Loosey

If our new definition of struggling today is 2 runs 4 innings, I will take it with the revamped bullpen. In the past struggling was 5 runs in 3 innings. Granted it could have been worse, but pitching out of jams is something Gibson never seemed to be able to do in the past and he limited the damage. So hopefully there a more clean games than struggling ones, but I think they have obviously raised our expectations levels, which is good!

I consider him the Brad Radke of Opening Day (I should capitalize Opening Day, right? Sort of like Christmas and Thanksgiving - All are holidays.). Now we just wait until game 2 for Johan Santana. J/K good job!

Has it been stated when he tested positive and when his last clean test was? If he tested clean in, say, September and then now tested positive in January for example, that makes a difference to me for some stupid reason. It tells me he was clean last year and did something different this offseason. Having that information would be nice if it is available.

Even if he really had no idea Stanozolol was in his supplement that is still on him. I'm not a professional athlete, and even I make sure any supplements I take are certified. I know for sure I would not inject anything into myself, for multiple reasons. Also, I don't understand why players take B-12 injections? It is a vitamin and most of these guys have nutritionists on the team providing them a balanced diet. If B-12 was lacking they have over the counter B-12 vitamins, I don't understand the injection of it. Most of the time you pee it all out anyways because your body has enough from your diet unless you have a deficiency.

I agree his hard swing will result in both homers and Ks. However, if he can be a little more disciplined at the plate, like he was his rookie year, I think a drop in K's will follow. Basically, don't chase slider or the fastball in the dirt.

I was watching the game yesterday and Sano did not look to be 300 lbs in my opinion. He looked similar to what he has always looked like to me. Genetically, he is a large man with a large frame. I don't think he will ever be looking like Byron Buxton no matter how much discipline, diet and exercise he puts in.

I wonder if they want to get a better look at Romero against Major League hitters in order to decide when and what order they start to bring up minor league prospects up during the season. He perhaps has opened some eyes in front office and could be the first arm called up if someone goes down or under performs.

Good Question, I would like to know the difference as well.

On the flip side how do we know he doesn't go Dan Uggla either. I don't think he will, but he is aging and plays an active position. Too long and too much money could be detrimental. I think the Twins will offer him what he is and will be worth. Yes he is worth more than what he had played for in years past. But will he be a $15-$20M a year player in 4 years when he is 35/36 years old?

He will be 31 coming up here in May. So he will be 32 years old when his new contract starts. As good as he is now and and I think he will be for a while, I can't see the Twins going more than 3 years. Maybe a move to 3rd could help with financial decisions as Teddy said. But that is really going to depend on what Sano does this year, which means a mid-season extension is unlikely since there are some many variable that will go into this contract. I can't see anyone offer much more than $15M per year. So, I would be happy with a 3 year $15M offer, especially if it is to play at 3rd base (weak arm and all) if Sano either moves to first/DH or flames out.

I can see this happening again next year. I will guess the big names, Machado, Harper, etc will go early and for high dollars. But then those big spending teams will be done and we will be back in the situation we are in again today. The teams that just crossed over the luxury tax will not want to go too far over and start spending 20% premiums on every guy they sign. Instead the market will be left with the middle market teams again not meeting the demands of guys wanting 6 year $120M+ deals.

For me it isn't his weight. If he ways 290 pounds and is in great physical condition fantastic. The part that concerns me, and I don't know if this is the case or not, is that if the reason he is 290 lbs is because he doesn't take care of himself. If he had been following a regime the Twins gave him for the off-season trying to stay fit but still is overweight that is not on him. However, if he sat around and didn't do what was asked of him, it's a problem. That means he lacks discipline and may not take his baseball career as seriously as one would hope. Hoping he did what the Twins asked and this is just who he is. If not, the superstar many were hoping for might be done before he reach those lofty goals.

I was originally ok with the trade. I thought Odorizzi was nice piece to complement the rest of rotation. But after reading the most recent Athletic article I look at this trade in a different light. The Twins #5 starters last year combine to have 54 starts and 8.66 ERA and -.2 f-wins above replacement. Adding Odorizzi can essentially push that junk at #5 out and put his numbers in their place. Add that to a 83 win team and I think you can add a handful of wins easily. A staff ace would be great but putting together a very solid staff from top to bottom is a good start.

I agree 100%. The front office has spoken a good game and has been savvy in the draft and supplementing the minors with deals the previous regime wouldn't have likely done. However, now when given the opportunity to really help this team take the next step they have continued to tinker around the edges and not go for the home run which is needed at times. I trust these guys to improve and continue to bring in good minor league prospects, which is exactly why they should be confident to trade away those same type of players if the chance comes along, because they can find replacements. Are they trying to outsmart themselves? Signing Yu Darvish would be one of those obvious adds that most fans were able to see would likely benefit the team. But was it so obvious they didn't just go and hammer it with an offer Yu couldn't refuse or did they get cute? There are still 3 pretty big name starting pitchers remaining. So if they go out and get one of them, maybe all can be forgiven. However, if they don't do anything to meaningfully upgrade the starting pitching staff when the window is opening to contend with the big boys, I will start questioning this new regime and wondering if it really is any different from the previous.

Gonsalves sort of reminds me of a softer throwing Madison Bumgarner. If he can be 80% as good as MadBum I think all Twins fans will be very happy.

If Darvish is looking less likely internally to Twins Management, maybe they should Zig when everyone else is Zagging and go swoop in on Cobb before all the others who missed out on Darvish come knocking as well. Might not have a market set yet with Darvish, but why not set the 2nd tier market first? That’s what I would do.

I have used it before. But to be honest I wasn't sure what was updated or when it was updated. It seems the updated data could be a valuable tool. Maybe add a "last updated" date. That way if you see "Michael Restovich" and Updated 8/1999 we would know that may not be accurate. But if there was Royce Lewis and Updated 9/2017 we would know that's pretty accurate.

I think part of the problem is the forums are so simple and easy to see what was posted and go make comments on. For a blog that hasn't been promoted, it isn't as simple to go out and read. They sort of just get lost in bowels of Twins Daily. I'm not saying a redesign of the site is necessary, but I think a simpler approach or a section on the main page of promoting most recent blog updates more would help to get visibility to those who write. Now they are sort of just there, under the forums. If I have something on my mind I usually go into the forums and start a new topic because I know that will get access to the front page and create discussion. Giving blogs the same, if not greater, attention than new forum topics could help. Finally, for us long-term TD readers I remember the mission of the site was to develop bloggers and make this a community. Newer readers and writers may not know that or understand the mission. Maybe have the mission statement front and center somewhere on the home page with easy access. I love this site and visit it damn near daily. I would hate to see it end. I honestly get the majority of my Twins information on here.

I know. I think we are agreeing, but I am not sure. I would rather have guaranteed 9% rate over 5 years, rather than risk market declines or bad investment decisions. But

Obviously, just paying Darvish more than any other team offers is the best way to get him. And I agree with your statement to spend money to win. BUT, this team has never operated that way. If they truly are in on Darvish and they aren't completely opening up the checkbook, outside the box ideas to fund 2018 would need to occur.

I don't even know if this idea is within the bounds of the CBA, but the reason you would pay 9% is because anything less Mauer could realistically achieve on his own. 9% guaranteed is about 1% above the adjusted average return on the market since the S&P's inception. Trust me, the Pohlad's are making more than that return.

Here is how I would devise a way to get Darvish and it is somewhat outside the box. 1) I would go to Mauer and ask him honestly how badly he wants to win a world series with the Twins. I renegotiate his deal. In 2018 Mauer defers half his contract, making it $11.5M for 2018. However, the Twins will then offer an additional 2 year $16M deal for 2019-2020. Beginning in 2021-2016 the Twins will pay back Joe his remaining $11.5M so for 6 years he gets $1.92M but the Twins will pay 9% interest on the $11.5 for each year. Making his annual payback $2.84M through 2026. That's about $5.5M more than if he just takes $23M in 2018. Mauer's New Deal: 2018: $11.5M 2019: $8M 2020: $8M 2021: $2.84M Deferred Payment 2022: $2.84M Deferred Payment 2023: $2.84M Deferred Payment 2024: $2.84M Deferred Payment 2025: $2.84M Deferred Payment 2026: $2.84M Deferred Payment 2) Now I would use that freed up $11.5M and front end load the Darvish deal. Here is how I would structure it: 6 Years $156M overall contract Year 1: $36M Year 2: $27M Year 3: $27M Year 4: $22M Opt Out Option after 2021 Year 5: $22M Year 6: $22M In this Scenario the Twins are basically paying Darvish $27M + $9M of Mauer's freed up money in year 1 (2018). Then in years 2-3 he is back to making most likely "market" value of $27M. Year 4-6 his contract value declines but he has already made that up in year one. However, if he outperforms a $22M/year pitcher in 2021 he has the option to opt out after the season. Darvish would be 35 then and this could be 50/50 move at this point. I really think if Mauer would be on board with this deal, it would make signing Darvish a reality. Who doesn't turn down $156M guaranteed over 6 years with nearly 25% of it paid in year 1? The only way that is beat is if someone else comes out with 5 years / $175M or something outrageous.

I agree completely with this article. No, they haven't made a big splash yet that will get newspaper headlines, but the little things they have been able to accomplish are great. They seem to have a way of taking advantage of little things the previous regime paid little attention too. The other thing I like about these guys is they are ready to pivot at any time. At the trade deadline they weren't afraid to switch back and forth from seller to buyer to seller. And now with Ohtani they had a plan in place for if they were told no by him. They wasted no time and put their plan into action to acquire targets they wanted. It is the little things and decisiveness that may make this FO special. Using a Wayne Gretzky analogy, he knew where to be at all times and could anticipate where the puck was going to be well before it got there. Falvey and Levine seem to have this sort of sense in regards to personnel. They are getting themselves in position to make great gains by knowing what is going to happen before it happens and sensing what the market bears. I'm excited for what they will do when they are given the opportunity to really spend.

As much as I would like to see Santana get in eventually, I think him and Puckett are different stories. Santana's shoulder slowly gave out on him until it got to the point he couldn't pitch anymore. That is his body wearing out. Similar to if he was great for 5 years and then just couldn't pitch well anymore because he was aging and/or wear and tear over the years wore him down. Happens to lots of great players. Their bodies can't holdup to the rigors of a long MLB career. Puckett on the other hand was hit in the face by a fastball. He went from All-Star player to practically blind in one eye basically over night. His body was probably good to go for another 3-4 years, but fastballs to the face can change that. So Santana is a guy that could have become an all-time great if he stayed healthy long enough. Puckett was on the verge of becoming one already and tragically had his career end abruptly at the tail-end when he basically just needed to be ok for few years to reach HOF miles stones (3000 hits, etc). Basically what I am trying to say is I put body giving out in similar category as skills diminishing. While getting smoked in the face is put in a different grouping all together.

People ripping on him because of his weight really bothers me. There are people who are "overweight" who eat healthy and exercise. Sometimes genetics play a part. If you are expecting Sano to get down to a "lean" 220 you are not going to be happy. He is a professional athlete who is a large man. There will always be a balancing act on diet and exercise to maintain at his size and strength. So the conjecture about his weight and diet needs to stop. The only people who can realistically be having this conversation with actual facts are him and the training staff, dieticians, etc.