Cap'n Piranha

Wow, there are so many things wrong with your post, it's hard to know where to start. Here goes; 30% of 107.2M is 32.16M. For the Royals to have a payroll 30% higher than the Twins, their payroll would need to be 139.36M, far higher than their b-ref number of 131.3M. The real number is 22.5% higher--please review basic math before attempting to make these kind of statements. Next, we're not talking about what teams pay, we're talking about what the payroll is. When the Twins signed Nolasco, they didn't know he'd be injured, and they would claim insurance. When they signed Santana they didn't know he'd be suspended and they'd save money there, so that's a ridiculous statement on your part. Further, your numbers for next year are also off. If we assume that KC exercises all their options, their ESTIMATED payroll next year is 141.2M, while the Twins is 107.8M. Revisiting that pesky math again, a payroll 40% higher than the Twins would be 150.9M--the Royals payroll is actually "only" 31% higher. However, it's unlikely the Royals will exercise all their options; do you think they'll pay Alex Rios 12.5M? Do you think they're going to give Jeremy Guthrie 10M? I think they don't, so if you assume they pay maybe 10M to replace those two guys, the KC payroll next year is under 130, and the differential is actually only 20%. Finally, payroll on it's own doesn't guarantee success. Let's say the Twins this offseason sign Plouffe to a 6 year, 80M deal, bring back Boyer for 2 and 6M, sign Gibson to a 4 and 40 deal, and trade Trevor May and Polanco to the Padres for Shields. That would put our payroll around the 145M mark, and higher than KC's--do you think any of those moves makes us better than KC, or even better than we've been this year? Now, if you want to start using accurate numbers, and logic, I welcome your replies. Otherwise, go away.

I don't know why the Rockies would do this deal. I'd be fine with it, I just can't envision the Rockies saying yes to the straight-up offer proposed.

Buxton Hicks Sano Dozier Rosario Arcia/Kepler Mauer Suzuki/catcher we trade for Escobar HIcks will take pitches, giving Buxton a chance to steal. Sano will take pitches, giving Hicks/Buxton a chance to steal--Hicks/Buxton being on base will give Sano/Dozier more fastballs. Arcia gets 3 months at DH to show he can hack it, otherwise Kepler gets his job.

I have no problem with bringing back Hunter for next year, but ONLY if it's as a bench bat that will get 150 AB's. I think you can't discount the possibility that Hicks' progress this year has a lot to do with having Torii around to show him how to be a big leaguer, and I'd like that to continue next year, except that next year, Buxton can benefit too.

Good job trying to pull a ball 4 inches outside Torii. Great at-bat.

Why would you pinch hit Torii Hunter with two outs when he has to be followed by Shane Robinson, instead of FOR Shane Robinson, either with a runner on this inning, or leading off next inning?

Danny Gladden just said the Rangers shouldn't suicide squeeze because "Casey Fien has too many pitches you swing and miss at". Which of course is why he strikes out 5 per 9, because his stuff is so good.

So I listen to the Twins race out to a 4-0 lead, and then head off to a meeting. I return the Twins trailing 5-4, and the first play I hear upon resuming the feed is Hicks' RBI single. Fear not Twins faithful, no more meetings for me today.

Babe Plouffe!

Too many great bench options makes it hard for Molitor to pick only 9 guys?

The white of an egg.

It's hard to say what a "good" BABIP is, since hitters differ so much. IIRC, home runs aren't considered balls in play, so a guy like Dozier who hits a disproportionate number of homers will have a lower BABIP. Meanwhile, a guy who beats out a lot of infield hits with speed will probably have a higher BABIP. It's also in my opinion indirectly related to how many pitches a player swings at outside the zone (since those are more likely to be pop-ups or weak grounders), and directly related to hard hit percentage, since hard hit balls are more likely to be hits.

Is it possible Molitor thinks all Eduardos look alike, a problem which is exacerbated by them dressing alike?

According to SI, KC's opening day payroll this year was approximately $112M, while the Twins was approximately $108M (http://www.si.com/mlb/photos/2015/04/06/2015-opening-day-payrolls/17). Currently, according to spotrac's payroll tracker (http://www.spotrac.com/mlb/payroll/), KC is at $122M, the Twins at $103. Neither of these is anywhere near the 30 to 50% number you apparently guessed/made up.

You want to trade Buxton straight up for a guy who will be 27 before next year starts, has never played 130 games in any season, and has a career 100 wRC+ and .708 OPS. Thank goodness you're not the one making trades.

One edit--a no-trade clause does not mean a player cannot be traded, it means he can't be traded without his permission. That being said, I'm not sure why Mauer would grant that permission. His wife, kids, parents, and home are all in Minnesota. If he had this burning desire to win, he probably would have requested a trade at some point in the past 4 years. And given his lack of production, and 3 years left on his contract, the only player I could honestly see him being traded for this offseason is Robinson Cano (no thank you).

Shouldn't there be a law that requires there always be a player named Walker on the Texas Rangers roster?

I dislike the red unis, now almost exclusively because of their association with Mike Pelfrey.

This is an...interesting...decision. Make 'em pay Bocaton.

Yes, I think the Jays package is better. I don't know if TR ever offered the Rockies your proposed package; if he did than obviously the Rockies preferred the Jays package. If not, we'll never know. I think we absolutely could have made a package the Rockies would have preferred, but I'm assuming 3 out of Gibson/Berrios, Polanco, and Kepler are in it, unless we're including Sano or Buxton. Anyways, my point was that the Jays package isn't really that bad, especially if the Rockies can grab a couple more pieces by moving Reyes in the offseason or at the break next year, or if Tulo breaks down and declines.

Buxton 2 for 2 thus far in Rochester tonight...

I'd say it looks like the Twins left their bats in Toronto, but that would imply they actually had their bats in Toronto.

The Jays package was way superior to that Twins one. Reyes is far more valuable than Santana, and Hoffman has better numbers in the same league as Stewart despite coming off Tommy John. Miguel Castro struck out a batter/inning at 3 levels of A ball as a 19 year old last year while throwing up a 2.68 ERA and a .178 BAA. He's been worse this year, mostly because the Jays jumped him up too far too fast. Meanwhile, Meyer this year at 25 has a 5.97 ERA in AAA, so Castro is better than Meyer. So what it comes down to is Tinoco v Arcia. Tinoco turned 20 in April, and has been starting all year at low A, where he's put up a 3.30 ERA, 7.7 k/9, 2.3 bb/9, and a .266 BAA. Arcia turned 24 in May, and has only OPS'd .695 at AAA (despite his past power-hitting success), while striking out 29% of the time, and putting up a 4.1/1 k/bb ratio. Add to the fact that the Rockies can't DH him, and he becomes even less valuable. I think it's pretty clear to anyone that isn't over-valuing Santana/Stewart/Meyer/Arcia that the Jays package is better.

If I'm the GM in the offseason, I'm trying to trade both Plouffe and Dozier, which clears the way for Sano and Polanco. I'd see if the Brewers would be interested (a top 4 of Dozier/Braun/Lucroy/Plouffe isn't a bad place to start) for Tyrone Taylor and Jorge Lopez. Alternatively, I'd ask the Pirates for 2 out of McGuire/Ramirez/Tucker. I tell Torii he can stick around for $3M per year as a bench bat/spot starter at DH, with the understanding that he'll need to heavily mentor Hicks, Buxton and Rosario. I start with Arcia as my everyday DH, and give him until the Super 2 to prove he can stick, otherwise I'm trading him for whatever I can get, and calling up Kepler. Duensing, Fien, and Boyer are all gone, replaced by Tonkin, Oliveros, and Achter. Graham is sent to AAA, and Pressly is called up, and the if Jepsen falters, he's DFA'd and Meyer is brought up. I would get what I could for a package of Nolasco and Milone (throwing in coverage of Ricky's contract if needed), and let Pelfrey walk. Finally, I would actively seek SS or C upgrades, but wouldn't give up a ton for those. So, my roster would be as below. 1--Buxton--CF 2--Hicks--RF 3--Rosario--RF 4--Sano--3B 5--Arcia--DH 6--Polanco--2B 7--Mauer--1B 8--Suzuki--C 9--Escobar--SS Bench: Hunter Nunez Herrmann Nate Hanson SP--Santana SP--Hughes SP--Gibson SP--May SP--Berrios (Duffey if worried about Berrios' clock) RP--Jepsen RP--Pressly RP--Achter RP--Oliveros RP--Tonkin RP--O'Rourke CP--Perkins

His service clock has already started. In order to gain an additional year of control, wouldn't he have to stay in AAA until August? So no, if he starts in AAA, I think it will be because the Twins think Rosario, Hicks, and Hunter/Arcia/Kepler/someone else are better at that time.