diehardtwinsfan

I agree, but I think personally that Park/Vargas is better than Vargas/Mauer/Park. Call me crazy. It's likely the wrong decision.

I have to say that the numbers post leg kick are dead sexy and can play anywhere. I have to think though that he's going to have to repeat some something similar in High A next season to really have value. Also strikes me as a mid season promotion candidate if he keeps hitting.

Maybe we should make Sano play SS

Doubtful. Reality is that they can find a way to keep Park, Vargas, and Mauer next year. Not sure I want that to be the permanent arrangement, but they should be able to do it. If he and Vargas both hit, then you have a real problem (the good kind).

Trade Dozier. I think Escobar is a better defender at SS anyways, and with Gordon not that far away, he's a decent placeholder.

This has been said by no one in this thread.

I agree that very few guys are untradeable, but in terms of core players I'd build around: Sano, Buxton, Kepler, Berrios, Chargois, and Polanco (more as a 2B than SS). That's the top tier. All could be all star caliber at their positions as a ceiling and should end up being above average major leaguers. Pretty much all of them have warts that need working on. At this point, I'd want them all in uniform opening day 2017 with the one exception of Buxton who I'm not against sending to AAA (though his of play of late is making me rethink that). Second tier: May (as a starter), Vargas, Escobar, Park, Duffey, Gibson, Pressley, and Rosario. There's a lot more question marks here, but all of them have shown flashes of potential from time to time. I wouldn't give up on any of them, but I'd certainly trade if the right offer came along. They could turn into above average players, force their way into the core, become useful role players, or altogether flame out. Several still have the high ceiling, but the odds of getting there are not as good. Useful role players: Tonkin, O'Rourke, Kintzler. I'd trade if the price is right. I wouldn't necessarily jettison though either. Guys you're stuck with: Mauer, Hughes, Perkins. Any of these guys could provide value, but I'd definitely start reducing their time for the other players as they are for all intents and purposes untradeable. High minors guys that can force their way into the picture in 2017: Gonsalves, Hildenberger, Garver, Murphy, Burdi, Reed, Palka, Light, Mejia, Melotakis, and Walker. Guys you trade: Dozier, Santiago (not expecting much and potentially a DFA), Santana (though I'm inclined to hold on to him unless there's a good offer). I think the team is largely there. Probably foolish though to look at this year and say dump them all. By all means we should start jettisoning the vets, but at the same time, that's a lot of young players that could suddenly figure things out in shorter order. I'd like to believe that changing up coaching might help some of that a bit.

So is Thorpe officially not in town?

It depends on how bad the pull is. I've personally done that a couple times. It's painful and it takes a long time to resume running again, and these guys run for a living, which makes it much easier to re-tweak (rounding bases, I'd add is a common way to pull one). I'd also note that DSL seasons are a bit shorter too. He's likely going to be in the GCL next year, at least based on how he did in the DSL, so I don't think being cautious really hurt his career. Hopefully though, it's a lesson on good nutrition, hydration, and warmup disciplines. That can certainly help reduce the frequencies of those types of injuries.

I spent years finding a good stylist, and after finding one, my hair fell out...

The way Gardy played him, I'd have thought Punto did it.

To some extent yes, but Berrios certainly isn't the first major league pitcher to tip his pitches, and he won't be the last. When it isn't obvious, it's the type of thing that can be overlooked, especially when he's doing well. The other real problem is that since minor league hitters haven't figured it out, it certainly doesn't fall on the list of things that gets quickly fixed. He may have been getting away with it for a while.

I can see an owner being OK with it if said owner is lacking in things like ethics, and plenty of people have no problems flirting with the gray lines there. That said, I agree with Thrylos, MLB needs to come down hard on this type of thing.

yeah, I think there was more to that injury. He did just fine in AAA, even with the injury. I wouldn't be surprised if Park makes TR look like a genius next year, except for the real problem of having 3 guys for 1B/DH... though if Park breaks out, someone would trade for him.

Gotta think Killer is on the list. Wouldn't be surprised if Carew and Oliva were too. Those are HOF type players... I'm just spitballing, but did Hrbek ever do it?

Hmm... I'm just guessing. Mauer came close in 2009 (90s in both categories), but even in that career year he didn't do it. Pretty sure Nick Punto had to have done it in the mid 2000s, right?

My 2 cents, I'll forgive the Cherrington thing. Simply put, when you're job seeking, you'll be looking at both options, and while the search firm may or may not have known that, Cherrington is going to play both sides of that. He's going to want to see the better opportunity, which I'm sure is a combination of salary, family, likeliness to succeed, etc. AA is a bit different here, in that he only cites family. Perhaps that is true. He wouldn't be the first to turn down a good opportunity for things like that. It also may be a convenient excuse. The problem is that we see a lot of smoke with the owner (Nolasco signing, Molitor comments, etc.) that indicates that Pohlad has more control than perhaps he should. That does concern me. As for the Twins FO being a bit behind, well yeah. That's probably at least part of the reason why we are looking at 100 losses this season. I would think that this wouldn't a deterrent to a perspective applicant. If anything, it's an opportunity to make your mark so to speak. That said, there is a real issue with a competing job (say Toronto) looking more appealing in that sense (easier to succeed), but the only way it's a deal breaker is if the owner is coming out and saying that they cannot modernize it, because he doesn't want to double his scouting staff or something like that. That would be a big problem. Not sure I buy the Minnesota winters thing. Yeah, they suck. Yeah, they are worse than Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, etc. But I don't see the deterrent there, unless Pohlad keeps the heat at 62 in the winter. The team HQ is in Fort Myers. I'm guessing they spend a lot of time there in the winter anyways.

yeah, I'm a bit surprised that Diaz, Kirilloff, and Blankenhorn didn't make it. Granted they are at a lower level, but they pretty solidly out performed guys like Molina, Granite, and Weil. Problem with Weil is that while he was amazing in the second half, he was pretty bad in the first half. Overall OPS was .792. That doesn't exactly scream 1B of the future... now if second half Weil is the guy going forward, then I'll happily eat crow there.

yeah, he finished strong last year if memory serves me right... I just want to see him cut down the Ks.

wonder if Law will update his opinion at some point... Gonsalves really turned a corner this year. While we've certainly seen guys struggle, he's been flat out unhittable... what I find even more interesting is that while he's a fly ball pitcher, he manages to keep the ball in the park.

none of those guys listed are at the level Dozier is playing at right now. Not sure the comparison is apt. Dozier's value cannot be any higher and given that he has 2 years left, I've got to think this one is a no-brainer from the trade department. What I think some will be disappointed in is that a team looking to contend isn't going to have a ton of ML ready guys just waiting around to be traded. You'll see a lot of prospects. If you're lucky, a blocked AAA guy.

I'm not sure there was a Harper/Strassburg type pick a year before they were taken either. It's really too soon to hope for such a person. We will have a much better idea if one exists come next May.

Seems to me that the definition of patience implies that you don't have a timeline on it. Like it or not, if patience was the answer last year, it's likely still the answer this year, at least with guys like Buxton, Berrios, Sano, etc. (though I'm really not understanding the lack of such with Sano. He's already pretty good, comparing him to Bryant, whom we could not have possibly drafted seems rather odd). Now that said, that doesn't mean that we keep the same coaches, same front office, etc. I think it's time for some of that to change. That doesn't mean we shouldn't be patient with some of these kids.

Race to #1 overall?

The K thing was a big change when Neil Allen came on board. That has been documented in a few places on this site.