HarmonK03

I know this is about Lewis but I think that is a narrow view. This team has basically been a sub .500 team for the last 3 years. The whole roster, approach at the plate and style i.e. athletic or not needs to be reviewed. Then you look at the roster and say who fits this profile and who doesn't. Who can help be a part of a winning team in a defined role. Move on from those who don't fit. But either go young or bring in proven starters to replace them. The one year stopgaps and relying on AAAA type players needs to go away. They need to upgrade the talent and develop a stronger bench. It all comes down to wins, if a player is not going to help us in being a winning team find ones who will. Which is why I really hope Zoll is gone in the next two weeks, I don't think he is capable of this evaluation. If you were going to ask me about Lewis only, I would say if we go young, keep him for another year. If you think he is maxed out where he will be, then move on. But don't bring in a one year stop gap or move Clemens or Keaschall, that is not helping us move forward either.

Caratini had a career month in June and is very unlikely to repeat that. He has had a sub .500 OPS since then. Kreidler never filled in for Buxton when he was on the IL. And his stats dropped when he started playing every day and was exposed. So I am not sure how crucial they were to winning games. And I wouldn't want to count on them to consistently win games.

Yeah you are right he is worth 7 to 12 wins, give me a break. And it's not about Clemens it is about the makeup of this roster. You aren't going to win consistently relying on someone like Clemens to play everyday and hitting in the middle of the roster. Upgrade the roster so he is in a position to be better utilized. Ownership doesn't build the roster, the front office does. It was the Pohlad's fault for not firing Falvey two years ago that has set this team back, but that is where their responsibility lies. You want to disagree fine, but you can be civil without insults.

There is more than one criteria to measure a player by. And yes we need a talent upgrade on the roster so that we can use someone like Clemens in a role he is suited for, a super utility guy playing 3 to 4 days a week. I would prefer him pinch hitting then some of the players we have been rolling out there all year in late inning situations. If he is starting at 2B to start the season it will just mean more of the same.

This comment makes no sense.

It wasn't scorn, it was a critique of what I think his best role is on a contending team. We are 8 games below .500, so maybe relying on someone like Clemens doesn't relate to wins. We need more talent so that he can be in a better role to help the team.

Negotiations unfortunately work best when there is a deadline. A year ago there was no sense of urgency, so yes they should have been talking but it is not surprising they weren't. And the cap is a non starter for less than 5% of the players because they are the ones that want the $500-$700m dollar contracts. I am waiting for the other 95% to start speaking up and see where it goes.

So you are saying that Buxton is lying when he says fairly emphatically he wants to be here.

And eat over $30m in salary, that will never happen. Accept the fact that he is here for another two years unless he changes his mind.

Billionaires don't become billionaires by giving up income. And not all expenses end with a lockout. And there are a vast majority of players who are not millionaires. And they are ones that will become more vocal when checks are missed. Unfortunately it is the agents of the top players pushing the agenda but there comes a point every time where the lower level players start demanding to be heard. Yes even the minimum salary is more than you and I will make but it is for a limited time and they need to maximize their earnings.

When checks start being missed on both sides is when I believe a settlement will be reached at the latest. There is too much money at stake for both sides to let it go too long.

I never said that, I said what I thought the best use of him was. He has had two major slumps this year and everyone just said oh well. He is not a middle of the order bat for a contending team. In the right role he could be a valuable contributor to a winning team. But that is not as an every day player hitting in the middle of the lineup.

Really poor at bats led to the double plays, that is what has me more upset with him. He does that kind of half swing like he's not committed to it and then it ends up being a weak grounder.

That is my point, this is a choice by our GM who is in over his head to not put the best team possible out there.

Maybe not his worst, but this is who Josh Bell is, When he is hot, you ride him, but when he's not you live with days like today.