rujellis

Another reason its hard to answer is we don't know the alternatives. Falvine should know who would be on their shortlist, so that becomes another measuring stick for Molitor. Personally, I just want fresh...the proverbial turning of the page, blank slate, etc. This off-season with cap space, prospects, etc. it seems we are going to see the next 'wave' come in and I want a new manager in place to grow with them and create a new Twins identity. With all that said, I am not in the camp that would say anyone is upgrade to Molitor which is why Falvine needs to weigh him vs. who's on their shortlist. I won't revolt if Molitor still in place, he has shown some ability to adapt(i.e. shifts, bunting, moving Dozier out of leadoff) and perhaps bullpen usage is his next adaptation.

For me the other point of assessment for a manager is player development...but it still falls in category of 'what percentage of blame/credit should manager get?' Rosario, Berrios, Escobar, Gibson, Kepler(vs. LHP), etc. Was Molitor an important part of those guys making some improvements? Did he have conversations that allowed some sort epiphany for these guys? Does he get credit for helping make Adrianza, Cave, serviceable fill-ins this year w/ potential of being quality bench options in future? Its impossible to quantify, but for me needs to be part of the equation for Falvine.

My 'issue' with Dozier is that he is an expiring contract and all must go. :-) Now is the time of year teams that have no/low odds of making playoffs get excited about trading everyone. There is this anticipation as you are hitting the refresh button that the shiny new minor league prospect is going to be a key cog for years to come. Its a bit like how opening boxes/packs of baseball cards was for me...you go to Shinders (w/o the knowledge that all the good cards have already been siphoned) and you flip through card after card until you see that Rich Becker rookie card and you proclaim 'This might be worth something someday'. 2 years later you are trying to convince your slightly dumber friend to trade for it because it says 'Premier Prospect' and its still really valuable.

Dozier getting announced tonight in front of his former organization and fan base is my 'hot take' for the night. We typically like to boo opposing players once they are traded or sign elsewhere...does he get booed?

1.) Where are you from? - Inner burbs of Minneapolis 2.) Age Range? - 30's 3.) What brought you to Twins Daily? Gleeman and Geek podcast 4.) Highest level of baseball/softball played? 1 nondescript year at Winona State, followed by a very slightly less nondescript year at Augsburg. Lucky enough to coach VFW baseball for 10 years. 5.) Favorite Twins Player, and favorite underappreciated Twins player, and if you want, favorite current Twins player? Johan Santana 6.) Favorite non-Twins Daily site/authors? Fangraphs 7.) Favorite Twitter follows? Rob Friedman 'Pitching Ninja' 8.) Other interests outside of baseball. My kids, Golf, Green Bay Packers, and the rest of the non-Minnesota Vikings Minnesota sports teams. 9.) Favorite part of Twins Daily... minor league reports, generally knowledgeable discussion 10.) Tell us what we can do better. What features or other topics would you like to see in-season or out of season? More minor league analysis, less about prospects, more about breaking down trends, player development, organizational philosophy, etc. You know...the fun stuff. 11.) Have you been to any of the Twins Daily "events?" Nope

I guess I look at it as I would have cut Zach Duke or severely limited his role post trade deadline to open a spot for Busenitz, Curtiss, Bard, Slegers, Duffey, May, etc so getting a lottery ticket and a reclamation project is just a bonus. Its not a deal where you get excited about return but rather what the deal allows you to do. Now if they go and promote DJ Baxendale, hide the women and children cause I will raze this place to the ground...;-)

Apparently someone called Luis Rijo is coming to Twins too.

I tend to agree w/ Szymborski. But I am holding out judgement on the trade deadline until we see to what degree they are being 'patient'. If in fact, its true they were willing to extend Escobar but were not close on terms...to me it could signify they are serious about giving it another run next year rather than stockpiling for 2-3 years down the road. And in which case, I am glad they got what they could from Escobar now. But then that should also mean that outside of very top prospects being available they wouldn't really entertain trading Gibson. So we will see...

Actually, I think once we get rid of Rodney, Gibson, Lynn, Santana, Duke, etc. Belisle will actually have the role he was originally brought in for...there will be so many young guys that Belisle can mentor that he will finally live up to his value. And FWIW, I do think its an important role. Young guys do need some help with routine, preparation, getting through life on the road, etc. I just wish we could find someone that can also be useful in a game.

Fixed

As long as they started with Escobar, I say you might as well go all in with the blow up. I had the thought that if its only Lynn, Rodney, Duke, etc. than Twins are keeping the core intact just in case we get hot, but also trying to open up time for youngsters too. But you start by getting rid of a core guy like Escobar, and I hope they go all the way with it. Get creative and allow the entire 40 man to re-shuffle. I do pause a bit on Gibson given we have needed pitching for so many years, but I won't be heartbroken either.

Seems low risk, low reward. If he sucks, then he was just blocking someone in AAA as mentioned above. If he is good, then would we really want to compete with others to sign Chris Tillman in the offseason? The right answer is no and in which case we just paid him to audition for other teams. :-) With all that said...in a scenario where Lynn, Gibson, Santana are all traded, I can see a veteran flier on someone like Tillman for insurance, so we aren't rushing any AA pitchers to fill some spots.

Its possible there is more to it, but the key difference between the two is defense. Buxton batting .200 at least still gives you the best defensive CF in baseball. Sano batting .200 leaves us w/ a below average defender or him fighting w/ another .200 hitter for the DH spot.

How could you forget A.J Achter? The diamond in the rough they drafted in the 46th round of the 2010 draft. He gave us 18 'strong' games across 2 seasons. :-) Your point still stands. But I do think its a crapshoot for almost all teams. And you also have to weigh quality of ML contributors vs. quantity. 1 small example would be the Yankees...they had more players drafted(+11 rounds) who contributed in the majors, but only had 1(David Phelps) who had a WAR above 1.6. Whereas Twins had 2 (Hildenburger- 1.6 & Rogers- 1.8). For comparison sake, I long think of STL as having one of best player development systems and they only had 6 players with a +1.6 WAR over that same span...but managed to pull some higher quality from their 6(Carpenter-22, Rosenthal-5.8, Adams-6.1 Siegrist- 4.4, etc.) The Twins haven't found that diamond in the rough that can cover for a bad 1st round or 2nd round pick in a draft year.

If you want to debate realistic scenarios(and I am not saying any of the above aren't realistic) than you need to care about your club's history of spending. Otherwise, I would really like us to give Darvish 250m, Harper 350m, and Kershaw 450m because who cares about the payroll...:-) Personally, I am more likely to sign a reliever than I would be giving up major assets or prospects to get one via trade. A true high leverage reliever is perhaps the exception, but I don' think there are really that many available out there either.