John Bonnes

Also I love the idea of Hrbek just being g a full time bear manager with the club. It feels like that’s his calling.

Can’t help but notice he didn’t say they could squeeze Astudillo into that service elevator with the bear.

Aaron and John talk about the ALDS and its depressing end, and then set up the offseason with payroll, arbitration, and free agent decisions to come. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. http://directory.lib...dex/id/11615684 Click here to view the article

Every new manager has certain shortcuts, certain fallbacks. They’re not bad things; they’re crucial to survival. In the majors, the game moves fast. A skipper without much experience at marshaling and weighing resources in a competitive environment needs to have a few safe spaces to which they can reliably go when the walls seem to start closing in on them. Three games should hardly form the basis of a team’s offseason mentality, but this five-part series will explore five takeaways from the ALDS series that seem both clearer and more important now than they did a week ago. Here are links to Part 1 and Part 2. This is one area in which experience is an irreplaceable and inimitable asset. Every new guy is going to have some tough learning moments as he figures out how to keep all the plates spinning and not to count on an illusion of control he creates by closing off certain options. Aaron Boone had them in the playoffs last season. This year, he’s clearly made huge strides, and it was his counterpart’s turn to take his lumps. Much has been made of Baldelli’s failure to call upon Taylor Rogers soon enough in either of the first two games of the series. That’s a fair criticism, as long as it’s not taken too far, but the fact is that even in this day and age, it’s rare for a team to call upon its relief ace in a game of indeterminate status, with fewer than five innings in the books and no lead to protect. More importantly, Baldelli erred in both Yankee Stadium games by leaning on heuristics he needed to have left in the regular season. When he needed length in the middle innings of a close game, down the stretch, Baldelli went to Zack Littell, so that’s who he called for to start the fifth inning in Game 1. However, he either never fully considered his own thought processes or overlooked them when a familiar situation arose. Littell wasn’t that guy in September because he was actually the best pitcher for those situations, but because Baldelli needed to keep his true relief aces fresh and couldn’t afford to extend one by throwing him into a game that might or might not prove winnable, with 15 outs still left to get. In October, those reservations needed to be dispensed with, and if Baldelli had done so, he would have called upon Sergio Romo or Trevor May for that fifth inning work. It was impossible to foresee that Littell (and then Tyler Duffey) would struggle so badly, but it should have been possible to discern that the game situation differed meaningfully from the same inning and score against the Tigers in mid-September. Next time, Baldelli will get that right. The other security blanket he needs to throw away, however, can be a harder one for managers to let go. In each game, Baldelli called upon Duffey when innings began to go sideways. That’s not necessarily a bad decision, in a vacuum. Duffey was great this season. However, Baldelli did it for the wrong reasons. As even more seasoned managers often do, he had come to rely on Duffey as his “up-and-in” guy—a quick-ready fireman who could warm up fast and enter a game before an inning got out of hand. That’s a real trait, although a hard one to quantify or measure. (Thus, it is also subject to considerable error in evaluation, especially anecdotal biases.) Managers do well to be aware of how each of their relievers responds to such things. This includes not only the length of time they’re given to prepare, but the possibility of being asked to warm up multiple times without actually entering the game, or the mental challenge of entering with runners on base. On the other hand, managers get in trouble (especially in October) when they let that kind of consideration govern them, instead of being more proactive and getting the best possible pitcher for a given moment or match-up warm before that situation can even materialize. In the fifth inning of Game 1, Duffey either should have started the frame, or he should have been left to put out a fire later. In Game 2, especially given that Duffey had a 7.45 ERA and allowed an .811 OPS on zero days’ rest in 2019, Baldelli should have called upon May to relieve Randy Dobnak. In the first two frames, Dobnak had showed plenty of the chinks in the armor that rapidly pushed him out of the fray in the third. Seeing them, Baldelli should have had May warming during the top of the third, if he needs more time to prepare than does Duffey. Those are the things even Boone isn’t good at yet, and at which Baldelli can certainly improve and for which he can be more ready next fall. Here are links to Part 1 & Part 2 of this series. Or comment below after you register. Click here to view the article

Jon Heyman of the MLB Network reported today that the Twins have picked up Nelson Cruz’s $12M contract option for 2020. The move is not a surprise, but it’s nice to inject a little positive forward-thinking news into the news cycle just 48 hours after being knocked out of the ALDS. Cruz hit .311 with 41 home runs, even while he was limited to just 120 games due to wrist tendon issues.The option, believe it or not, represents a cut in pay to Cruz. The 39-year-old signed a one-year deal last offseason with the Twins for $14M that also included a team option for $12M this year, which is what the Twins exercised. He responded with a 1.031 OPS for his new team, the highest of his 15-year career. The move was expected, though perhaps not this soon, though there was no point in delaying it. In Twins Daily’s review of the Twins’ payroll situation, Cruz’s option was already included. The Twins still need to make some tougher decisions, such as whether to offer CJ Cron arbitration or extend a qualifying offer to Jake Odorizzi. Those decisions are not expected for a few weeks. Click here to view the article

It is rare that the offseason machinations of a billion-dollar team can be distilled down to a Twitter hashtag, but the headline says it all: #3Pitchers70Million. The Twins have a nearly empty starting rotation and, even by their modest standards, a lot of money to spend. This essay could end right now, and you would know enough to follow developments this offseason.But let’s give a little more. For a complete breakdown, make sure to grab a copy of the Twins Daily Offseason Handbook which you can pre-order today. There you’ll find names, amounts, contracts and details on the decisions that the Twins will likely make. Plus, you get a handy worksheet where you can figure out how you’re going to fit your dream rotation into the Twins starting staff. Honestly, just dreaming through that is worth the price of admission. But here’s a high level breakdown. The Lineup - $50-55M committed Essentially, the only decisions are whether to offer arbitration to C.J. Cron and whether to entice Jason Castro or another catcher back to the Twins. The rest of the decisions are no-brainers. Even without Cron and Castro, all of the positions are covered, provided you’re not trading anyone away for some pitching (and then maybe even if you are). The total cost of all those players will be about $50-55M. The Rotation - $5M committed Jake Odorizzi, Kyle Gibson, Michael Pineda and Martin Perez are all either free agents or likely to be, though there are some decisions the Twins need to make. Jose Berrios sticks around, gets a raise due to arbitration, and one spot at least is probably saved for a competition between Devin Smeltzer, Randy Dobnak and Lewis Thorpe. That leaves three spots to fill and $55-60M spent. The Bullpen - $10M committed The youth that filled up the Twins bullpen will likely fill it up, but they’ll need to decide whether to try and retain (and pay) Sergio Romo who will be a free agent. If you think they do, or need to add another big arm to the bullpen, you need to add to the committed payroll, but without that they are only spending $65-$70M and can fill all the slots on the 25-man roster. Payroll Space - $60M - $75M available Two years ago, the Twins had about $130M payroll for their Opening Day roster. Last year it shrunk down to $120M, reflecting decreased interest in ticket sales due to a disappointing 2018. This year, the opposite is true; anything less than $135M should be considered gross negligence. That leaves about $70M to spend on three pitchers. Maybe that means signing a free agent, like Gerrit Cole, whose price tag will be $30-35M/year. Maybe that means trading for a veteran whose salary has become an albatross. (Could the Nationals be in teardown mode yet?) Or maybe that means acquiring a high-end pitcher by trading some top prospects (or even everyday players) and backfilling them with free agents. The story of the offseason will be how the Twins attack their top three problems: pitching, pitching and pitching. They have a lot of work, but all the resources they should need to get the job done. It sounds crazy to say this as a Twins fan (and it probably is) but payroll really should not be a limitation. We’ll follow their progress (or lack therof) every day here at Twins Daily. If you would like to get a head start, preorder the Twins Daily Offseason Handbook. Click here to view the article

“Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.” – Janis Joplin When the time was right, the Twins promised they would pull the trigger. It could not be any more right than this offseason – the Twins have unprecedented freedom to address their starting pitching issues - and Twins Daily will cover their decisions, rumors and moves (or lack thereof) every day throughout the offseason.First up: tomorrow we’ll start coverage from our 12th annual Twins Daily Offseason Handbook. It’s a complete breakdown of the decisions the Twins will need to make, including how much they’re likely to spend, which free agents will be available, what trade candidates they can pursue, and a full breakdown of minor league options. You’ll be able to preorder it tomorrow, ensuring you get it before we even get to the end of the World Series. You’ll also get daily coverage of the team, even without games. Want a breakdown of what you can expect from Luis Arraez? Well, we’ve already got that, but we’ll have more like that. Want to hear about how top Twins prospect Royce Lewis is doing in the Arizona Fall League? OK, we already have that too, but there will be plenty more coverage like that as well. How about the latest rumors? They’ll be covered in our stories, but covered even more immediately in our forums, along with thoughtful, civil discussion about what they mean, and whether they make sense for the Twins. There should be plenty to talk about. Derek Falvey and Thad Levine have positioned the Twins to have a very low payroll commitment exactly when they need to go out and rebuild a starting rotation to compete with teams like the Astros and Yankees. We will be detailing that tomorrow, and how even if the Pohlads don’t break the bank, money should not be much of a limiting factor. We’ll also be profiling free agent targets or trade candidates pretty much every day on the site. If you haven’t already, you’ll learn all about Gerrit Cole, the top free agent starting pitcher available. Is it even worth talking about whether the Twins could land the top free agent pitcher on the market? Hint: there’s already an essay in the Offseason Handbook titled “Could the Twins Sign Gerrit Cole?” For the next four months, right up until spring training, we’ll be covering the Twins, uh, daily. Just like we have done for the last seven years. If you’re not ready for the season to end, we’ve got good news: it never does here. We’ll see you tomorrow. Click here to view the article

The Twins can do their best to limit the Yankees lineup, but the Bomba Squad will need to outslug the Bombers to win the ALDS. So what weaknesses can one find on the Yankees pitching staff? There are at least a couple.The Yankees Are Not A Great Pitching Staff We’re sweating the Twins pitching staff, which ended the regular season with a 4.18 ERA, fifth best in the American League. The Yankees staff is a touch further down the ladder, with a 4.31 ERA and sixth best in the AL. And like the Twins, the starting rotation (which had a 4.51 ERA) has some big question marks as it enters the postseason. The biggest has to be Luis Severino, the 25-year-old phenom whom Twins fans might remember from the American League Wild Card game – provided they didn’t show up fifteen minutes late and miss the entire out he got. His postseason experience would normally be the big question mark, given that he has a 6.26 ERA in six postseason games, and has only made it through the fifth inning once. But there’s a bigger concern. Severino has only pitched three games this year after missing most of the season with a shoulder and lat injury. He only started making rehab appearances a month ago. A couple of his games have been very good, a couple he’s had trouble keeping people off base, and in every case he’s had a short leash, topping out at 80 pitches. Masahiro Tanaka, the likely Game 3 starter, has been equally enigmatic. He finished the regular season with a 4.45 ERA. He can throw a gem, such as a complete game shutout of the Rays on June 17th. Twelve days later versus Boston he didn’t get out of the first, and a month later he gave up 12(!!!) earned runs in a single game. His biggest strength is that he usually provides innings; he lasted through six innings or more in 21 of his 32 starts. That could be important in a series where so much could depend on the bullpens performing well. His biggest weakness? He shares it with a few other Yankees…. The Yankees Give Up Home Runs The Yankees starting rotation gave up 152 home runs this season, third worst in the American League. The Bomba Squad hit the most in the history of MLB. Unstoppable force, meet … pretty movable object. The Yankees probable Game 1 starter is 30-year-old southpaw James Paxton, who is a helluva good pitcher with two limitations that keep him from being among the game’s best. First, he has never pitched more than 160.1 innings in a season. Second, he gives up a lot of home runs to right-handed hitters. This year he gave up 23 home runs in 150.2 innings, which is slightly better than average this crazy year. But of those 23, 21 of them were to right-handed hitters. The Twins, of course, have a lot of right-handed hitters that like to hit home runs. Miguel Sano. Nelson Cruz. Mitch Garver. Even Jonathon Schoop and CJ Cron will likely find themselves in the lineup against Paxton. The Yankees, of course, are also aware of this. One reason Paxton might be lined up to pitch Game 1 and Game 5 for the Yankees is that they’re both being played at Yankee Stadium. Yankee Stadium is known as a ballpark that gives up a lot of home runs, but the truth is the shortest porch is in right field, favoring left-handed batters. The Yankees might feel Paxton has a better chance keeping big right-handed bats in check in Yankee Stadium than in Target Field, where the ball tends to fly out down the left field line. Paxton is not alone. Tanaka has had trouble with home runs his entire career. J.A. Happ, the left-handed starter whose role in the ALDS has yet to be determined, gave up 34(!) home runs in 161.1 innings. CC Sabathia was even worse this year, posting double the league-average home run rate. The bullpen is another story, but a little top heavy. The Yankees top three relievers, Aroldis Chapman, Adam Ottavino and Zack Britton are extremely stingy with the long ball. But the guys likely to eat up some middle innings, Chad Green and Tommy Kahnle, have been susceptible. So the strategy is similar to facing just about any MLB team. When the Twins get a couple of ducks on the pond versus the starting pitcher, they need to take advantage. If Yankees manager Aaron Boone pulls a starter early, feast on the middle innings. There will likely not be much available late in the game. In other words, when you come at the king, don’t miss. The Bomba Squad for most of the season, hasn’t. Click here to view the article

For those looking, Howard Sinker (STrib web editor) spells out that you can get a free 7-day trial from YouTube.TV. https://twitter.com/afansview/status/1179187189135138818 Might be a good option.

Achilles has his heel. Samson has his haircut. Superman, his kryptonite. We build our myths with their weaknesses, and so it is with baseball’s myth, the Yankees. A high-level overview of the Yankees lineup reveals some strategies for approaching the Evil Empire. For even more detail I highly recommend Andrew Thares' excellent deeper dive into several of the Yankees hitters.The Yankees Lineup (Also) Looks Like The Walking Wounded Twins fans who are lamenting the injury bug that has afflicted their lineup can take some consolation in the Yankees travails. Like the Twins, their starting center fielder (Aaron Hicks) is out for the season. Twins fans are wondering if Max Kepler and Marwin Gonzalez will be at full speed since they missed the last series of the season. Yankees fans are wondering the same about designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion, who has 34 home runs this year, suffered an oblique injury, and was held out of the last Yankees series. There’s more. While Twins fans wonder if nagging injuries might limit some of their better players, Yankees slugging catcher Gary Sanchez just returned last week, played in two games and went 1-6 with four strikeouts. Finally, Twins killer Didi Gregorius, who went 8-10 with 10 RBI in two games this year at Target Field (read that last fragment again), seems to be wearing down as the season goes on after returning mid season from Tommy John surgery. He’s batting just .190 in September. That raises questions about the #3, #5 and #6 hitters in the Yankees lineup, which isn’t to say this isn’t a killer lineup. But recognizing that some players might not live up to their previously established reputations makes it easier to concentrate on match-ups. Which is handy because…. The Heart Of The Lineup Can Be Navigated Using Match-ups Overall, the Yankees offense has been pretty effective versus both right-handed (.823 OPS against) and left-handed (.852 OPS against) pitching. But that high-level balance is a result of a lot of blending of extreme splits. Leading off is right-handed batting DJ LeMahieu. The 31-year-old is having one of his best years, hitting .327 with an .893 OPS. That includes a respectable .830 OPS against right-handed pitching, but in insane 1.066 versus left-handed pitching. Next up is Aaron Judge, one of the superstars in MLB right now. The 27-year-old also bats right-handed and features similar splits: .847 OPS (including a .247 BA) against right-handers but a .343 BA with an 1.124 OPS against left-handers. Likely batting fourth will be Giancarlo Stanton, who has had a legitimately crummy year due to a variety of injuries, posting just 72 plate appearances. But the (stop me if you’ve heard this before) right-handed batter has crushed left-handers in those 72 plate appearances to the tune of 1.055 OPS. Against right-handers, he loses 200 points of slugging percentage, with an .844 OPS. This is fairly consistent with the rest of his career. It goes on. Seven of the nine regulars in the Yankees lineup will be batting from the right-handed side of the plate, with two left-handers. One is the previously mentioned Gregorius, who has killed Twins right-handed pitchers over his career. The other is center fielder Brett Gardner, who posts similar crazy splits, but the opposite way: right-handers must be very careful against him, while he’s posted just a .654 OPS against southpaws. So expect to see a lot of right-handed relievers on the Twins roster on Friday. Before you get too giddy, limiting the best players to a mid .800s OPS doesn’t ensure victory. For comparison purposes, the Twins lineup as a whole posted a .832 OPS this year. But to take the heart of the Yankees lineup and downgrade it to “better than average” is a trade the Twins should gladly take. Of course, they’ll still need to score some runs. We’ll take a look at how they might be able to do that in Part 2 tomorrow. Again, for even more on the batters I mentioned above, check out Andrew Thares' breakdown of how the Twins will likely approach LeMahieu, Sanchez and Stanton. Click here to view the article

Update: Comcast just announced they will be offering MLB Network's free preview in the Twin Cities. See their tweet for more details. Friday’s Twins' game at Yankee Stadium will only be broadcast on the MLB Network locally. While MLB Network is offering a free preview through some providers, for Comcast, the dominant cable TV provider in the Twin Cities, the free preview is not available in this market. The availability of MLB Network locally varies by provider. For Comcast, it is a premium channel and requires their “Digital Preferred” or higher package. If you would like to check if you receive it, I can tell you on my Minneapolis-based TV, it is channel 733 and 873 (HD).When MLB announced the playoff schedule on Monday, it included news that MLB Network would be providing a limited free trial over several TV providers, including Direct TV and Dish Network. It included Comcast for selected markets, but apparently, Minneapolis-St. Paul is not one. To find out if you currently have the MLB Network available, you can look up your system at www.FindMLBNetwork.com. Since the free trials began Tuesday, you should be able to verify today if you will get it for Friday’s game or not. Finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that if you can’t get the game, you can watch it with literally hundreds of other Twins fans, and Twins Daily will buy you a free 612 Brew beer too. Get more details and your free ticket right here. Or if you have any other (legal) advice to Comcast subscribers or subscribers to providers who either don't provide or upcharge the MLB Network, feel free to share them in the comments after you register. Click here to view the article

Sorry about that. I fixed earlier this afternoon.

Act fast! We're almost sold out! Today we're adding two new giveaways for anyone that registers early. First, you get a BOGO card for a free craft beer at 612 Brewery's taproom. Also, if you're among the first 300 people to show up at Brothers, you'll get a Twins Daily or Gleeman and the Geek pint glass. That's all on top of the free 612 Brew craft beer, and chances to win a Rod Carew autographed bat and Tony Oliva signed hat! But there are only 30 tickets or so left so reserve your tickets now!From Wednesday Another great prize added and 120 more tickets released! We sold out, so we're bringing a fifth 612 keg, plus you can win a Tony Oliva signed Twins hat if you wear Twins gear. But remember, you only get the free 612 craft beer and a chance to win the Rod Carew autographed bat if you get a ticket, and there are only 120 left. Reserve your tickets now! From Tuesday The game time has been announced, and Twins Daily members have already claimed half the available tickets - and why not? Yesterday we announced a free 612 Brew craft beer if you sign up and show up. Today, we're announcing a Rod Carew autographed bat, because Rod told the Yankees to stick it. (That story is below.) Tickets are free, but you have to get one before they're all gone to get the beer and to win the bat! Game time has been announced as 6:07 PM, so the event will start around 5:30 in the basement of Brothers Bar & Grill. All you have to do is check-in to get: 1. Your ticket for a 612 Craft Beer 2. Your raffle ticket for the Rod Carew signed bat 3. If you're wearing Twins gear, you can win a Tony Oliva signed hat! 4. Yet more tomorrow! GET YOUR TICKETS Rod Carew was courted by the Yankees back in 1979, after he was traded to the Angels. That was the time right after free agency had started, so owner George Steinbrenner was collecting all the big stars, like Reggie Jackson and Catfish Hunter. But he didn't get Carew, who re-signed with the Angels for five years and $4 million. Steinbrenner tried to blame Carew, saying he didn't understand the privilege of playing for the Yankees. He also tried to trade for him before he went to the Angels, when he was still with the Twins. Ironically, to escape all the trade talk at that time, Carew went to stay with his mother - in Brooklyn. He read about being traded to the Angels in La Guardia Airport. From Monday I don’t know if we’ll win or lose. I don’t know if we’ll get 50 people or 500. But I know we’re going to be watching Game 1 versus the Yankees together. (And Twins Daily is buying the kegs.) Tickets are FREE. Just signup here, and you can join us at Brothers in Minneapolis and get a free 612 Brew craft beer, courtesy of Twins Daily. We’ll watch the game, and share the highs and lows with other Twins fans. Plus, there will be some giveaways and other stuff that we will announce the rest of the week. Join the writers of Twins Daily and hundreds of other Twins fans at Brothers Bar & Grill in Minneapolis to watch the Twins finally stick it to the Yankees. You can also just show up that day, but then you don’t get the free beer or any of the other goodies. Also, given that we’ve had 500-600 people show up for our Winter Meltdown parties, there is at least some chance that we could sell out and not be able to let people in who haven’t already reserved a ticket. So be safe and grab one now. Bring a friend, or a spouse, a family member or the folks from work who you just discovered are also Twins fans. But whatever you do... GET YOUR TICKETS Click here to view the article

I think primarily, they both put the ball in play. That certainly has it's uses in certain situations, and now Astudillo can be available off the bench for those situations. Otherwise, I don't know if he would've made the roster.

Aaron and John talk about the Twins winning the AL Central and look ahead to another playoff matchup against the New York Yankees. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link. Click here to view the article

We are Minnesotans. So we will apologize for a lot, but we will NOT apologize for the revelry inspired by being the 2019 AL Central Division Champions. We will start, of course, with our own Parker Hageman’s Starship-inspired montage. Click here to view the article