sthpstm

Is Rooker injured? I can’t seem to find him in the box score for the last week.

Garver will be missed but I do like this trade. I thought we were already deep in pitching at the high Minor levels and now we get deeper. Does this show that we definitely are going to see what that pitching can do with the majors early and often? And while he is not quite at the level of Arraez offensively, does this make a trade of him more likely?

I don’t see Arraez as redundant and admit I like a player with lead off skills. Yes, on the defensive side he is redundant but not on the offensive side. He brings skills that most of our players and prospects don’t. Trade someone with power who strikes out a lot (Sano, cough cough). We seem to have a surplus of those players and prospects. Yes, he would bring back more in return but I continue to think a trade for a SP is going to be someone less established than a Castillo or Montas.

Have to be impressed with the season Celestino had at AAA after his MLB struggles and very little AA and A+ experience. Despite his struggles, it was good to see him keep his strikeout rate in check. Has he also shown the reverse splits that he did in the Majors or was that just SSS?

Wander Javier!

Rordtvedt has shown good improvement in his numbers the last few years compared to the first couple. Butera never showed that kind of average hitting consistently. I think you should review their numbers a bit instead of lumping a whole minors career into 1 number.

Loved this series of interviews this off-season!

How many pitchers did Cleveland sign to this type of deal before their run of success. How about Tampa? Whether people here like it or not, this is what they’re trying to build - a pipeline like Cleveland and Tampa had. They’re not going to blow a bunch of money or trade off a bunch of prospects to block that pipeline. I’m not saying they won’t acquire one, and maybe sign or trade for another cheap reclamation project but people here need to realize and accept what they’re trying to do, or just keep complaining.

The world has enough arrogance, close-mindedness, and unwillingness to compromise. I hope the two sides involved don’t share those traits. “I first want to ask you why you don’t support the great game of baseball” If this is how you start your letter it’s hard to imagine the remainder constructive and worth reading. The idea that he doesn’t support baseball is ludicrous. He works for people running businesses. We won’t always agree with him because of that, but wow man. Growing tired of this attitude from too many people.

I think a lot of people need to prepare to be disappointed when the Twins don’t “win” or coming anywhere close to “winning” the off-season. The FO was brought in to develop pitching, not spend a bunch of money signing it. The pipeline is close to producing and I think we should be prepared to see that begin in 2022 and so they probably won’t sign a bunch of guys just to block it.

I don’t understand all this angst and negativity against the FO for Baddoo. The Tigers just cut him loose and no one else wanted him, right? Shouldn’t that tell you something if you hold him against them?

Yes, they were older. They also had generally decent health and continue to, at least compared to Buxton. I wanted(ed) the Twins to sign Buxton. My main point was the writer uses these examples of contracts but then doesn’t analyze them!? So I looked at all those players myself to see how they worked out. Turns out he didn’t analyze them Because a lot of them sucked afterwards. And the 2 that didn’t suck afterwards had healthy histories. And also, can someone give an example of a player with an extensive injury history who turned things around in the 30’s. I’m sure they exist I just can’t think of any. But what’s concerning is that Buxton early on had a lot of fluke injuries. That is still somewhat true but now he has nagging hip, nagging hamstring, shoulder surgery, etc. I don’t think these are good signs of future health, but who knows.

Wow, the information you provided kind of changed my mind and is convincing me the Twins SHOULDN’T sign Buxton. All of those players have falling apart or begun to fall apart. Blackmon and Cain were originally worth their contracts but not anymore and the others have been largely disasters. Considering his already extensive injury history, and the fact that you can’t depend on him for many games per year, maybe moving on is acceptable.

The trade of Brusdar Graterol has brought a lot of emotions and grand presumptions from fans and commentators. Unfortunately, most of the reactions, assumptions and presumptions of this trade are wrong. Stick with me here, but the Twins HAD to trade Graterol and in doing so this organization has FINALLY sold high on a prospect. All we have to do is look at the past to see what happened here. When Falvey and Levine were hired, they talked about research and development and opined that perhaps keeping players healthy and using research on available medical data might be the next market inefficiency. While this is likely what lead to the decisions to sign Pineda and Hill, it seems reasonable that not all of the results of this research would lead to signing players. It has also lead to pointing to data on what type of player to avoid. Approximately 2 years ago, 2 transactions occurred that I believe hint to what lead to the departure of Graterol. These transactions were befuddling to many of us - the Twins let two future stud relievers in JT Chargois and Nick Burdi leave for nothing. Burdi was left unprotected and was selected in the rule 5 draft by the Phillies before being traded to the Pirates. Chargois was claimed off waivers by the Dodgers. The bullpen was in desperate need of help from strikeout pitchers and yet the Twins let go of perhaps their two most likely young pitchers that could do that. And they have started to show that striking out batters is definitely what they can do! Oh, except they've not been able to do much of it because they can't stay on the field. Nick Burdi has barely pitched since heading to Pittsburgh. While JT Chargois has not been injured to the same extent, the results have not been there. He is now heading to Japan, having been released by the Dodgers. These two were well regarded prospects. Certainly the Twins could have gotten something for them at some point. But they didn't and instead had to let them go for nothing. Not so with Graterol who was another high-octane pitcher, and most likely a reliever, with a history of injury troubles. So rather than bemoan the fact that he was traded and won't be pitching 200 innings and winning a Cy Young, be thrilled that the Twins have finally shown that they have learned the lessons of the past. I certainly don't know what data the Twins have found to tell them to let these to go. But clearly they saw something that told them that having these two players on their 40 man roster was not worth it. It was better to let them go and protect other players who could serve as MLB players and as depth for the roster in 2018, 2019, and moving forward. For Graterol, rather than sitting through more years of injury-shortened seasons, and perhaps a second TJ surgery, the Twins cashed in for a solid starting pitcher in Kenta Maeda. One who, while having his own red flags should contribute through the season and into October. So don't be stressed, be thankful that you cheer for a team that has finally figured out what they're doing, even if we don't always immediately get it. On a final note, I've heard some prognosticators prognosticating that now that the Twins have traded a prospect for immediate help, they are going to start trading other top prospects for help at the trade deadline. I think this is wishful assumption making based on nothing concrete. All we know right now is that if the Twins have identified a high risk player, they'll be willing to cash in that chip rather than end up getting nothing.

All the home runs were great but the Twins offense was too one dimensional. I don't buy the disrupting team chemistry argument. In reality, none of really know the relationships that exist, but I believe bringing in another quality, professional player or two will improve chemistry. This is not a group of friends or a club, this is a team that should be going to a world series and I'm not convinced the "chemistry" will get them there without more walks and quality at bats in general.

Here we go...this first one will hurt... Trade Miguel Sano, Alex Kirilloff and Jhoan Duran or Balazovic to the Reds for Luis Castillo Trade Eddie Rosario and a couple of lower prospects for Jeff Hoffman Let Sam Dyson go Pay Martin Perez his buyout Project payroll: $67.5M Sign Marcell Ozuna for 3 years, $36M Sign Josh Donaldson for 2 years $45M Sign Madison Bumgarner for 3 years, $57M Sign Kyle Gibson for 1 year, $8M Sign Dellin Betances for (? - 2 years, $12M) Sign Travis d'Arnaud for 2 years, $10M (or Francisco Cervelli for the same) Castillo Berrios Bumgarner Gibson Hoffman Depth: Dobnak, Thorpe, Smeltzer, Jax, Sands, etc. etc. Rogers Duffey May Littell Graterol (like Liriano and Santana before him, the plan will be move to stretch him out to starter later in the season) Stashak Betances The best of the rest - Romero, Smeltzer, etc. C Garver 1B Cron 2B Arraez 3B Donaldson SS Polanco RF Kepler CF Buxton LF Ozuna Bench: d'Arnaud, Gonzalez, Arraez, Cave $140M payroll with a solid rotation and some added professional hitters and at least 1 solid defender in Donaldson and Ozuna. Yes, Hoffman has been bad but I expect at least 1 trade of FA signing of a pitcher who failed to reach a once lofty ceiling. Hoffman is still young and enough and has the potential to be that guy.

Personally I’m disappointed. There’s enough cynicism, sarcasm, and negativity on this site from posters without making this type of writing a feature.

Sorry, what? How did Trevor May sign for less than the number offered by the Twins? That’s perplexing.

The guy has been TERRIBLE offensively this year. But let's keep ignoring that because he was a high draft pick and is tremendously athletic. I guess great defense means he needs to be called up in September to be a defensive replacement only. Take your blinders off folks.

I was hoping to go tonight, but I'll settle for Romero v Ohtani on Sunday.

I noticed on MLBTR the last few days that a few players on other teams have already been moved to the 60 day DL to make room for new additions, which surprised me. So, maybe the rules now would allow Pineda to moved to the 60 day DL as soon as the signing is official.

I get all of those arguments and I was on this side until the past couple of weeks. The Twins just simply don't get a lot of good opportunities to get this type of a pitcher. I'd rather see them get him in a year where they are still developing than wait a year or two when the market is flooded with more teams competing for this type of a pitcher. Next year and after, the big spenders will be back and instead of getting a good pitcher at fair value they'd have to outbid maybe the Dodgers, the Yankees, the Cubs, the Red Sox, etc. and other mystery teams (Braves, Padres, etc.) that are starting to take off with cheap players and willing to spend.

As a fan whose lifestyle is most kindly described as thrifty, the pay calculations of baseball players has long bothered me. Why would a player who is young but exceptionally gifted be payed a pittance? Why would a player who was once productive but has for various reasons become unproductive be paid 10 to 20 times more? Why would a player who is productive and may remain so or may as likely become unproductive be guaranteed 200 times more? "Because the market and it's rules allow it" has essentially been the response. If it take s $50 million, or $100 million to get an experienced player who has been greatly underpaid; if a team is willing to pay them and get a small percentage of the expected value for the monetary investment, so be it. We are finally seeing the beginning of this system cracking. While I welcome the change, I don't welcome the fights likely to ensue. Can a team shield itself from this? This offseason, with a few exceptions teams are beginning to step back from what have historically been vast overpays for currently good but soon likely to decline productivity. This makes sense. But at the same time those same teams will continue to pay next to nothing for some players that will provide value far greater than their pay. This does not make sense. A market correction is understandable; but a correction on one part without a correction on the other will result in some issue. In this case, that issue may be a player strike. Perhaps it will start small until the next CBA, or perhaps or it will happen all at once in 4 years. Rather than going any further on the complaints, how can a team get ahead of the issue, and is there any advantage to doing so? What if a team chooses to provide fairer pay to young players by internally increasing all pre-arbitration salaries to amounts rarely seen? If the Twins contract offer to free agents included this guarantee, would any veteran player care? Will that increase improve player moral, and will that have an effect on effort, on productive, on things that make a ball club better? Teams created analytics and research departments to improve their outcomes. Is there a market deficiency here that could be altered to be ahead of the curve? Would a team doing so be more attractive to free agents? Would fans care? Would they react positively and support the team in greater ways (more dollars)? I believe this is likely something that might effect the teams appearance to free agents greater in 2019 and 2020 more so than in 2018, but since 2018 is what currently affects it, here is my example. Dear Yu Darvish (or Jake Arrieta, Alex Cobb, or whomever you wish with dollars and possibly years changed appropriately), Effective 2018, the Twins will be increasing the salaries for pre-arbitration eligible players 2 times the standard rate calculation. This amount will increase to 3 times the standard rate in 2019, to 4 times the standard rate in 2020 and to 5 times the rate in 2021. Further increases will be likely in 2022. Beginning in 2019 and ending in 2021, arbitration-eligible numbers will also be increased with the final percentages being an increase of 100% - 90% for players under $1 million, by 75%-60% for players over $1 million but under $3 million, by 50%-35% for those between $3 million and $5 million, and by 25%-15% for those between $5 million and $10 million. The percentages will be based on a sliding scale which decreases for greater salaries which is detailed on the attached. In order to pay all players a fairer wage, veteran players in free agency will, must, see their wages affected to some degree. Our offer is reflective of this change, though we have attempted to keep those changes minimal and have included incentives based off of the amount of innings pitched in later years. Beginning in 2018 your 5 year salary schedule would be the following: $28 million, $30 million, $25 million (up to $3 million incentives at 190 innings), $20 million (up to $5 million incentives at 190 innings), $17 million (up to $7 million incentives at 190 innings). The base salary total is $120 million up to $135 million with incentives met. We acknowledge that based off of past contracts for free agents, the amount would likely have been $180 - $150 million over 6 or 5 years. But we also acknowledge that a change must come and will come. We want to be a driver in that change and ask you to join us in being a driving force for fairer pay practices. By the year 2021 players base salary with the Twins will begin at $2.5 million, with an estimated total salary increase of $20 million. By the year 2021 arbitration salaries as compared with 2018 salaries would be $22 million to $14 million (based off of current Twins players likely to be in the system we estimate this actual amount to be $65 million compared to $50 million). The total increase for the year 2021 which must be reflected in free agent payments is $32.5 million, with total increases over the 4 year period being far greater.

Personally, I think the debate on is she telling the truth or is she lying is pointless. Unfortunately, going pubic with the allegations makes everyone think they should make a decision, pick a side. Yes, the allegations can be made public, but as an employer my thought be, please, give us a period to begin investigating and handle this, with the accuser, appropriately. To bring it to him in an appropriate way and ensure the truth comes out before it becomes a giant storm with the media and the public making wild assumptions and allegations and conclusions. It really comes from a position of wanting to aid the assaulted. So what bothers me, isn't is this the truth or not, it's the way it was announced. Did no one in whom she confided advise her and offer to assist her in going through the appropriate channels, be it the Twins, MLB, or her employer? I have had to deal with harassment in my work. It was not fun but it certainly was nothing like what happened here; I still think it about and have to deal with it and I can sympathize with her. Bringing it up to the attention of multiple senior managers was extremely worrisome, but it was necessary in my opinion to bring about a resolution and to bring peace of mind. Unfortunately, I imagine that making a public announcement has likely brought a great deal of turmoil to her life.

We will certainly see some minor league signings with a high likelihood of making the roster after 60 day DL moves. The Twins have done fairly well with those and there will be some experienced, though initially unexciting, names there as well.