the NFL’s level of physicality, but I’m interested to see if he can do it. The game needs more exciting QBs. It’s also hard to blame a guy for chasing the quick money and playing time of the NFL rather than grinding for years in the minors, getting his service time manipulated, then getting slow-rolled in MLB free agency at 30+ years old. Who knows what free agency will look like in MLB going forward, but the game changes at such a glacial pace that I wouldn’t count on a smooth transition to a new model that favors the players. Edit: got names mixed up
  6. Taildragger8791
    The tradeoff is Buxton serves as a second lead-off hitter when the lineup turns over. His potential for causing chaos on the basepaths serves as a distraction to the pitcher, giving the hitters behind him a better opportunity at the plate. If he can get on base, that is.
  7. Taildragger8791
    Perhaps some of the slowness is the result of MLB teams colluding, errr ummm, I mean "cooperating", to tamp down the free agent market?
  8. Taildragger8791
    Houston is a well-run franchise that rarely is picking in the top half of the draft. They only have a few top 10 picks in the last 35 years. They're going to have some work to do when their stars age out, but good franchises (especially those that are capable of attracting players) can reload without going through a full teardown. And I don't think the Wolves have the luxury of waiting several years to put a team around KAT. He'd (wisely) walk away in that situation. The only thing those picks are good for is trade ammunition.
  9. Taildragger8791
    1) Drama with Butler seems to be affecting him. They have no chemistry on the court, barely pass each other the ball, and KAT looks visibly frustrated or annoyed most of the time. 2) Thibs 'offense' and our primary ball-handlers don't create good looks or action for Towns. He's involved in a lot of screens and weaving action but doesn't get rewarded enough for rolling or popping. Our guards want to call their own number more than pass, and their entry passes suck. Wiggins is a black hole where basketballs go to die a horrible death (in the form of 21' turnaround contested fadeaways). 3) He still needs to bulk up to handle true NBA big men in the post, both on offense and defense. This is one area I think he's neglected to improve as much as he could have. 4) Because of 2 and 3 above, he ends up being too passive with the ball because he isn't getting it in good situations. Catching the ball 20' out or after he's already been muscled off the block isn't doing him favors. He probably needs to play next to another true center instead of Taj until he bulks up, but that would make for too big of a lineup for today's modern NBA. Not sure how you fix it this season.
  10. Taildragger8791
    I don't think anyone is saying it's a mistake from the standpoint that he didn't turn out. It was a mistake to take any relief pitcher in that spot because it is not a good value for a #6 pick. The most realistic ceiling from that is a decent MLB reliever for 4-5 years (starting was a pipe dream). If he doesn't make it then he's out of the league and you completely lost the investment, whereas a position player or starter may salvage some value by falling back to a reduced role.
  11. Taildragger8791
    I'm confused where this need to spend $70 million is coming from. The Twins have $32.7 million in guaranteed contracts for next year, plus an estimated $40 million in arbitration deals. There's maybe another $10 million in pre-arbitration players on the 40-man as well. So you're at $82 million before you've signed any free agents, which is only $27 million below the 2018 payroll. Maybe a couple of players don't get retained and you end up in the low $30 million range. That's one top-of-the-line player (never gonna happen) or two pretty good players. Hell, Escobar alone would eat almost half of that space (and deservedly so).
  12. Taildragger8791
    Not a chance he takes that. If he keeps it up then this is the only shot at a good FA deal he'll ever get, so I doubt he settles for a team-friendly contract. Top free agents never get team options anyways, especially on short deals. He'll get 3-4 years guaranteed, easily. Too bad for him he missed out on the really big FA deals from 5+ years ago, so I doubt he gets more than that.
  13. Taildragger8791
    Stewart's K and BB numbers are considerably better, but it's hard to evaluate with K rates in the Southern and International league hovering at or close to 9 per 9 innings. His BABIP and hits have climbed quite a bit...so is he just throwing in the zone more (or throwing a different pitch mix) and as a result gets more Ks and fewer BBs, but at the trade-off of giving up more quality contact? Looks like he's still getting a lot of grounders, so that's not the problem. Has anyone with eyes on him reported on what's going on?
  14. Taildragger8791
    I could see Gordon progressing similarly to Denard Span. Their minor league numbers aren't that different for the ages and levels. Span didn't really break out until he was 24 (7th year, but didn't play in his draft year). Strikeout/walk rates fluctuate from "barely acceptable" to "good, not great". But if he ends up an average MLB starter then that is certainly an acceptable outcome. You need those kinds of guys too, especially when they're on rookie-scale deals. That said, I understand the (misdirected) angst because at some point you do need an actual star or two to turn out from all of these high draft picks and key IFAs. A lineup of average Joes is going to struggle to win anything more than the occasional weak division.
  15. Taildragger8791
    I suppose. The overall workload doesn't change much either way. I guess I just place extra value keeping the routine and practicing the same way you play (assuming playoffs are out of the question this year).
  16. Taildragger8791
    1B/DH is supposedly one of the easiest positions to fill. Assuming Sano gets back on track I'd like him to take one of those spots and let Escobar take over 3B (assuming Dozier/Polanco/Gordon/other have middle infield covered). That means DH is wide open for streaming players through or going out and getting a free agent, or trying out Rooker. For a team that has the potential to compete, that kind of opportunity seems too valuable to give up for a farewell tour. It might work if Mauer is OK with his playing time being limited and de-prioritized, but I don't know that he'd accept that.
  17. Taildragger8791
    His demotion was because he was struggling a little and they wanted to get him sorted out. Maybe they saw a couple things they wanted him to focus on in a lower pressure environment before they got worse. I don't see the problem with that. As far as innings go, does it make much of a difference if he throws 60-70 pitches per game through the end of the year vs 95 and is shut down in mid-August? Either way I think it sets him up with the same potential for a full season next year. The latter at least keeps his rhythm and routine consistent.
  18. Taildragger8791
    ...you want the guy who's 8 RBI outburst puts him on pace for 40 RBI? Granted, he's not going to kill you and is a fair bet to load the bases, but I can think of some more productive bats for a critical run-scoring situation.
  19. Taildragger8791
    At this point there isn't any value in stretching him to the end of the season. Just let him keep throwing per usual to build him up for next year. Wind him down once he starts wearing down or hits his innings cap. If he's still going strong in mid-July that should bode well for pitching a full season next year.
  20. Taildragger8791
    To be fair, this article is a re-hash of the Chicago Sun Times article which is written by Joe Cowley, a well-known hack of a sports journalist in the area down there. He regularly rubbed players the wrong way by essentially making up stuff to see what would stick. I'm not sure why he'd have credible inside info in the Wolves organization or in Butler's camp. That said...it's totally believable. This organization is going from the most promising upswing to the biggest failed launch as fast as anything I can remember. Well...since the 2018 Twins at least.
  21. Taildragger8791
    I was curious after the contraction ideas so I did a little digging. Out of current franchises: 12 have never won a championship. Seven have never even made a finals appearance8 franchises (and one that went defunct in the early 50's) have exactly 1 championshipThe remaining 10 teams have the rest of the 63 titles in league history, with 50 of them belonging to only 5 teamsThis just exemplifies that most teams aren't playing for anything unless they get supremely lucky, and now this era of superteams is driving the point home even more. Most of the league is made up of glorified farm teams and patsies that they've been able to sell as competitive basketball. I'd rather start picking the squads and players I want to follow on a year-by-year basis rather than hoping my hometown squad of overpaid misfits can pull enough crap together to make things interesting.
  22. Taildragger8791
    And removing or fixing max contracts. Top-10 players won't group up as much if it means taking a discount of $10-$15 million instead of $2-5 million. The reality is the league is driven and dominated by the top 10-15 players and having 30 teams just doesn't make sense. You could lop off 10 teams and nobody would miss them. Or start a relegation system so the non-contenders have something interesting to compete for (getting back to the top tier) and to put an end to tanking (hopefully). Also, I hope they can find a solution to these Wiggins-type situations. Teams shouldn't have to make 5-year $150 million commitments to unproven 22 year olds just so they can gamble on the chance that player will eventually develop. At least offer a graceful way out (for both player and team) of albatross deals so it doesn't destroy a budding franchise. I have no idea how you make that work though. I guess I'm just venting.
  23. Taildragger8791
    I don't think it's bad luck in this case. A lineup of low average, low speed, mediocre power hitters isn't going to string enough hits together to score. We've turned into this station to station offense but don't have reliable power to drive anyone in. It's basically fluke homers, Eddie drives in Eddie, or nothing at all.
  24. Taildragger8791
    The weird thing is we don't even really miss Santana as much as you'd expect. Our starting pitching has been more than adequate to compete. Jason Castro isn't really a wizard with the bat either, so I don't see how losing his .231/.311/.386 affects the offense that negatively. Sano/Buxton/Kepler/Polanco/Dozier/Mauer/Morrison/Rosario/Escobar are where the bread gets buttered around here, and only 2 are performing consistently.
  25. Taildragger8791
    That all-star pitcher isn't likely coming back, and those two bright stars have dimmed dramatically. Mauer is on his last legs. Dozier/Morrison are having lost seasons and won't be back next year. These aren't short term setbacks, there are major structural issues with this roster. On the bright side...the pitching is pointing up more than it has in a long time. Edit: There's a good chance that 1B, DH, C, CF, and one of 2B or SS will be problems again next year. That's a lot of holes to fill.
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