jimbo92107

Joe Ryan is the best, most reliable starting pitcher the Twins have had in a long, long time. He pitches within himself, paces himself, pitches with an excellent plan, and appears to be durable long term. Getting rid of him would be the epitomy of stoooopid, so...well, it's been nice knowing ya, Joe.

When the world gives you explosive diarrhea, I say, make lemonade! Why not trade Larnach to get Louie Varland back? With apologies, of course. Who knew that Varland would actually pan out...other than everybody not named Pohlad?

I suspect that the evil plan for Carson Tinney is for him to become a tall first baseman with a great glove, and a bat that makes baseballs go very far.

Matt Wallner is a good ballplayer, just not a great one, and teams never stop looking for the next great one. I thought Wallner had a chance to be a fine Right Fielder because he supposedly had a real gun of an arm. But I never really saw him cut down guys trying to stretch a single into a double, the way Mike Cuddyer used to do. Been a while since I've seen a Twin with a serious gun in the outfield.

Did you hear? Walker Jenkins saved Lincoln! Whatever happens in his baseball career, I am a fan of Walker Jenkins from now on. He has the unerring instincts of a good man.

I wouldn't mind seeing Byron Buxton win a ring in Dodger blue. It sure ain't happening here.

Welcome to the Saint Paul Saints, Mr. Jenkins. Congratulations, you have arrived at the pinnacle of baseball in the Twins organization. Enjoy it while you can; at some point next season, you may be demoted to the major league club.

Are the Twins still playing? Sorry, I dropped out for few weeks... I hear the Pohlads decided there's a little more blood in the cow after all... Oh drears... I suppose they have to keep playing, all the way to the end... Ownership has drained all the fun out of this team. From here, it would be hilarious if the Saints sold more tickets than the Twins. I hear the Saints are kinda fun to watch. I wonder if they still have that cute little pig delivering baseballs...

When I first saw Chris Paddack in San Diego, I thought he was going to be a right handed Clayton Kershaw. Two TJ surgeries later, I'm afraid his repertoir just isn't that special anymore. His fastball isn't that fast, and his curveball doesn't curve much. He can fool a few people by changing speeds and spotting his pitches, but it doesn't last, and a team that's familiar with his stuff can jump all over him, as the Twins did today. Meanwhile, the Twins are going nowhere this season, but at least they're doing it in a fairly interesting way. Keep bringing up the kids. That'll get some butts in the seats. So will lowering ticket prices. Oh, and have a Brooks Lee "Pencil Day." First ten thousand fans get a #2 pencil! I wonder if some kids won't know what a pencil is...

Rojas and Roden? Could be a couple decent players. For Varland?? No. As already observed, Louis Varland's value to the team was still being explored. What we did know was that his velocity had taken the usual tick upwards after moving to the bullpen. We also could see that he can now strike out hitters with his well-spotted 98 mph fastball and hard-diving knuckle curve. Possibly another dominant closer. What I had failed to mention was that other thing - the hometown angle. Yes, Varland is a hometown kid that made good and caught on with the local professional baseball team. Yes, the hometown crowd loved him, because he was a big, friendly example of the kind of athletic Minnesota gentleman we all associate with Joe Mauer, Jack Morris, Dave Winfield, etc. We all like examples of the best of us. Problem is, the Pohlads don't care. They're just local bankers, billionaire oligarchs that like to pose as hometown baseball fans. They aren't, not really. To them, the Twins are just another asset, a long term investment whose value varies from year to year, and which could be enhanced by trading a few human resources. They are looking to sell the team, so by their calculations, stripping it down to the bolts will simplify the upcoming transaction.

Emancipate Byron Buxton. Don't chain the man to this losing franchise any longer. Let him go to a team that has a chance to contend. I don't even care if it's the Yankees or the Dodgers. Let him go. Set him free. He's done his time in baseball pergatory. The wolves finally unshackled Kevin Garnett. Time for the Twins to do the same for Buxton. I would ask for a couple hard-throwing, low minors pitchers. Every team has those. We have loved Buxton. Let him go.

The Varland trade was eckstrah spechul stooooooopid. Hometown boy with live arm, under control until the end of the decade, his ceiling completely unknown since he starting throwing shortarm. It's quite possible whoever gets him will switch him right back to a full windup, and wind up with a good starter. What did they get in return? Light hitting, average outfielder, and a lefty prospect, possibly decent. Stoooooooooooooopid.

Fire sale was needed, but the way they went about it was an epic fail. "85 cents on the dollar" pretty much sums it up. Out of ten deals, not a single one looks like they got any real value. Especially stooopid was Varland. His future could still be a very good starter. Same with Jax. If nothing else, they could have gotten a whole bunch of really promising lower minor leaguers, like guys that throw hard, hit hard, field good, etc. They didn't. At this point, they should finish the tear down, keeping maybe just Jeffers and a couple decent fielders. Unload Ryan, Buxton, and Pedro. Get a bunch of top guys in Low A. At the moment, the only redeeming social value for fans is, the minor leagues will always be a ray of hope. Okay then, start bringing up a revolving musical chairs of kids. BTW, Sabato at first base. Just do it. First rounder, right? Let's find out.

Although he was always professional on the field, and he remained civil in the media, it was pretty clear that Minnesota was not where Carlos Correa wanted to play baseball. Nonetheless, he did his job, respected his contract, and now he's going back to Houston, where he will be a 3B with a strong arm, and a completely average bat. Farewell, C4. Time to look for new answers at Short. There is always a fresh crop of farmhands eager to seek money and glory at the club level. I have zero predictions about this club right now. We'll see what happens by the end of the season. My only advise would be to try everybody, and see who sticks. Remember, Michael Cuddyer started out as a sub-standard infielder, who eventually became an all-star in Right Field. I'm still hoping Wallner catches on in RF.

Sad commentary that the most entertaining thing the Twins have done all year was to sell off half the team. However, as fans we must acknowledge the undying TRVTH of baseball: It's a little kid's game played by young men. As such, it requires periodic revolutions. Sometimes management must mash that RESET button and watch the pokey old Windows machine reboot... Speaking of which, where can I buy a cheap new Windows 11 computer? And a cheap new G5 phone? But I digress... Perhaps it is best to remind ourselves why we come here. Baseball, like life (sigh), is not about the destination, but the journey. TD is a good place to keep tabs on stuff we kinda sorta wished we could still do, like throw at that sizzling sixty, swing a bat hard enough to break a lamp, run fast enough to catch a bus, etc. Well, you can't be tweny on Shuger Mountin, and you can't be forty in TV baseball. The ushers and the barkers move us along, but at least we can still sit in the bleachers and yay-rah-rah for a while. That kind of entertainment does require an influx of new blood now and again. It has begun. May it be entertaining.