diehardtwinsfan

quiet night on this front... Buxton's BA down to .349 now... I wonder if he's going to need to make some adjustments as the league sees him again.

I like most thought this was a 70-80 win team, and thus far, they are slightly exceeding expectations. I'm quite happy for that, especially given that their lineup will likely continue to improve. I expect improvement in some manner from Parm, Plouffe, Hicks, Morneau, and Willingham, and I still think that Parm and Plouffe can crack an .800 OPS. The pitching has been as expected. Worley has been disappointing to say the least. I wouldn't be surprised based on the way things played out that the Twins remained fringe contenders, though it would be my hope that all this would do is drive up the price for those looking to acquire Willingham or Morneau.

Judging by their record, I'd say the Twins are a .500 team.

Good Lord, didn't you guys just have snow a week or so ago?

Frazier looks like the bully from a Christmas Story.

This would surprise me. And it wouldn't keep Col or Chi from passing up on Appel or Gray. Honestly, the only way I see the Twins getting one of those is if Houston can get Stewart for 4M or so and Col remains enamored with Bryant. Otherwise, I think we are getting Manaea or Stewart. Personally, I like both of those guys a lot, though Appel and Gray definitely fit the short term need better.

This is true, but the Twins WERE linked to Sano. Granted the Pirates were considered the front runners, but those of us following it knew that Minnesota had interest, though admittedly, few thought it would happen. This is my concern with not hearing the Twins. I'll be a bit disappointed if they don't spend that money. This may be the last shot they get to really go after top end talent, and the cash is use or lose it.

They have 4M to spend. I personally don't care if they spread it out or go after 2 or 3 upper tier guys, but quite honestly, if the kid's position is P, SS, or C, they ought to be in on him.

If you want to move away from the 3 outcome hitters, then I'd say expand the strike zone... or better yet, start calling them the way they used to be called. The reason that will never happen is because too many fans want to see offense. It's sad, because a good pitching duel is often better than any slugfest, but the girls dig the long ball...

I'd probably wait a year or two on Arcia. Part of locking anyone up is ensuring they have the work ethic as well as assuring both sides that this is a mutually beneficial deal. If the Twins are smart, they will start doing this, but only after guys hit the bigs. Pretty much any of their big prospects could qualify: Arcia, Hicks, Sano, Gibson, Meyer, etc. If Plouffe or Parmalee break out, that can certainly be an option too, but there's something to be said about waiting a year or two and ensuring that they've figured everything out before committing. As the Twins well know, these contracts are guaranteed. Handing out Joe Mays 2.0 or Nick Blackburn 2.0 would not be money well spent.

yes, let's not bring Joe Mays into this.

FWIW, both of these guys were college draftees in last year's draft (and I think they were both relievers). I'd expect both to flourish against A/A+ competition at this stage in the game. Both are 22 this season. Baxendale is obviously doing this against better competition, so in terms of prospects, I hold out a bit more hope for him, but as someone else says, it all means nothing until they hit AA. I think the Twins will be more aggressive with these guys, as they will both see promotions in the near future. Worst case, they become part of a power bull pen for the next wave, which is hardly a bad thing. Best case, they turn into useful starters.

Nice night for Baxendale. Rosario with a couple of hits as well.

so in other words they should have sucked a bit more last year.

I'm not sure this system has a ton of good arms. It has a lot more than what it did last year at this time, but it's still barren in that area... Also hurting up the middle, but there's nothing in this draft (at least for their first pick) that can help in that area.

Considering how they are both doing in AA right now, I'm not sure a reliever is in either of their cards... Perhaps that changes if they get rocked a bit in AAA or MLB, but I wouldn't be considering that at all at this point.

If all three of those guys continue doing what they've done this far a second time through the league, they will all be moved up right after their league's all star game.

This isn't true anymore. Last year was the last uncapped year, and personally, I would have spent every dime that they didn't spend this year to grab anyone that looks like they have an above average ceiling or better... That would have been smart.

Every time I say something negative about Buxton he proves me wrong. 3 for 20 in the last 5 games. He sucks.

The trick to cutting a deal is that no one else has done it. There won't be a ton of HS first round type talent guys that fall. If Houston does it with 1 overall, then I see no reason for MN to do it. One downside to it is that none of these guys are going to help the next wave. You might get a college guy like Chris Anderson to sign under slot, but that would be about as close as it gets. Your next pick will most certainly be a high school talent that won't be here anytime soon (now to caveat this, if they think Anderson is the best talent, then you do it). To be clear, I'm not terribly against it, but I think I'd prefer Stewart or Manaea assuming the big 2 are gone. What I kind of wonder is if Stewart would go under slot at 4. I would almost certainly bet that he'd go under slot at 1 over all. If Houston wants to do what they did last year, I think Stewart makes far more sense for them than Appel or Gray. He's still a number 1. Age wise he fits into their next wave, and signing him for say 4M would give them a chance to throw 3M at another falling prep draftee.

I would look at this as more of a gift. For those of us who want to see Escobar every day, we just got the chance. I hope he runs with it. As for Gibson, I really don't understand why people think he should be called up. He's not going to finish the year here due to an innings limit, and while having some good starts, he's hardly dominating. Why waste the service time? He can still develop in AAA, so personally I'd leave him there with the plan of handing him the job full time in 2014.

Wow, page 8 into this thread and lots to say. I have to disagree a bit with you Brock on Sanchez. He's entering his 29 season, so to think he couldn't be a decent value through 5 years is somewhat silly. I get that there's risk there, but much less than say a Grienke or something like that. Also, while Detroit signed him for 5/88, I'm guessing the Twins would have needed to go 5/95 to 5/100 to get him (assuming Detroit was done)... That said, even at 20M/yr, I don't see how he's hamstringing this team. Payroll will go down next year and then start to rise (albeit very slow). He comes off the payroll right when Meyer, Arcia, Hicks, etc. start getting expensive. This doesn't hamstring the team in any way, as most of the team will be making the minimum. Where I'll grant you the risk on a guy like Sanchez is this: Part of rebuilding involves drafting higher and high INT FA bonus amounts because you suck. Spending to buy a few wins will get you those wins (not as many as you might think), but it also lowers your draft position and bonus pools. Another year of sucktitude means that the Twins will still likely be picking in the top 10 next season with a chance to get what would amount to a Manaea type player in a much stronger draft. That does have value that is hard to quantify as it means having another very good player to plug in for an ineffective player or a departing FA. I'm not sure I'm willing to defend the front office. Their pitching decisions were head scratchers... and that's that. Had they gotten Sanchez, they might already have another 3 or 4 wins, not to mention he fills a need that the next wave will likely have. Even if by a miracle the Twins get Gray/Appel, I would argue that odds say that Sanchez would still be a more effective pitcher in 2015/16 than 1 or more of Gray/Meyer/May/Gibson, as at least one of those guys will flop bad and at least 1 will get hurt bad.

I'm still annoyed at Sickles for not giving him an A- grade last season.

love it.

The key word with these guys is "Could". They could be building blocks. They could be place holders. The nice thing about having little expectation is that the Twins can trot them out every day for the next year or two and get a decent idea if they are worth keeping or worth trading as the next wave arrives. Given the need and where the Twin's lack, my gut says Plouffe eventually finds his way back to short where he can provide an above average bat and enough years of experience that the jitters are gone.