Twodogs

So only 6 dudes have come through the draft. Scary for a team that has to rely on building from within.

Not that this is any better, but it's the 3rd. Odorizzi accepts QA realistically would be the #1.

I'm glad they re-signed him. Seems like he is able to get important outs, albeit he is not a 9th inning guy, more like a late 7th or early 8th inning dude.

Im from up there in Twins country, but I've lived in Southern California for the last 20+ years and Angels fans complain about Pujols contract, they complain about Hamilton, Mo Vaughn, etc... It goes on and on about who they complain about as a waste of money.

IDK Madbum has gone over 200 innings in 7 of the last 9 years. Last year on a terrible Giants team he pitches 207 innings and had over 200 K's, I mean what a bullpen savior. If they can get both Berrios and Madbum to go over 200 innings then guys like Odorizzi don't hurt quite as much. I mean I'd say he is worth 5 years 100 mill. If he pitches well in 3 of those seasons and average in one and poorly in one then that would prob be worth it. 5 years from now it will prob be tear down time anyway?

Twins need to make Ryu an offer, Madbum an offer, Cole an offer, Stasburg an offer, Tehran an offer, etc..... Offer all of them. Offer Cole the biggest contract possible, then force the Angels to outbid us, drive his price up, that, if the Twins don't get Cole, would hurt the Angels bottom line for a few years. Offer Madbum 4 years, offer Ryu a big contract, then if teams outbid the Twins it will hurt their bottom lines also. Put bids out on all of them, maybe we don't get any of them, but instead of reacting to the market, drive the market. Give competitive offers to all of them if one signs then pull the other offers. Tehran reminds me sort of like Ervin Santana. He has been fairly consistent in his career, has at times looks real good and other times just been average but he doesn't ever seen to be terrible. Maybe he has the ability to put together one superior season like Ervin did? Baily kinda reminds me of Anibal Sanchez. Bailey when he came up had tons of potential, kind of bogged down on a poor team and then found a new home last year maybe made some changes and produced. The nice thing about a guy like that is you can take a chance on him and just cut bait if it doesn't work. The Twins even if they lucked out and got some Cole in their Christmas stocking, could still celebrate with some Baily's and it might work out? If not you're really not down anything. Again I think the Twins need to put out the market value offers or maybe just a tick above to all of the big names right now. If one takes the offer then pull the rest, but drive the market, force the other teams to outbid us. I think maybe we did that with Wheeler, if we offered him 100 million, then the Phils had to pay more. Offer all of them win one of them, or force the other teams to overpay.

I think right now, if the Twins had Castillo, or Syndergaard, would they be looking for packages to trade them for? I mean are the Twins shopping Berrios if the right package of minor Leaguers came along? I just don't see why, before a season starts, that a team would be shopping their frontline starting pitching? I mean I just dont get it. These teams are going to wait until they are mathematically eliminated from contention before looking to off load guys like that.

They need to sign an impact starter, the easiest thing to do is to just do it. Quit diddledadling around and just do it. Then bring back Pineda, and you got something for the stretch run. Use the mixture of arms to fill out the #5 guy, and Pineda's spot for his time off.

How much did he turn down to stay in Washington?

In Australia? A spider bite? A snake bite? Hopefully it wasn't similar to the Skaggs incident.

I personally don't usually see teams that have won 101 game trade starters off that team and replace them with unproven Milb ballplayers and then get better? That usually does not happen, I mean we can use TB and the Archer trade, but they got studs back for him, not oil can Boyd. Anyways I really believe that Cole wants to go to the Angels, So-Cal etc... However, I am all in on offering him something crazy like 8/280, because if the Angels can't pony up then you have him! If they do pony up, then it makes it real difficult for them to be any sort of a player on anyone else during the off-season. I mean with giant contracts to Trout, Pujols, and if Cole signs and Ohtani etc... They might be stuck without much more flexibility in the rest of the market essentially erasing them out of the equation for the other free agents? So yeah offer Cole big money, but I wouldn't trade starters for middle of the road pitchers IMO.

Twins need to be in on everyone.

It may have irritated me also had Boone won the award just because I absolutely hate the Yankees so much. But on the flip side, he did a magnificent job holding that team together with all those injuries all season, not to mention they didn't even make a big deadline splash like they usually do. Boone to me actually did a great job, whereas many of the Yankee managers of the past didn't impress me that much just because they had everything, but I really thought Boone did a great job holding that ship together with all those injuries all year.

No one is promised anything, look at the Red Sox coming off winning a world series??

How far is North Carolina from Atlanta in comparison to Minnesota from Atlanta? It would be like a kid who grew up somewhere in South Dakota choosing the Twins over the Braves because he is closer to home.

I think from the reports that I have heard is that madbum is probably going to the Braves, close to where he grew up. So it will probably have to be Wheeler that the Twins pursue?

Remember a lot of that spending is going to have to be used on their young core also. So really can't go super crazy. Could get a real expensive pitcher but probably can't get like 2 or 3 expensive free agents.

Maybe he is an RP long term, but I feel he has to get a shot at starting first. A guy with his velo if he can handle starting duties it will in the long run potentially give the twins an ace. So that is what I'm saying, give him a legit shot in ST, because Dobnak will most likely never be an ace whereas Grateral has the potential, and if he doesn't hack it, then throw him in the BP.

If you go out and somehow sign a #1, which the Twins won't, but I can hope. But if they sign a #1, and Berrios is the #2, and Odorizzi accepts the QO, now you either get a Hamels or Pineda, or a Gibson type for the #4 and then Grateral can compete for the #5. I like Grateral more than Dobnak, I really don't think Dobnak is for real and Grateral throws 100. I kinda like that in the rotation. It would be possible for him to be the #4 for awhile if Pineda ends up coming back. But I really think he could be the 5. You'd rather have a veteran like Perez as the #5 more than giving Grateral a shot at it?

If you re-read what I said, I believe that I said give him a legit shot in spring training, not just go into the season with him, only if ye earns it in spring training. Give him a shot I think is different than give the spot to him?

I think you give him a legit shot at a rotation spot in spring training. I dont think holding him back will help him that much, these guys need to come up and see what it's like at the MLB level in order to be prepared. So if he earns it, let him start the beginning of the year in Pineda's spot if the twins re-sign him. Once he struggles then send him down. Give him a taste, if he earns it, I mean if he gets lit up in SP T. Then you have your answer. If he mows people down give him that shot. They need to be able to at some point trust the guys in their system.

How much is Odorizzi worth? I mean I like him, but he threw only 159 innings this year. I mean who is worth more Odorizzi at 159 innings or Berrios at 200 innings?? I think so many of these 4 - 5 inning guys wrecks the bullpen. I mean if he could throw 7 every time out then shoot yeah 3 - 4 year deal. But big money for 5 innings? IDK.

Well your best pitcher all season is Berrios. There is no one in the bullpen who is better. Now I can see pulling him in mid June with 80 pitches and a 3 - 3 tie game where only one of his runs were earned, buy not in October!!! I ride that horse for 7 innings, if mechanics look good 110 - 120 pitches. Let's say he gives up another 2 runs and it's 5 - 4 going into the 8th inning, I give the Twins offense a better than 50% chance of winning in that situation. I give them a 70% chance of at least tying the game up. But not down 10 - 4. What were they saving him for, the end is here!! Then I definitely start Odorizzi in game 2, that at least gives you the possibility of using him in game 5 if need be, why wouldn't you use your best two pitchers the most??? Hell Washington has used their best two pitchers as starters and out of the bullpen, I mean they haven't won anything yet, but at least they have a shot at it now. It's like I get saving these guys a little in June and July so as to get to October, but once in October pull out all of the stops and go for it. I mean Dobnak is a great story but game 2 in Yankee stadium?? And even if the Twins were still in it now Odorizzi is unavailable in game 5.

If Berrios can only squeeze out 4 innings we are done. I mean Odorizzi only averaged like 5 innings per game this year, so he ain't going to be the answer. Berrios needed to pitch 7, similar to Verlander pitching I think 8 yesterday. Twins bullpen is not constructed to pitch 5 or 6 innings per game. Even if Berrios gives up 3 - 4 runs you need to keep him out there. He is still better than all of the rest of the guys on the team, throw him, maybe he gives up another run or two, but with the Twins bats down 5 - 4 with and inning or two left, I give the Twins a better than 50% chance of winning. But start running the BP out there in the 5th and it ends up 10 - 4 blowout. We aren't saving these guys for the end of the year anymore, we are here.

Well the Twins are definitely underdogs, which seems really crazy for a team that won 101 games?? But maybe they can embrace that underdog mentality and go all the way, kinda like the Angels did back in 2002??