Twodogs

I think that if the Twins are going to cut payroll, they should have just gone all in on a youth movement. Bring up Jenkins, Rodriguez, Gonzalez, Culpepper, etc ..... Mix those guys around Buxton, don't bother with the Eric Wagaman's of the world. Cut the payroll and promote from within. Then if these kids get good and develop a following amongst the fanbase, then pay them. Or if you say you want to compete now, bring in some stars, pay the money and the fans will endear themselves to those guys. But quit doing things halfway which blocks the new talent and ages them in the minors. Either go all in and spend some money, or go all in and bring up the kids. Not inbetween.

Dodgers, meanwhile in the same time frame went from 2.75 Billion to 4.8 Billion. Not that we are comparing apples to apples. But I think if the Twins were a little better or even had players that had a better following, a la Nelson Cruz guys like that. Maybe they have better participation from their fanbase?? (I mean, I know Nelson is too old and they traded him at the perfect time, but if they had a few more polarizing players to add to Buxton maybe they'd be more popular?) Correa was a start, but he didn't quite pan out. Or go with the young guys like back in the day, Puckett, Hrbek, Gaetti. Etc.... and develop a following. The Dodgers have done a pretty good job bringing in personalities and really good players too.

On another note. The Twins attendance was the lowest since the year 2000 (besides the covid season), and contraction was looming back then.

Well that just made the Tigers the front runners by far in the AL Central. To me it seemed like, besides Skubal, their starting pitching was a little bit hit or miss. Flaherty and Mise kinda remind me of a Baily Ober. They can be tough but seem to be up and down at times. Now with Skubal and Valdez leading the way they probably walk away with the Central.

I guess he didn't mutually agree???

I agree, it will depend on who takes over. I feel they need to pair a baseball guy with an analytics guy. Not just one or the other. They need to use analytics to get better, but they need to have a baseball guy who can feel the pulse of the team to win big games. But you are 100% correct that we may be wishing for Falvey to be back especially if they replace him with someone worse. I know many times I've wished for Terry Ryan to be back.

I don't think he just gives up that position. If tomorrow or sometime next week he ends up working for the Red Sox or something like that then ill agree with you. But he was probably making good money as president of baseball operations and you don't just voluntarily walk away from that unless you have an equal or better opportunity that you are moving to. To say you want to spend time with family just kinda tells me that the agreement wasnt so mutual. He probably felt like it would look better if he mutually agreed rather than getting fired. JMO

Thank God! It is going to be a mess with the timing, but the Twins needed a new direction, might as well be sooner rather than later. Hopefully, they will be able to still sign a relief pitcher or something before spring training.

I wonder if this article was misplaced? Maybe it was meant for the Talk Sox board???

Bullpens are definitely finicky, I mean sometimes a team can spend big bucks on a bullpen and they are just average. Other times a couple of guys come out of nowhere and have great seasons and then all of the sudden a team has like a top 5 bullpen? But in no way was it predicted at the beginning of the season. I think the Dodgers spent like 60 million on their bullpen last year and they were using starting pitchers to close out games in the playoffs??? So hopefully a guy or two surprises and someone like Taylor Rodgers has a little bit of a renaissance? Its not the way you'd draw it up, but it can happen in the bp with some no names easier than say in the rotation or in the infield/outfield.

SWR pitches well at times, but he can't hardly get out of the 4th inning. Baily when on is better, because he gets deeper into games, again when hes healthy, if healthy Baily is better by quite a bit. I mean I know SWR's peripherals are probably better. But if you can't get out of the 4th inning you are probably a long relief pitcher?

I really like having all of the international players having to go through the draft system. Only weird thing would be like with Japan, a team has to pay them for the rights to a player? How would that work in a draft? But yes this wild wild west methodology of acquiring international players needs to stop and there must be a draft of some sort. Combined or separate, I don't care. This would help parity quite a bit I feel.

Yeah .266 with 22 homeruns in RF is now 60 million??? Max Kepler must feel he is at least worth half of that?? Ha ha At least Bichette played a premium position? At one point in time at least.

I feel like the Dodgers are trying to force the work stoppage. Under the current system the Luxury tax gets more and more punitive every year a team goes over the threshold, higher percentages every year and they will also start to lose draft picks if this keeps up. The Dodgers are pulling out all the stops to try and win as much as possible and then they are going to ask for a full blown reset after the work stoppage similar to a Donald Trump Bankruptcy. You can only build a building so tall before it can no longer stand on its own. I feel like the Dodgers are playing everyone and if there is a work stoppage they will get their way once again. The thing the Dodgers fear the most is if MLB and the players agreed to continue the current CBA for another 4 years and then revisit it. I think the Dodger brass would be very much against that. Tucker at 60 mill per season??? I mean they are trying to force the stoppage so they can get a full reset. Look to see who benefits the most by a work stoppage. Its not the Twins, its not the fans, it wont be the players. It'll be the ginormous franchises such as the Dodgers that will benefit the most.

He would be a cheap signing? Ha ha

Probably very likely. I'd guess most guys do the stuff in the off season and maybe towards the end of the year like in the playoffs??

Chilli Davis has to be on here. Also, wasn't Bert Blyleven a free agent signing when he came back from Cleveland? He helped win a World Series also.

I bet the Dodgers would like to have Buxton?

I don't think the Twins will really ever compete as long as Falvey is in charge. He is the one who continues to roll out the 82 - 80 projection type teams and slowly allows decent prospects to rot in the minors while paying for Ty France types. The Twins really need to cut the cord and go young. To see if these guys can develop into the next core. Rolling out a squad that is projected as an 80 win team only holds the future back. It would be different to hold the future back if they went all in on free agency that would be different, moves like that could start a whole other discussion about what is the right or wrong move. But they don't. They sign Josh Bell, I hope he hits .270 with 30 bombs, but I know how that'll probably end up. Falvey continues to roll out mediocre teams in hopes that one of those teams catches lightning in a bottle, makes a run in the playoffs and then he can say, see!!! I told you guys im the smartest baseball guy around and that all of my calls are the right ones. If they go young and bring up the next core, which probably means giving up for a year or two while those young kids figure it out would mean that Falvey would have to admit that he has been wrong this whole time. He will never do that. So the Twins will continue to sign Josh Bell types along with a washed up relief pitcher or two. Dont get me wrong, one of the 2 or 3 washed up relievers always has a career year and gets us filled with a little bit of hope. But the squad is always a little bit flawed, and the flaws always start at the top.

Rooker went to San Diego originally also? Hope Miranda can bounce back for himself.

Yeah, I wasn't placing any blame on the manager. I was placing the blame right where Falvey never places blame. On himself. He assembled the roster that Baldelli had to manage and then probably told Baldelli how to manage it to some extent. But a year ago Falvey fired some of Baldelli's coaches and then gave him an extension and then got rid of Baldelli who was probably getting tired of being blamed for the dumpster fire that Falvey produced. I'd love to just once hear Falvey say. "I screwed up, I am to blame for this roster and I am going to do my best to fix it and get a winning product back out on the field." But instead he walks and talks like he is smarter than everyone else and he will sign some more under paid constantly injured former prospects and say see, I fixed it, we are way better now.

Who made the roster of these players?

Probably knew more than Falvey does, might be why he is gone.

I wonder how long it takes the Padres to find new owners?? I think they are possibly selling too?