Buford_T_Justice

Buxton replaces Grossman, and Santana replaces Hughes eventually. Not counting on May to be anywhere near what he was, but it’s nice to dream. Can Gordon play 3rd? If so, move Sano to DH and Morrison to bench bat. Grossman is odd man out.

I'll echo the Ron Davis love here. I was in high school when he was destroyed our playoff chances, including an epic meltdown against Cleveland at the end of the year. More recently, I would nominate Kendrys Morales. Good player, but absolutely horrible after a layoff to start the year. .234/.259/.325 in 154 AB with 1 freakin' HR. Then, of course, he's torching us the last 2 years in a KC uni. Schmuck!

Hi everyone, sorry I haven't commented in a while, but I remain a faithful reader. Part of me is bummed. I thought what happened last year (the .500+ record) should have occurred this year, but improvement (and degradation) are rarely linear. This is especially informative when considering prospects, which is something that Seth and so many others in this community have taught me. I'm a consultant, so I love change. I embrace the bejeezus out of it. So I'm ready for Ben Cherington. I'm ready for Kim Ng. I'm ready for whatever is next. Because being a fan isn't always easy and is never fair. We all signed up for this, and now we wait. #WorldSeries2019

I have read all of the commentary to this point. You are all correct and on point. Hughes needs the 2015 Nolasco treatment -- "Ricky? Haven't seen him. Have you checked the DL?" ********This comment brought to you by New Amsterdam gin********

More wins? Probably not. More tickets sold? Yes, but only temporarily. Better press conferences? You betcha. Fun for a while, not better.

Let's give one of the young guys a chance. We can pair Hey Didn't You Used To Be Phil Hughes and the washed up remains of Ricky Nolasco every 5th day, then the bullpen will only have to cover 3 more innings. Who's with me?

Watching the young players struggle reminds me that someone really wise (like Seth-wise but maybe not Seth himself) said that progress is rarely linear. Success in AA doesn't mean success in AAA and so forth. Still, I've been reading about and rooting for these guys for so long and feeling like this could be a great year...it just makes me want to drink more IPAs.

Seems like we have the most talented Twins team in years, but we're not sure how or even if the pieces will fit together. is our problem really at the bottom of the roster, or are some of you really concerned about the underpinnings of our starting lineup? I, for one, have some confidence in the spring process. Some will force a decision one way or the other, some will get hurt, and a few guys will prompt head-scratching. Appreciate everyone's thoughts, but there will likely be something that none of us expects that blows up many of many of our assertions. We may as well guess at those, too. Pick one or create your own! 1. Dozier hurt in spring training 2. Hunter goes to spring training, misses the team too much, and unretires 3. Vargas can't get his visa in time to join the team until March 4. Nolasco gives up only 4 hits and 1 run in the exhibition games 5. Santana looks great in CF, and Buxton starts 0 for 17 6. Nick Punto...oh, never mind

Does it work better if we swap Arcia out for Kennys Vargas? Milwaukee traded Adam Lind, so they need a 1B. Still, I would rather use Vargas in the probably-will-never-be-proposed trade for Lucroy...Murphy (because I don't think they want Suzuki at any price), Vargas and a decent prospect? Thanks to Jeremy for the mental exercise!

Couldn't have said it better myself.

I wouldn't be surprised to go north with a rotation of Santana, Hughes, Gibson, Nolasco and Milone. May starts out as long relief, with Duffey and Berrios going to AAA even though they have nothing left to prove there. I'll be less surprised when the vast majority of Twins Daily calls it a "worst case scenario." I'm not sure I would immediately join in, because that means that everyone is still healthy. While we wait for one of our starters to go on the DL, there is also a real possibility that some other team's #3, 4 or 5 starter goes on the DL and they look at our plethora of "innings eaters" as a possibility. By June, we could have easily replaced 4/5 of our rotation with better (although relatively untested) talent. Yes, it's ridiculous to be wringing our hands in December, but it's a way better use of my time than approving change requests. Keep it coming!

I've never heard of this projection before. I thought it had something to do with ranking the Pink Panther movies. Any of you old enough to remember Clouseau coming home at night? "KATOOOOOHHHH....KATOOOOHHH...where are you my little friend?" And then they beat the crap out of each other. Ah, good times.

Agree, with the caveat that Buxton won't necessarily open with the Twins so we can all be a part of the service time tomfoolery. For the first few weeks, then, the regular starting OF would be Arcia, Rosario and Sano. If I'm Shane Robinson, I would think I have some incentive to sign with the Twins. Buxton coming up permanently and playing full-time might be the trigger to trade Arcia or Plouffe. BTW, if I'm a Rochester Red Wing fan, I'm dreaming of opening day with Buxton, Kepler and ABW as the starting OF. That would be fun!

Would love to know if the "more lucrative offer" was from the Twins.

I have a proximity bias on Hicks. I've been watching and waiting for 3 years, and there was finally a glimmer of hope this year. I didn't want to see him go, and, in my tiny little mind, had him starting in CF to start 2016 and then becoming a pretty stellar 4th OF with plus defense, plus arm, decent on base skills and a little pop. I didn't even buy my |^|€}£¥ing Offseason Handbook yet and my little reality is shattered. Is this guy an upgrade on Herrmann? Sure. But at what price? It seems we're putting a lot of stock in this Park guy who isn't here yet, too much stock in Sano playing OF (and I'm not sure he plays 3B anyway), and one of Arcia or Vargas turning a corner. Am I prepared to see a Sano/Rosario/Arcia OF configuration on Opening Day? Sorry, everyone. I'm not a fan of this trade. However, I am convinced that Ryan is smarter than I am, and that he has purposefully made these moves well before the Winter Meetings. There must be more moves coming. Strap in my friends, and uncap another Fulton Ringer American Pale Ale. The Hot Stove season is upon us.