USAFChief

Where to start? 1. "We can't trade now, who would we trade? To who? For what?" But these same issues will disappear at some point in the future. 2. "We can't sign international talent! For one thing, who? And RESOURCES! Anybody good we can't afford!" But these same issues will disappear at some point in the future. 3. "Look at Chicago! Look at Cleveland! They didn't get their front line pitching by identifying undervalued talent! Well, except for Arrietta. And Kluber. And Bauer. But those don't count! We can't expect the Twins to be able to do that!" Actually, that's what I'm hoping the Twins will be able to do in the future. And the future starts now. There is no point in waiting until some unspecified future date to get started on fixing what's wrong. None. Zilch. Zip. Nada. All that does is guarantee sucking today, with absolutely zero reason to think it will be easier, more successful, or longer lasting success in the future. All the exact same barriers to success will exist then, with no guarantee you'll have more resources to invest. You might even have less. Nobody is asking for a WS in 2017. But I absolutely want effort expended to try to turn this team into a post season contender coming out of ST next April.

So wait until the future is the present, and then trade it? You start to fix it by hiring the right guys, and letting them use all available avenues to find value where others don't see it. You figure out which FAs are, indeed, good players who's value is down. Which of your assets are overvalued and should be traded for undervalued ones. Where can a player be picked up from the international market. Where you simply accept sunk costs and move on, rather than investing good playing time after bad. Maybe, for example, you sign a left fielder and trade Rosario, while you still can. Or Dozier, or Tyler Jay, or Gonsalves, or any of the hundred plus minor leaguers in your system, most of which will never see a day in the big leagues. Again...if all Falvey does is hoard minor leaguers and wait for chance to deliver a WS, there was no need to fire Ryan. I hope that's not the plan. Fortune favors the bold.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/22/politics/trump-says-hell-sue-sexual-misconduct-accusers/index.html He's going to sue all the accusers. Whew...this stuff was starting to fade off the news cycle. Thankfully, Mr Trump's "bump" will keep it in front of voters for a while longer. He really should sue his campaign staff for failure to control their client.

Huh? $500K in MLB 2016 is basically walking around money. It's virtually not a factor.

I was in attendance for games 1 and 2...still the highlights of my sports viewing experience. Money was fairly tight in those days, but my wife sent me. I married well. Off the bat, I thought I would catch Gagne's HR.

Congrats to the Indians. Can't say I wasn't just a bit pleased to see the oversized egos in Toronto cut down a notch or three.

I KNEW you were a Trump supporter.

This debate is supposed to center on foreign policy, correct? This would seem like an opportunity for Trump to let us know if he has one, but I won't hold my breath.

I'd actually be disappointed in Falvey if he was undermining his current employer by back channeling to his next one. I hope that's not the guy they hired.

This thread started as a plea to "not do too much." That's the argument I disagree with. Strongly. I would argue there can't BE too much done to this team's pitching staff. "Wait for Gibson to turn it around...he just might!" "We spent money on Hughes, we need to see if he can turn back into something useful." "Gonsalves/Jay/2017 draft pick will are our staff in 2019...don't mess that up!" To which I say "Bah!" I hoe Falvey was hired because he doesn't believe that's any kind of plan. He doesn't have to create a 2017 WS winner, but I absolutely want him to start down that path. The Dodgers starter in game three of the NLCS last night was in independent ball recently. Just because there aren't several obvious FA targets available is no excuse to give up. Get to work, Mr Falvey. And BTW...I absolutely agree with the post above that states if Sano, Buxton, et al aren't good enough to form the everyday basis of a winner in 2017, they likely never will be. Get some pitching.

Being patient for what? The cruise sets sail next April whether they attempt to patch the holes or not. IMO, doing nothing ensures they sink before they leave the harbor. I'm not arguing to flush assets. I'm arguing this leaky tramp steamer isn't going to fix itself. We're hiring a repair crew. Find some parts and start the job.

Premubly, one of the primary reasons Falvey got the job was because ownership realized something different needs to be done with the way the Twins assemble a pitching staff. And they decided Falvey was the guy to do something different. If all the Twins were going to do was wait for internal solutions to develop, there was no need to move on from Ryan. Get started building a staff, and get started immediately. This winter. I don't care the FA market is weak. It takes no brains to sign the top free agents, and I'm told the Twins can't play that game anyway. What takes brains is finding talent that's not widely recognized as such. That's Falvey's (and the GM's) job. Find some real assets, and get them on the roster somehow. Spend some money, spend some trade pieces, sign international FA's, promote guys from the minors. Whatever. "Not do too much" to the staff? I hope nobody...NOBODY...on the Twins thinks that's any kind of reasonable plan.

I tend to agree with Jimmer here. We need to eliminate race and gender as qualifying/disqualifying traits for many things, elected office included. The best way eliminate race and gender is to eliminate race and gender. It shouldn't matter.

Can't "like." yeesh.

http://f.tqn.com/y/politicalhumor/1/S/D/7/7/trump-sentence.jpg

One thing I agree on...Dozier cannot play anywhere on the left side. He does not have the arm. That was a primary reason they moved him off SS in the first place, and his arm has gotten worse.

"25 people" isn't the comparison. We're not comparing him to the pitching staff. He only plays 1b and DH. Compare him to the options at those spots. You might still come to the same conclusion, but at least make the proper evaluation.

Wow...Gaylord and Bird Island. Cosmos for me. BTW, I hate friggin' Bird Island. We lost 73-0 my senior year of HS football.

"As always, Mr Phelps, should you fail to get anybody out, TD will disavow any knowledge of your actions."

I'd actually prefer they find a couple one or two year FAs that the new regime think can be bargains. Those bargains either help return the team to contention or are trade chips in July. There isn't much worth longer deals available this winter, but that doesn't mean sit out free agency. It should be one avenue continually used to improve your tem, no matter how bad, or good, it is.

I see what you're endorsing as "just stay with the bad we know." I don't endorse that. For one thing, it literally can't be made worse. What's worse than worst in MLB?

It's happening...check out this tweetstorm from a (former) conservative in Wisconsin: So let me get this straight: I, a conservative female, have spent years defending the Republican Party against claims of sexism. 1/ When I saw Republican men getting attacked I stood up for them. I came to their defense. I fought on their behalf. 2/ I fought on behalf of a movement I believed in. I fought on behalf of my principles while other women told me I hated my own sex. 3/ Not only charges of sexism, but I defended @marcorubio during Go8, I fought in my state to stop the @ScottWalker recall, etc... Now some Trojan horse nationalist sexual predator invades the @GOP, eating it alive, and you cowards sit this one out? 5/ He treats women like dogs, and you go against everything I – and other female conservatives – said you were & back down like cowards. 6/ Get this straight: We don’t need you to stand up for us, YOU needed to stand up for us for YOU. For YOUR dignity. For YOUR reputation. 7/ Jeff Sessions says that he wouldn’t “characterize” Trump’s unauthorized groping of women as “assault.” Are you kidding me?! 8/ Others try to rebuke his comments, yet STILL choose to vote for a sexual predator - because let’s be honest, that’s what he is. 9/ "What he said is wrong, and the way he treats women is wrong, but it’s not wrong enough for me to not vote for him." Thanks, cowards. 10/ Various men in the movement are writing it off as normal, confirming every stereotype the left has thrown at them. So I'm done. 11/ I'm sooo done. If you can’t stand up for women & unendorse this piece of human garbage, you deserve every charge of sexism thrown at you. 12/ I’m just one woman, you won’t even notice my lack of presence at rallies, fair booths, etc., You won’t really care that I’m offended 13/ by your silence, and your inability to take a stand. But one by one you’ll watch more women like me go, & you’ll watch men of 14/ ACTUAL character follow us out the door. And what you’ll be left with are the corrupt masses that foam at the mouth every time you step 15/ Outside the lines. Men who truly see women as lesser beings, & women without self-respect. & your “guiding faith” & "principles" will be 16/ Attached to them as well. And when it’s all said and done, all you’ll have left is the party The Left always accused you of being. Scum. 17/ CC: @SpeakerRyan @tedcruz @marcorubio @SpeakerRyan @Reince And every other tool refusing to unendorse this monster. 17/X

"Let some growth happen in 2017 and perhaps 2018. Then see (where) you need to add pieces." My problems with this: 1. I've been hearing this exact same thing for at least three years now. It's time to win. This organization can't afford any more losing, they're already close to an afterthought in the TC market. 2. Neither you or I can predict with much certainty what will happen next week in baseball. Let alone 2019. Waiting around until the magical perfect time to occur is folly. 3. Even if you could predict what the Twins will look like in 2919, you can't predict the needed magic pieces will be available. 4. If, indeed, the current crop of players simply needs more time, nothing will have been lost by adding better surrounding players now. Nothing prevents the Twins from trying now, AND adding players in 2019. "Play the kids" is one of those things that has the smell of truth on the surface, but lacks any actual merit on closer examination. Play kids that can help you win, and find replacements for those that are just kids.

Your examples, Blyleven and Morris, were both acquired prior to "having a competitive team." Morris was signed to a team that finished in last place. You can't wait until you have a competitive team to "fill the holes" you need to fill to become a competitive team. Acquire the players needed to compete. That's how you become competitive. Hopefully, there are just about enough position players in place to get there, so fix the pitching. Now. If you are saying the Twins don't currently have the position players to compete, you are in effect saying Sano, Buxton, Kepler, Polanco, et al are busts.

It wasn't PI. But let's grant that it was. It only mattered because the Gophers spent 59 minutes not playing offense, behind a stupid game plan executed by a poor QB, wasting a pretty good defensive effort. Lather, rinse, repeat. That's the takeaway. Not a call that can be quibbled over.