WilliesWorld24

Sell, Mortimer, Sell! Lee is not a future cornerstone player at any position - move it along. We have seen this movie before -past cornerstone 3B Jose Miranda. Great bat to ball skills, some slug/pop, better walk rate than Lee. Poor plate discipline with great bat to ball skills results in weak contact. MLB pitchers don’t need to throw strikes and Miranda has flailed his way out of the Twins plans and perhaps MLB. I appreciate the article, Nick, and want to have hope for the future. However, Brooks has no skills to dream on - not an above average fielder, poor range, decent arm strength, no speed - and a far below replacement level SS or 3B. Baseball is a game of outs and Lee is a prodigious offensive outmaker. Sub-.300 OBP is not ever workable, particularly with the Twins feeble offense unless he is Ozzie Smith 2.0 (and he is not). I am extremely skeptical that Brooks can hone his command at the plate and get into hitters counts, take walks, and stop getting himself out at the MLB level. I hope I am wrong. At best, Lee is a rotational utility infielder. Let’s see what Kalen Culpepper can do in 2026. Alternatively, as the Twins purge the roster of players not part of the next competitive window in 2028, let’s see if the FO can identify and acquire high ceiling hitters, premium talent, or lotto tickets for Joe Ryan, Pablo Lopez, Ryan Jeffers, Bailey Ober, Brooks Lee, Royce Lewis, Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach …

I enjoyed your article, Alex. Thank you. A few other reasons: 6. Athleticism and energy - you missed the new /newish guys! Luke Keaschall, Alan Roden, Austin Martin, progress of the trade returns, the future with Walker Jenkins, Kaelen Culpepper, Emma Rodriguez - dynamic talents. The last calendar year of Twins baseball was boring, sluggish, dysfunctional, abysmal - don’t slug, don’t get on base, don’t take extra bases, poor to mediocre fielders (excluding Buxton), poor execution. Something was wrong and perhaps the reset will bring a more exciting brand of baseball and a more stable foundation. I know that am ready for energy, speed, and athleticism (slug and on base with competent relievers would be nice too). 7. You love baseball and the Twins. We have only so many seasons in us all. Enjoy baseball. Our beautiful outdoor stadium. Every day is an opportunity to see something new - amazing, crazy, silly, dumb, fortuitous, clutch, nightmarish plays from the best players in the world. 8. Renewal. Hey - as Twins fans, we lived through the cheapness of Cal Griffith, seeing Rod Carew, Johan Santana, Tom Brunansky, Frank Viola, Aggie, Jason Bartlett, Matt Garza, JJ Hardy, Carlos Gomez, our entire competent bullpen and Carlos Correa and lived to see new beginnings, wonderful/miserable returns, and we will get through this again. Interested to see how this plays out. With potential ownership changes, will the Twins keep Ryan, Pablo, Jeffers, and anyone else who does not fit the competitive window (2028?) or will the new owner extend Ryan and augment the team? We will see.

We have 0 MLB-ready SS in the system. Lee won’t stay on SS. Even Royce coming back at 100% - he will not stay at SS (3B, 2B or OF). Martin is not a SS. The FO likely has come to this conclusion. We will need to sign or trade for a premium SS - or we are not serious about contending in the foreseeable future.

Not a ton of options on the FA market. I would prefer Correa at SS to Judge for big $$$ - much more important position and system gap. Mitch Hanigar would look good playing a corner at Target Field in a Twins uniform. Could also see Wil Myers, Jurickson Profar, or Garlick. Best bet is Garlick and then Royce Lewis in LF/3B rotation.

Really enjoyed your article, Seth. Edouard Julien had a great first year and I am intrigued by the speed, pop, OBP combo. Where and when do you see him landing at Target Field if his development continues (a big if admittedly for prospects)? Thinking more broadly at the future middle infield of the Twins, I am skeptical about the ability for Martin & Lewis to stick at SS for different reasons (Martin seems to have a similar arm as Polanco and Lewis’ bat and hands/SS fluidity are iffy from Keith Law and others). Could Jermaine Palacios get a shot after a strong AA season last year? What is your view on him as a 24 year old prospect that showed more with the bat? Could this be a Miranda-lite non-linear prospect development or is he at best another utility guy that can play infield but not SS? And since he is not on the 40 man roster, could he open some eyes working with the full Twins staff? I would rather give him a shot than resigning Andrelton or an aging and defensively limited Iglesias on the cheap to bridge a 2022 season - if we have a MLB season. Thanks again for the article when we should be talking Twins spring training.

Great work, Seth! Really appreciate the article before Friday. A few questions for you and the forum: 1. Do you think the Rule 5 decisions give insight to the Twins 2022 reload (trades and fee agents to compete in 2022), retool (off season moves to be competitive in 2023-24), or rebuild (move mlb assets to be competitive in 2025+) plans? Or stated differently, do you think the Rule 5 strategy this off-season differs if the Twins are trying to win this year versus in a few years? 2. Do you think Wander Javier or Jermaine Palacios gets picked up if not protected? Twins depth is poor at SS IMO - particularly if Cavacao, Martin, or Lewis can’t stick? 3. What do you think about Severino as this year’s Baddoo? Thanks again!

I am not sure that this is the takeaway regarding Berrios. It seems that Berrios was set on becoming a FA once he got this close to FA rather than signing an extension. It is likely that the Twins $$ extension proposals were not in line with current FA starting pitching market, but it also seems from Berrios’ comments that he wanted to be a young SP FA and max his return. So the Twins had to move him. I completely agree on Buxton. We don’t know the $$$ on incentives that led to the breakdown, but I am afraid of a similar outcome with Byron and Berrios. And then the blueprint in 2022 looks very different for me. Appreciate your comment and dialogue.

Hey Cory - excellent, thoughtful, creative and realistic effort. Thank you for sharing. How many trade scenarios did you run through? I think the Twins and Marlins line up well for both clubs, I could see a trade for SP#2/3 with Miami rather than the Manea trade. And where do you think your team finishes 2022 based upon these moves? Thanks again - enjoyed your blueprint. Sean

With the Twins 2021 season hopes long gone, why do the Twins still keep Andrelton Simmons and JT Riddle on the Twins and Saints respective rosters? Wouldn’t it be helpful to evaluate potential 40 man roster decisions with promotions and pruning the AAAA veteran players that were important stopgaps if the Twins had injuries while competing for the playoffs but no longer needed for that role? I would like to see Jermaine Palacios at SS for the Twins or the Saints this year. Similarly, I would like to see Celestino for Cave, Miranda for Austudillo, Moran, Hamilton/Cano, Strotman up for Albers, Coloumbe, Barnes. What do you think? If we do not see the player on the 40 man next year, why wait? The development clock is ticking. As an aside,, if Maeda is out, it may trigger a more extensive rebuild in the off-season. Kepler, Donaldson, Duffey, Rogers and possibly Buxton - I hope not, his ceiling is so high we will never get equal value. Anyway, a refresh of the roster for the last month may help decision making and inject some interest - even if it disrupts the Saints playoff run.

Kirilloff and Edwar Colina. Everyone else has been lapped by the field in the minors, particularly Dobnak and Smeltzer. Twins bet on Dobnak with a new slider would improve him further and it was a disaster. Good luck, but next man up. Pruning this list helps avoid the next Baddoo situation.

I agree with these two items. Here is what I can not reconcile. The Twins came out last offseason and said, in essence, 'We need to change our pitching philosophy - no more 'pitch to contact' - we want power arms, miss bats, and we are going to take aggressive actions to change throughout our system.' TR then explained that these guys are tough to acquire because everyone wants and pays for power arms [generally agree]. To that end, the Twins draft, starting in 2012, had more power arms [check]. The Twins then traded Revere and Span for May and Meyer - AA power arms [check]. So far, so good. Here is where FO has lost me. One source of power arms - if this is our new philosophy - the new Twins culture - is the decisions made at the major league level. (1) Sign Correia to a 2 year (2 year!?!) deal (2) Sign Pelf (3) Do not sign Liriano as a high ceiling, albeit volatile/lower probability of improvement - but at a relatively low cost (4) Do not re-sign Baker (above average k/9) - even if this worked out for the Twins due to injury - the issue is with the inconsistency of message/failed implementation of the plan - if you want to miss bats, you sign Baker and Liriano [or Feldman, Sanchez, etc - guys that miss bats] - not Pelf, Correia, etc. (5) Retain a former MiLB soft-tosser pitching coach to change his pitch to contact philosophy and now implement a miss bats culture at the MLB level So what is the plan? And why stop at the minor league level? Finally, I am thrilled that Liriano is having success - and hope he keeps it up. And that the Twins learn from these developments. Do not give up on high ceiling talent - even if it is strong-willed. Pay for elite talent - and make that decision early. Invest in power arms - you can always find the Pelfs, Fiens, etc to supplement your roster - not be the core competency of the org.

"The model for the Twins is not the Yankees, Red Sox or Angels. It is a version of the Rays and As where they are able to hold on to some of thier stars instead of trading them away before they hit free agency." I agree, but a few quick points. The Rays and A's model is not the same. The Rays model is to identify elite talent early and sign them to long term deals buying out arb years and first year or two in free agency. Longoria was signed to deal after first game or two of MLB career. This should have been the Mauer approach - Twins would have saved approx $60MM. Other players, Rays make tough decisions and trade talented players earlier rather than later - see Garza, Edwin Jackson, Bartlett, Kazmir, as well as let players go for draft picks - Crawford, BJ Upton, Pena, etc. Oakland flips young players early for a new wave of talent, see Cahill, Andrew Bailey, Gio Gonzalez, etc. and hit on a few reclamation projects - Balfour, Reddick. In either case, these clubs leverage a healthy feeder system in the minors and restock with talent - selling high and early, instead of late or not at all. Agree with the Cardinals comment as well - great model. If the Twins utilized the Rays model, Mauer, Morneau, Johan, and Liriano, - elite talent - would have been signed to long-term deals (or if not, had been moved). Kubel, Cuddy, Nathan, Young, Willingham, Crain, Perkins, Hunter, Hardy, Punto, Baker, Pavano, Blackburn, etc. stars or solid major leaguers would have been moved a year or two too early for young, cost controlled talent. Even while competing. This is not the Twins way. In what appears to be a more risk adverse model, the Twins wait. And wait. And wait. For what I am not sure - perfect information? Whether it is mid 2000s and not seeing that Johan was an elite pitcher - sign him up - or that they had a logjam of young outfielders in the minors and majors in the early 2000s, or 2010-11 they do not make moves in fear of getting burned. In 2010, the Twins were stocked with plodding slugging OFs with soon to be elapsing contracts in a large Target Field. Rather than weeding and feeding - and perhaps bringing more speed (Revere and Span in the large OF) - the Twins kept all of them - Kubel, Cuddyer, Young, Span, Revere (plus DH Thome) - and trading Hardy (?!?) for a fast (?!?) SS in Nishi. By 2011-12, they were all gone. Why wait for it to play out? If Young is in your plans, sign him. If the club realized that Delmon was a terrible fielder with poor OPS, sell high. Instead the Twins waited and sold low. Even this year, Twins had some assets to move (Fien, Perkins, Pelfrey, etc). If they will not be core to 2015-16 squad, they should be moved for players that may be part of that club. Otherwise the team is treading water The talent run-off of the Twins has killed them, and this seems to be a function of the FO's strategy in managing baseball talent cycles, not bad luck. Success is a residue of design - and the Twins design (dumpster diving, collecting 5th starters, undervaluing starting pitching talent) is flawed. So now we wait and hope for 2015-16 for the next wave of talent. And hope is not a plan.

Like the threadstarter, I am trying to go to a game at all the ballparks. PNC is my favorite, with the riverfront and downtown views, walking across the bridge to the game, the huge statutes of Roberto Clemente and Pops Willie Stargell - and a beautiful intimate park. AT&T is a very close second - particularly on a warm summer day in the cheap seats overlooking the SF Bay. Our own jewel, Target Field, is third, with fantastic downtown views and modern architecture - only 'lacking' the beautiful waterfront views and splashdown opportunities afforded by PNC & AT&T Park. The List - 1. PNC, 2. AT&T Park, 3. Target Field, 4. Fenway Park - love the Monstah (even if in weird seats facing it in the RF corner), 5. Camden Yards - still looks as new as when it opened 20 yrs ago - the tie-in to the warehouse is perfect, 6. Wrigley's vined neighborhood park, 7. new Busch - great view of the Arch and St. Louis skyline in downtown - and agree with above, fantastic fans, 8. Comerica - incredible details, amazing monument area in the OF, 9. Coors with the Rocky mountains on one side and downtown on the other in a great lowertown area, 10. modern Petco Park off the Gaslamp neighborhood in beautiful SD, 11. Tiger Stadium - the park was in the hood, but players were larger than life on a field like Williams Arena - elevated grounds, no foul territory, cool overhang, very old school, 12. Safeco Field - so glad TF is uncovered, the umbrella structure took away from the views a bit, but great park in downtown Seattle, drawing in the architecture of the city, 13. Kaufmann - have not been since the renovation, but looked new and the fountains in the fountain city were pretty cool, 14. Citizens Park - very pretty structure, with great museum artifacts throughout the park (like Comerica and others), but out in stadium land without downtown views knocks it down my list, 15. Citi Field - looks great on the outside, particularly the rotunda, but a bit short of charm inside, 16. Yankee 2 - it is the most corporate of parks, 17. Yankee 1 - saw it at the best possible time - foggy evening, walked thru a tunnel towards home plate and saw lattice work and felt that Babe, Gehrig, DiMaggio, etc. won 27 championships there - monument park was cool, but very 80s plastic and lack of intimacy were negatives in my book, 18. Ballpark at Arlington - like Citi - looked great on outside, and a hodgepodge of old favorite features - lattice work of Yankee Stadium, quirky wall, overhang, etc. made it a bit contrived - still a beautiful park, 19. Miller Park - nice brick stadium in a good location for tailgating (brewer brats are legit) - and Wisco has its priorities, but roof wrecks views of - oh yeah, freeway - nevermind - a downtown open air park by the lake would have been awesome, 20. Progressive - saw it when it opened and liked it more then - not a ton of charm, 21. the aptly named Cell - can feel bullet holes in the facing from random gunplay by the Dan Ryan express - and love the barbed wire parking areas - seriously, could you put a generic new ballpark in a worse location - somehow fitting for the Whities - in fairness, have not been back since its renovation - is it worth it? 22. The Old Met - saw the last game there - not a beautiful place, but wonderful childhood memories of Rod Carew's run at .400 in '77, 23. County Stadium in Milwaukee - home of my first date with my wife - great memory, Harvey's Wallbangers with Molly, Yount and crew- and the Cleveland Indians in the movie Major League, 25. Busch II at least hey did a nice job of retrofitting baseball from the cookiecutter multiplex, 26. Shea - next to the airport - at least it was outdoors, 27. Riverfront, 28. Three Rivers, 29. the Vet, 30. the Dome in the summer - the Dome on Game 7 in 87 was something special - my ears are still ringing. Can't wait to see the LA parks, Miami, Atlanta, Houston, and Washington. Will wait to see TB/Oak in a new park. Fun times - saw 9 parks in 10 days on one great lakes trip. The top 15 parks are pretty nice. Enjoy

PNC is at the top of my list - see below

To the question at hand, the trade market for Morneau (and Mauer) should be explored and exploited if possible. More high ceiling MiLB power arms, multiple-tool SS, and C in the mix. If the market is not ripe, see if #33 would sign a reasonable extension. He can always be traded in the future, but a reasonable extension improves his marketability. As an aside, the Twins conservative approach to extensions is a flaw that needs to be fixed. Don't extend young marginal talent (e.g. Blackburn) and do not wait on future stars - Mauer should have had the Longoria treatment right after call-up. Finally, do not understand the fascination with Parmalee. He is replacement value at best. Subpar fielder at any position. Unremarkable hitter. I am fine giving him a shot, but he is not a solution to any Twins problem. And move Willingham if Twins get quality in return. Best case scenario in 2013 is 75 wins, which is not going to move the fans to the stands. However, hope sells.