Vanimal46

Over the off-season there will be PLENTY of chatter about the Twins. They're primed to be BOLD and make a YUGE splash in free agency. As a seasoned Twins fan I'm here to save you a bunch of time! The off-season is already predetermined, and your friend Vanimal found the transcript for the most DRAMATIC off-season yet... 10/9: Twins exercise Nelson Cruz' option 10/14: Jim Pohlad quoted in a Sid Hartman column "there will be no restrictions on payroll" 11/1: Ken Rosenthal tweets the Twins are one of several teams interested in free agent pitcher Gerrit Cole. 11/10: Jeff Passan tweets the Twins are attempting to schedule a meeting with Zach Wheeler's representation. 11/11: Zach Wheeler signs 4/$72 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. 11/12: Lavelle E Neal writes rushed blog post saying Wheeler's representation never returned the Twins' call. 12/1: Twins add 5 minor Leaguers to 40 man roster. Twins Daily writes that every player added has a floor of an average major league player, and a ceiling of a perennial all star. 12/4: Jake Odorizzi signs a 5/$75 million contract with the Houston Astros. 12/6: Pat Reusse writes column that the Twins gave an honest attempt to sign Odorizzi. Didn't want to commit to 5th guaranteed year. 1/13: Twins sign SP Homer Bailey to minor league contract with invite to spring training. 1/14: Twins season ticket holders receive automated email informing them prices will increase for the 2020 season. 1/27: Jon Heyman tweets the Twins make Gerrit Cole their top priority. 2/1: Dave St. Peter announces a new bar will be constructed 30 feet above the pitcher's mound held up by suspension cables! For $15,000 you can be RIGHT ON TOP of the action drinking your favorite local craft brew! 2/11: Lavelle E Neal reports Jose Berrios has turned down extension offer from the Twins. 2/15: Twins announce NEW FOOD offerings at Target Field. 2/26: Gerrit Cole signs 8/$275 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. 3/4: Twins sign free agent SP Tanner Roark to 1/$12 million contract with a team option for 2nd year. 3/13: Lavelle E Neal reports SP Brusdar Graterol is in team's plans to make opening day rotation. 3/14: Brusdal Graterol optioned to AAA spring training. 3/28: Twins realize they're still short 1 starting pitcher, re-sign Kyle Gibson to minor league contract with "opt-out" on May 1. You're welcome!

He may actually be the best QB in Minnesota sports! *Ducks*

“Sign or bail” with Twins FAs. What do you do? Odorizzi- Pineda- Schoop- Castro- Romo- Gibson- Perez- Cruz (rhetorical)

I like your tiers. I will argue Wheeler will be a top tier FA and get paid like one. I get the feeling Odorizzi will be a target for the Astros... They love pitchers who live in the top of the zone and if he goes there, they'll find another level to unlock with him. Rosario makes the most sense to trade but again, I don't think his trade value is very attractive. They would have to pony up a good value prospect along with him to get something decent in return. Finally, I would prefer not having any internal option, no matter how many, fighting for the #5 spot in the rotation. Go out and fill all 5 spots with veterans they think will help win.

There are no analytics, no rhyme or logical reason why the Yankees have dominated the Twins for so long.

We have a disgusting amount of time now to discuss Rosario's trade value. To get a start on it, I don't think we're going to like it. MLB player swaps rarely happen. What do we expect for a 1 WAR player on his last year of control? I doubt it's anything more than a Fernando Romero type... Someone who may have been a top prospect but struggling to live up to it.

Going forward I don't want the Twins to ever be in a situation* where they have to start a Dobnak type in the playoffs ever again. So tired of looking at box scores over the years and seeing Dobnak, Slowey, Duensing, Baker as a starter. *barring massive injuries

Sounds about right. Just wait until 2021 when the Twins sign that top end free agent! Nothing's gonna stop us then!

The 2nd inning was so painful. Bases loaded, no outs, and came up empty. I was thinking about turning off the TV then because they had no chance to win after that deflating effort. Probably should have so I wouldn't be so tired today.

Concur. I wish they would have set the tone better in game 1. That should have been mission critical to win. Stashak was a head scratcher in a 1 run game. Putting in a depleted Gibson waived the white flag. You can't prepare for the next day in the playoffs because there may not be a next day!

The Joker... Go see it.

Pitching wins in the playoffs. You need quality starting pitching. No surprise that in the playoffs so far, all but one winning team had their starter pitch 5 innings, with about half of them going 6+. The only exception is James Paxton going 4.2 IP against the Twins. Hopefully this is a lesson learned that you can't BOMBA your way through a playoff series with suspect pitching.

I've traveled to Nashville quite a bit lately because of my job. Their traffic is already getting bad... This would make it worse.

Row the boat!

Agreed. He's made tremendous strides over the last year getting his body in shape. As well as tweaking his swing 3 months ago. Before the team commits to him long term, I'd like to see him keep up the same habits. I wouldn't mind paying a higher price later on if he continues what he's been doing.

They should stand pat for the final 2 years of control. His value will be much different if he remains a 3B or moves to 1B/DH. He's trending in the right direction, which is crucial for him and the team's success. I am optimistic, but not willing to guarantee he will sustain his body just yet to make the commitment.

Do you think the Tigers also popped champagne for securing the #1 overall pick last night?

I think we all had doubts at different points in the season... That's being a Minnesota sports fan! My meltdown was the hot second Cleveland took a half game lead in the division. Thought that was a momentum killer for our Twins. I'm very glad to eat crow! They kept their foot on the gas and overcame a lot of obstacles to get here today.

Watching a good baseball team is a hell of a lot more fun than the despair we've watched over the last 9 years... Only the beginning! Why not us? Why not now!!

I would think so... Why do the Twins have to be on the hook for $6-8 million if he's out for the season?

This will be the easiest non-tender decision in the off-season.

Have no fear, it's just a bit on TD. People were literally saying him pitching on the same day he took a 2.5 hour flight was the reason his debut was terrible. The takes were HAWT and STRONG that day.

Bring on the Yankees. I'm ready to get the monkey off our back...

I've got a feeling Astudillo will be an "obscure" jersey at Target Field in no time.

Since we continue to see where he lacks, do we have to bring him back? When 86 MPH is all he's heaving, do we need to keep believing?