Twodogs

Buxton has 10 RBI in 2 games. That looks nice!

It seems to me that with the influx of international players which has to be at one of the highest points of all time that maybe MLB is ready for expansion? If you go back 30 years ago there was not this many players from Asia, dominican, etc... So like any market, if the market is flooded with talent then teams really don't have to pay very much for it. Now you add a couple more teams into the mix and I'd bet guys would be getting signed a little quicker? Just an idea that maybe would help the players in the future?

I think Marwin may just become the everyday firstbaseman?? Then Cron goes to the bench

He is somewhat flexible as far as positioning goes so that should help him with these new benches that are so short because of having 13 pitchers.

Starter, even if you have to send him down for awhile. They can find bullpen guys anywhere, bullpen arms are the most volitile position in all of baseball. Berrios did not have a first good year at all and they kept him in the rotation, I don't think the bullpen is necessarily the best place for a guy who has has arm issues. Bullpen guys never know when they are pitching they never know how long etc.... A starter is on a routine with pen sessions etc. If he's not one of the 5 - 6 starters send him down keep him in a routine so as to get the most out of him when it's time to.

Get rid of the DH and you'd speed up the game.

I don't think his agent will allow him to bunt.

The Twins realistically are in the same position as they were last year. There was a ton of hope going into last season that they had the pieces to win the Central, not necessarily to win the WS but to be able to make the playoffs. Now had they been in the hunt, who knows what they would have brought on board at the deadline to push them over the top, we will only know if they can get there this year. There is no reason why with everything that went wrong last year that some of that could go right this year. No matter how much everyone says they know that this guy will be the difference maker they just don't know. Remember Yu Darvish? Pretty sure almost everyone on here thought they knew that he was the difference last year, but how'd he do? As bad a Lynn was to begin with he still out produced Darvish. Nonetheless, if some of Buxton, Sano, Kepler, Polanco, Rosario etc... Go on and do even just a little better this year then the Twins could be in the thick of it come July and August and that's when they should overspend for a Greinke, Baumgarner, something to put them over the top. Right now, in my opinion all they really needed to add were pieces to the bullpen so they have a better shot at pulling out those close wins?? But otherwise I feel overall they are probably better with their signings than what they were last year? Schoop I think will be better than Dozier was last year, Cruz will be better than Morrison, and Cron and Mauer will be a wash, Mauer prob had a little more production but loses out when he has to miss long stretches because his brain was acting up. So all in all, if the core does just a little better I believe the new version of FA's are better than the 2018 version? JMO, still Perez is a little curious, when I think they just need to add to the Bullpen until the deadline? Now if they go out and overspend right now and that core doesn't produce, just like last year, they they overspent for nothing, the core has to produce before you go and add those 1 or 2 giant pieces.

I'm pretty sure that the group of Schoop, Cruz and Cron would have been picked up by someone had the Twins not done so already. But Perez, I'm not so sure? I'm sort of perplexed by that one. Because to me they don't need another 5th starter, they have a bunch of those, what they don't have is a #1 or an established closer. In the first half of the season last year I think the Twins lost like 23 games by 1 or 2 runs. Im going off of memory here but I think their record at the break was like 44 - 50. If they had pulled out 10 of those 1 or 2 run losses they would have been 54 - 40???? I think they have the hitting to do that this year. What they don't have is the bullpen to finish off the wins that some of those hitters can provide. Now if they are well more than a few games above .500 then they should at the deadline go out and rent an Ace for the remainder of the season to make that push. But right now they can prob stand pat if they can just solidify the bullpen.

It might have something to say about how much they are trusting Pineda right now??

I mean the thing to me is they probably could have got him with a minor league deal and a spring training invite?? Doesn't really seem like anyone was pounding on his door?

Hector Santiago??

I like the idea of taking a flier on Holland? He has had great success in the past.

I remember back on those teams when people would do their pre-season batting orders they would be penciling in Cuddyer as the full time 2Bman so they could get other supposed better options out on the field.

I think Hildenberger has been figured out, I think he was deceptive and he was overused and is no longer that deceptive. Hopefully Reed can bounce back. But someone said it earlier that the bullpen is really a reflection of the starting staff. So now everyone is worried about how the starter does the 2nd and 3rd time through the order etc.... Well if your bullpen averages 4 innings every game that means that your bullpen will pitch 648 innings over the course of the year. If you divide that by 7 pitchers, because every team out there hopes and prays that they can have at least a 4 man bench not including the DH then those 7 relievers will average 92.6 innings per season. So if your 5 starters average 5 innings each that means that each of the starting pitchers will avearge a little over 160 innings each. So it is an innings issue directly related to the starting staff. In a day and age where 200 inning starters are getting really hard to find it is putting direct pressure on the bullpen. If all 5 of your starters can average 6 innings that means that all 5 of them would have to pitch 194.4 innings per season!!! When was the last time we have seen a staff with 5 guys all over 190 innings pitched?? However if that was the case, then your relief staff would have to pitch 486 innings on the year which would add up to about 70 innings per pitcher for a 7 man bullpen. It's really really hard not to over use these guys in an era where we are pulling starters after 5 innings all the time. So I had a little idea, not sure if it would work or not, but with the situation of the Twins and you have a lot of young starters that are trying to build up innings every year such as Romero, Mejia, etc... What if you went with a starting staff where your top 3 pitchers start 32 games each and the last two spots in the rotation are manned by 3 guys, Pineda, (not sure how many innings he can go after TJ), Mejia, and Romero all combine to start 22 games each. If they can average 6 innings per start that would put them at about 130 inning on the season each, then since they will be starting only like every 7th or 8th day maybe they could get another 30 innings each out of them in the bullpen?? That would put all 3 of them at about 160 innings and if your top 3 can get like 200 out of Berrios, and Gibson and maybe 180 - 190 out of Odorizzi then those 6 guys will have pitched 1070 innings which would leave 388 innings for the other 6 guys in the bullpen which would put them all at about 64 - 65 innings pitched for each of them?? I would get rid of Hildy and replace him with Ottavino or Allen, and I'd probably get rid of Magill and replace him with someone like Gonsalves or Little etc... In case one of Pineda, Romero, or Mejia fail then that guy can come in and be in that 4th 5th 6th starter rotation?? Have to have one of your bench guys with options so you can send them down for a week here and there for when you need to add a 13th pitcher to your bullpen like a Curtis, Vasquez, etc.... Under current methods the bullpen is always going to be overused I feel that this will even happen moreso with the new opener methods being looked at. So bullpens are always going to be over used and it actually might be one of the reasons there are a lot of free agent RP's? Their former teams probably know something already.

Get a good reliever and save the rest of the cash for extensions for young guys and to have a lite cushion if they get someone big at the deadline.

Not sure if that means what it really means because Oakland and Seattle have even more pitcher friendly parks than Anaheim and they play a ton of games in Oakland and Seattle. Maybe he just pitches better at home. I guess if it is broken down by park and he did well in Oakland and Seattle but say got bombed in Boston then that would make more sense.

What happened to Greg Holland? He was a beast for about 4 years straight then last year he did nothing. Just curious if he still might have what it takes to close out games. I guess Allen would be another good option but they better do something quick as they are falling off the board fast. I think one good guy to close out games is all they really need to start the season. I'd rather they go with the guys they have for their staff and see if they can make it work. I really think if the lineup responds that they will win more games this year. If they do, then they can make a big splash for a front line starter at the trade deadline rather than go for some other #3 or #4 type starter right now. They would have the money available come the trade deadline and they have the prospects also. Just get that guy that can finish the games for now. JMO

In the long run we all hope Sano hits .270 - .280 and mashes 30 bombs. I keep wishing the Twins will get back to the World Series!!!

My only thing when I see stuff, and I criticize also, but before I post one I try to read it and see if it can be taken as sort of a light hearted joke or if I can complement something at the same time that I am criticizing something. But my point is that these players are people too, so my only thing is try to remember that when you post, someday it may be your kid or relative that is being lambasted for making a bad play or whatnot and it will make you feel sick to see a bunch of people post hatred towards your loved one. Back before the internet became the norm most articles were written and read in the newspaper, and some of those columnists would criticize players or coaches and whatnot, but I really believe that they were sort of careful of what they said because they needed to have a relationship with the team and players in order to continue to do their job. People on these boards have no one that they need to keep a relationship with so often times they just let the negativity fly. I'd say we as people need to view these guys also as people before we get too harsh. Don't get me wrong they throw the ball into the dugout from 2B and we the people will be critical about that and how it may have affected the game, but I'm pretty sure any player would understand that. What I'm saying is that we need to watch it and not get personal with those guys and the team we all cheer for. And to think this is the Twins board, imagine what those guys over in Philly probably have to see on their boards. Ha ha. So our guys probably have it a little easier than other places: Philly, New York, Boston etc... Thats the only thing that I'd add to this story. I remember how critical everyone got with Rosario a couple years back. I thought that was crazy, beyond baseball a lot of these guys are just good people doing their best. So be critical, but I always say just don't make it personal, where we are criticizing a person's character and being extra harsh and whatnot.

Great job! Nice work.

Not to mention he made improvements against lefty's last year. So it seems like he tries to make adjustments to get better, which means he's listening and working to get better. It doesn't always work out but I'd always place my bets on guys like that, who seem willing to work to get better rather than guys like Oswaldo Arcia who never seemed to change his approach.

Hard to tell, but he doesn't look over weight. His legs look skinny though?? But the picture could be deceptive?

Well Jackie Bradley had a pretty defined role on the World Champion Red Sox team and he is a career .230 hitter, if JD Martinez was a similar hitter to Jackie Bradley would he still be in the Majors??