gunnarthor

Well excuse me for not being able to read.

McDaniel has a series at fangraphs where he looks at 5 prospects posed to help this year - not necessarily the teams best 5 prospects, although for the Twins it's close. http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/top-5-prospects-for-2015-minnesota-twins/ "In a Nutshell: The Twins have one of the best minor league systems in baseball and the majority of the upper-level talent should reach The Show in 2015 — significantly improving the big league product. Impressively, Minnesota has high ceiling talent both in the field and on the mound."

Berrios looks nice

Probably nothing to worry about in ST. Maybe Allen can teach some of the guys a different way to throw the change up so that it works for them during the season. I would doubt that practicing that would break a pitcher later.

Wow, so this is not a soccer flop. Pretty gruesome so, you know, fair warning. http://screamer.deadspin.com/soccer-players-leg-snaps-like-a-twig-after-tackle-warn-1690150464/+billyhaisley From the article: "Warning: the video above of Roma's Radja Nainggolan sliding in on Chievo Verona's Federico Mattiello and giving him a new knee joint in the middle of his shin is pretty gnarly. Watch (and listen, because you can hear the thing crack) at your own peril."

Of course, this article didn't say that. They are looking at a one year change, not "year after year" as you suggest. And that's usually the problem with threads like this - we take one thing that doesn't mean much by itself and then use it out of context as an excuse to attack the FO.

Maybe, but the Rangers aren't in contention this year and do have some young arms as well.

After losing Profar for the year, now they have lost a true ace in Yu Darvish. The three time all star (in three seasons) has avg over 11 k/9 over his career, finished second in the cy young two years ago and probably would have been a top 5 guy again last year but his season was cut short due to injury, ending in early August. Now it looks like he'll have to have TJ surgery.

AL judges are sworn to uphold both. What AL is doing is basically saying that, until the Supreme Court rules on this issue (arguments are set for June), lower federal court opinions on the law are not binding on AL courts if the AL supreme court has a different interpretation of that law. Its a position that is rarely, if ever, done. The federal court that ruled didn't have jurisdiction over all of Alabama either, so the state is arguing that the AL supreme court is just making everything simple. What is really interesting (from a legal POV) is the probate judge who was specifically named in the federal lawsuit and has a federal order to issue these licenses. The supreme court gave him until next week to explain why the federal order should cover more than the 4 plaintiffs he gave licenses to. Basically, that judge is screwed. There's a decent write up at the NYTimes - http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/05/us/gay-marriages-near-halt-in-alabama-after-state-court-ruling.html?_r=0

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/joe-mauer-as-joey-votto/ We've all heard that Votto has only had 4 infield pop-ups the last 4 years. Turns out that's twice as many as Mauer. Neat article looking at their contract and swing rates. Nice to be reminded that Mauer does somethings well instead of not hitting home runs.

My guess is that they have some big regression from Santana and maybe a little less from Dozier/Plouffe. I think the Twins have the depth on the hitting side to still be a top 5 offense again but you could see the offense go off the rails in a few ways - like it turns out Vargas is a AAAA hitter, Hunter falls of a cliff, Mauer continues his decline, Santana and Escobar have miserable years, Dozier loses his power, Arcia plateaus, Suzuki suffers major regression while Pinto fails to improve, etc. I don't think all those things happen but it could be another 2011 season - which would suck.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/03/dodgers-willing-to-pay-half-of-ethiers-contract-in-trade.html Dodgers are willing to pay half his salary to get rid of him. (He'll make 18m the next 3 seasons + an option year). He'll be 33 this year and his bat fell off a cliff last year but before that, he was a pretty decent hitter - ignoring defense, he was a pretty consistent 3 WAR hitter (sort of like Cuddyer but a touch better) and posted a 123+ OPS from 06-13. Last year his playing time was cut, he only started 99 games, and now the Dodgers are trying to get rid of him. Not sure he's a fit for the Twins (although I might think about it since I'm not sold on Vargas). From the article: "Nonetheless, a return to form at the plate for Ethier would make him worth that ~$9MM annual value; from 2008-13, Ethier’s OPS+ never dipped below 121. In that time, he batted a healthy .286/.363/471, averaging 20 homers per season in a pitcher-friendly home park. While he’s at an age when many hitters do begin to decline, the thought of him enjoying another few productive seasons is far from outlandish. He’s not likely to contribute a significant amount of defensive value, but a team with a corner outfield need could make some sense, particularly one in the American League."

I think Meyer gets the 5th starter spot and Milone goes to the pen. So either we give back Graham (or work out a trade) or move Pelfrey. But, of course, injuries will impact all these decisions before April, anyway. But I don't see Meyer starting in AAA. He has nothing left to show there, Molitor says he doesn't want him in the pen, Ryan knows he has the most upside of any pitcher on the 40 man roster. Even though he has options, I think he stays up - just like Gibson last year.

http://blog.startribune.com/sports/randball/tfd-joe-mauer-is-the-lowest-ranked-first-basemen-in-espns-fantasy-baseball-ratings Apparently Mauer came in at #30 in ESPN's fantasy baseball list for first basemen and was the only one who didn't make ESPN's top 250 fantasy list.

I like Gibson and hope he can have a few Tim Hudson like seasons for us.

This is the story that keeps on giving. I'm a lawyer, I've marched in several pride parades and it's pretty clear that same sex marriage is winning. But late last night, the AL Supreme Court said the federal district courts decision to issue marriage licenses to same sex couples didn't apply. This is a horrible decision, of course, but there is some real car-wreck entertainment to this, as well. It's nearly unprecedented for a state court to make this kind of claim. From a legal entertainment this is the equivalent of that minor league manager's epic base throwing tantrum a few years back that went viral. You can't quite believe it's happening and you can't quite look away. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/03/04/in-defiant-ruling-alabama-supreme-court-stops-same-sex-marriage-in-state/

God, I hope these guys stay healthy and reach their potential.

On free agents, the Twins haven't really done much there period so I don't think there is much of a history to go on. Suzuki and Hammer are the two "big" signs for hitters. Obviously, Hammer met more of the highlighted criteria whereas Suzuki had some of underrated ones. But, basically, Twins haven't really spent much in FA to make a real stab at that. On the second point, I'm not really sure where to take the discussion. The Twins for years had some hugely underrated players. Neyer selected Koskie as his most underrated player of the 2000s. Radke is easily the most underrated pitcher of that time, as well. My guess is that most of the winning teams the Twins had would probably have more "underrated" types than "overrated" but I certainly haven't looked at all the rosters.

Yeah, I think there's a solid chance that this team is similar enough to the 2001 team that went from 69 wins to 85. This team has a few more veterans than that team but has more high-end prospects to rely on as well. We'll see. Should be a fun year, I hope.

I think one of the real insults to Mauer, over the years, has been people keep saying he was a good hitter "for a catcher." But he was a great hitter, period. HIs OPS+, for example, was higher than many sluggers, same with wRC+ etc. (I just don't think he's that hitter anymore but I really hope I'm wrong). I think you could quibble with some things, as Steve has shown, but generally he was a great hitter.

And a footnote to the story, the Yankees fired a kid for some of his responses. It's not clear if he was one of the two guys Schilling outed or another idiot. http://www.si.com/mlb/2015/03/02/yankees-fire-worker-tweets-curt-schilling-daughter

Both are good points. Until we know, I shouldn't complain.

http://www.minorleagueball.com/2015/3/2/8135865/mlb-draft-blotter-kyle-cody-boosts-stock-with-more-velocity An update on a few guys at minor league ball. RHP Kyle Cody (#19 on mlbpipeline's list) had a great outing for Kentucky. "Heading into the season, the 6-foot-7, 245-pounder was already projected as a first-round selection. But the big news from his start was that he reportedly topped out at 98 mph – the highest velocity he has registered since arriving in Lexington." He keeps that up, he won't be #19 much longer. Dillon Tate (#30) "He reportedly sat 94-96 mph and touched 98 in the early innings while showing the usual devastating slider and flashing a solid-average changeup, but tired after the fifth inning, dropping to 92-93 as his command faltered." I think the question on Tate is whether he can be a starter, but I could be wrong. Ian Happ (#16) "possibly the best pure hitter in the draft – can do with the bat. But this weekend, it's what he didn't do with it that impressed. The switch-hitter went just 2-for-8 in a three-game series against Iowa, but showed exceptional plate discipline by drawing seven walks." I don't think the Twins will take him but he looks like a pretty solid college bat. Carson Fulmer (#12) had command issues and scouts aren't sure if he can stick in a rotation. Would be a good reliever. Michael Matulla (#2) "worked one scoreless inning on 26 pitches against Rider on Sunday night, allowing two hits with one strikeout. He was scratched from making his start the previous week due to forearm tightness – a setback in his quest to answer scouts' questions about his durability – so his 30-pitch limit was a measure designed to ease him back into action. However, he should be ready for a heavier workload for this Friday's start at North Carolina, a game that will draw more than 50 scouts." He probably doesn't drop to the Twins. Kyle Cody is really intriguing. He could be a big riser and put himself in position to be taken at #6.

Man, I think I'm actually against this. The Twins have control of him for another 4 years, through his age 31 season. No need to extend him now.

I don't think he'll ever be elite again, so is that a sell? I think he can be a good player - if you like WAR, maybe a 3 WAR type. But not a 5 WAR elite guy he had been. He has too much going against him 1) he's older and doesn't seem the type that'll age well. Most catchers don't. I don't think he'll have a Molitor or Hunter like 30s. 2) His strike out and walks have been moving in the wrong direction for years. That's unlikely to reverse now. 3) His babip was about normal for him last year so I think he's sacrificed power to adjust to the shifts, so we'll have to accept a .100 iso from him. Unless he's an elite on-base guy, that's a big hit. 4) I don't think he's an elite on-base guy anymore. .300/.370/.400 is more likely than a .320/.400/.430 line at this point. 5) He's always had injury issues. He's missed 38 games/season b/c of injuries. He's not all of a sudden going to be an iron man. 120 or so games is probably what we should expect from him.