theBOMisthebomb

We need to address the closer issue. Perk has broken down in the second half the last few years and really cost us in last year's WC chase.

Good memories. Do you feel this group over achieved or under achieved? My heart says over but my brain says under with ony one playoff series victory. The group I grew up with was the 1987 and 1991 teams and I heard the legends of Killebrew, Carew, etc. as history. Hard to believe another round of Twins history is cycling through. The future is bright again with Sano, Buxton, Kepler, etc. That's why I am a fan for life.

Sign him. We might have a chance to make some noise in the playoffs for the first time in a decade plus. What is there to wait for? 1991 was a long time ago...

Agreed. Seems like part of the (implied) deal that came with Target Field was that the Twins would be more aggressive in the free agent market. While the Twins have made some more aggressive free agent deals since playing at Target Field (with varying and mostly disappointing results) I also have no clue why fans would worry over spending too much money. This franchise has under spent its entire existence. How about we overspend for a few years (wisely) and reap those benefits.

Bastardo's stuff is dirty so we should sign that dirty Bastardo.

Bench Mauer if he is the worst option between Park, Sano, Plouffe, and Mauer. Why are we obligated to play old Joe because of his salary?

I am thankful for the baseball scene in the Twin Cities. The Twins had a surprisingly successful 2015 which we were privileged to enjoy in one of the best ballparks in MLB.The Saints opened a beautiful new ballpark in 2015 where we could enjoy their wacky version of entertainment/baseball in comfort and style. Here's to the Twins making the playoffs in 2016 and providing another entertaining year of baseball.

Agreed we need a larger sample size. I do feel it is something to be aware of and monitor next season.

Math: Murphy had a grand total of 284 PAs in the majors. According to this 8.7% of the pitches thrown to him were curves. So, this argument is made based on a grand total of 25 pitches? Being an auditor at trade I am scratching my head at the math. Did he only face one pitch in each of his 284 PAs? 284X1= 284X.087= 25 pitches. Was the one and only pitch he faced in each of 284 PAs only ever a curveball? Unless I am missing something here Murphy has faced more than 25 curveballs, maybe somewhere in the 50-75 range. Still, it is a major red flag that he has 0 of them solidly and definitely something to watch. Great research, Parker.

Pinto seema to be the mystery here. Once the Twins are able to cut Zook loose after 2016 does a Murphy starter/Pinot backup tandem at catcher surface as a possibility? It sure has a ton of upside. As far as Mauer, it would be great if they reduced his role in 2016 as you suggest but they are handcuffed by the big salary and loyalty. Molly and TR won't have the stomach to bench him before 2017 at least so let's hope old Joe has that resurrection. Play Buxton and Kepler in the outfield in 2016 as much as possible as early in the season as makes sense.

Feels a bit like a Kevin McHale deal. The guy has one big game against us so we overpay and ignore the rest of his body of work. Good point is we did get a catcher who (hopefully) turns into the long-term solution.

Serious consideration should be given to benching Mauer if we cannot deal Plouffe this offseason.

Maybe AJ for the fun aspect he would bring now that Torii is gone. Also,agreed that AJ would be a good platoon with Zook. The rest 100 percent no way Jose.

I remember Gibson screaming F-bombs directly into the camera in the dugout and it not being censured. Didn't the player's wives bring whistles to Detroit and make a ruckus in the stands? Great memories, nothing will top the '87 and '91 championship runs. Maybe if the Vikings ever win the Super Bowl...

Nice to see Sano's season in context. He made such a splash that it was frustrating and felt like he was struggling when not hitting a homerun per game. Would you give more stats on Buxton? Buck obviously has the upside but needs to produce on the field. Does the surprising +.500 record this year hurt Buck's chances to start 2016 in Minnesota since we are now expecting to contend?

Perkins gets 9 points but Milone and Duffy no points? Who voted for this award, Perk's family and close personal friends.

I agree that the second to last homestand was a disaster - I had the misfortune of being at the blown six run lead against the Angels. Overall, it stings a bit they didn't make the playoffs but the hope for great things (like WS rings) in the future is there. I'd like to see a move at catcher and for them to address the Mauer situation.

Sweet,I will also be there tonight but will wear the Zubaz loud and proud. We might actually need the stocking cap.

I trust him but not 100 percent. This middling level of trust only comes because of Perk's experience (and I shamefully admit I also place some trust in him because he is one of us). He did look good two outings ago.

Don't be afraid Grasshopper. The Twins will win plenty of these final 13 games to stay in the mix until the end. Have faith.

Time for our Santana to earn those millions tonight - Smooth.

A sweep is needed.

If that's the case then why not run it like the high school playoffs and have everybody make the playoffs and just seed them 1-30 and be done with it. Of course there is some subjective line drawn to determine who makes the playoffs, there could be no other way. The one game playoff is what cheapens the game and ruins the integrity. They play 162 games for 6 months and it comes down to one game? In baseball? Maybe in football that is a legitimate solution to determining a champion but not baseball. There is a reason why they have played 5 and 7 game series over the history of playoff baseball - any valid big league club has a pretty decent chance of beating another big league club on any given night (more so than in any of the other major sports). It never has been a one game series in the playoffs until this second wild card team was introduced. If we have our hearts set on expanding the playoffs, why not shorten the regular season back to 154 games, expand the playoffs to 16 teams, and then play a full and legitimate playoff series the first round. Byes and 1 game playoff series make MLB seem to me like a slow pitch softball tournament run on a weekend on the fly by people making the rules up as they go along. I get the reasons why MLB keeps expanding the playoffs but don't agree with the rationale. Again, I am still against the DH in the AL so realize I am old school and probably going against the grain of what the majority of the casual fan supports.

I don't like the new WC format - it cheapens the integrity of the game and the 162 game schedule. It turns the MLB playoffs into something that resembles a beer league softball tournament. I do agree with you that we are experiencing the WC benefits this year with the Twins but the few teams it impacts positively every year does not compensate for the negatives of the extra WC team. Mind you, I still think the DH is sacrilege.

How much concern should we have regarding Sano's decreased productivity? It seems the league might have "figured him out" after his initial splash.