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KirbyDome89

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Everything posted by KirbyDome89

  1. KirbyDome89
    I've never said it wasn't a business move, nor that the Twins were wrong by any legal standard. Buxton didn't "put himself," in that position though, the Twins chose to send him home. Again, look at the 40 players on the roster to end that year and tell me every single one of them was better than Byron Buxton; you can't. If you watched employees that you, and everybody else knew were inferior to yourself be promoted over you, and you found out that the reason for your lack of movement was that the company wanted to avoid paying you a bonus, you wouldn't be pissed? There would be no hard feelings towards your employer? I'm not calling you a liar, but I am pointing out that the anger over his on field performance is coloring the view of his service time manipulation to the point where he apparently isn't even allowed to be upset about having a year of FA taken from him.
  2. KirbyDome89
    I keep seeing the same 3 arguments being beaten to death here: 1) He didn't "deserve," a call up - Please, read through that September roster and then tell me there wasn't room for Buxton. 2) He needed to gain confidence - I'm not sure how refusing to give PT to somebody instills confidence. Also, lets be honest, September rosters are full of guys that'll never have big league careers, i.e. an extension of the competition he was seeing in the minors. 3) He needed to develop in the minors - His minor league season was over. They literally sent him home while the big league club played another 15+ games. Players don't develop by not being on the field. You can be disappointed in Buxton's development to this point and still acknowledge that the decision to send him home that September was 100% motivated by service time. I'm guessing if we took a TD poll, an overwhelming majority would say they expected more from him this far into his Twins career. Calling him "clueless," for answering a question posed by local media, at a charity event he voluntarily flew back to attend in the Twin Cities, just months after the organization essentially stole a year of financial freedom from him, feels like a bit much. IMO the angst over his performance is misplaced when this topic comes up. Anybody on this board would feel the same way if they were on the receiving end of contract manipulation.
  3. KirbyDome89
    Those were considered team friendly deals before either player started this season. It's a even larger W for the Twins in retrospect, especially if their level of play in 19' can be sustained. That type of deal throttles Buxton's earning potential. He's already an elite defender, he's a freak athlete, and we've seen what he can do when healthy. If I'm him on gambling on my performance paying out a higher dividend via arbitration too. His gripe is that his service time was very obviously manipulated. His decision not to accept a team friendly contract offer doesn't change that fact. Despite all the hand wringing over whether or not he deserved to be on the roster, it's actually a pretty easy case to make. Look at the September roster from that season and ask yourself whether every player on it is better than Byron Buxton.
  4. KirbyDome89
    He's putting up similar or better numbers, he's 4 years younger, and he's doing it in the in AL. If we're drafting a team it's an easy call which guy you're taking first.
  5. KirbyDome89
    Cole and Strasburg aren't turning down blank checks. If (when) MN doesn't land either, it'll be because they weren't the highest bidder. Period. Wheeler isn't near the pitcher Berrios is. Acquiring him isn't landing an ace. He's also closer in age to Gibson than Berrios. How long do the Twins have to wait for that "future potential?"
  6. KirbyDome89
    This team needs to start putting some arms around Berrios that aren't stop gaps. If Pineda is the 5th spot in the rotation then a short term QO is fine. If the intention is to bank on a guy who's already a serious health risk to repeat this last season and be a top of the rotation starter then it's a hard pass. High caliber internal arms aren't exactly knocking at the door, there's Graterol and then a group that barely got a taste of AA or hasn't even reached that level yet.
  7. KirbyDome89
    Except there isn't a guarantee they'll be back next year. We assume the good will get better while the bad will be improved upon, but that just isn't likely. How many guys had breakout seasons this year? Are we expecting them all to avoid regression and build on 19'? Does Cruz continue to defy age and stay healthy/productive? Does Buxton stay on the field this year? Does Berrios finish strong? Ect, ect, ect... They need 4 starting pitchers; does this franchise decided to spend $$ and prospects to fill out the rotation despite serious aversion to both avenues? They're going to need bullpen help too. MN can hide or shuffle guys through a 13 man pen in the regular season but we saw what happened to the "elite," bullpen when lesser arms were forced to get outs against a playoff lineup. Outside of addressing internal issues the Twins also have to contend with divisional teams. Detroit and KC will almost certainly be terrible again, but if the Sox decide to be even a .500 team, it makes the path to the postseason already more difficult than this year. Then there's Cleveland. Are we banking on them being without 3/5 of their starting rotation for nearly the entire year again? Do we hope that Lindor and Ramirez miss a month+ each? For as injury ravaged as some moaned the Twins were, the Indians had it worse, and still almost took the division. The Twins had a lot go their way in 19'. IMO it would be irresponsible to set that as the starting point from where they go this offseason. The hard part is done, i.e. they've got the structure to build around, at least position player wise. It's a question of whether they'll commit to putting together a serious contender, and how honest they'll be about areas of deficiency at this point.
  8. KirbyDome89
    I hear you on the lack of good arms in the pen. I've been pushing back against the "elite bullpen," narrative over the last week, so we agree there; Rocco is going to have to throw those guys, especially with a 12 man staff, and it's unfortunate for him. That said there's validity to the argument that picking and choosing when/where to throw them could've made a difference. If Berrios comes out for one more inning, Rogers throws 2, and Romo throws 1, they still have May and Duffey. There's no guarantee MN gets through that sequence unscathed but it's certainly preferable to Littell, Stashak, and Gibson. I do think Rocco deserves some heat for the way the game was managed. They seemed to be holding back, and in a 5 game series that make absolutely no sense.
  9. KirbyDome89
    I think their comfort level with the status quo definitely hurts right now, but I'm not sure how much having the extra game at home factors into it. Damn, I thought I was the resident pessimist in comparison to some here. I'll be at game 3 so hopefully I'm not watching MN get swept out at home. My head says NY in 4, my heart says MN in 5.
  10. KirbyDome89
    Severino is a 2X AS and according to both him and his team he's healthy. That simply is a quality arm. I'm not sure how a guy with 28 career Major League innings can be that underrated but regardless of where you feel he his, it isn't anywhere near Severino; this isn't a push.
  11. KirbyDome89
    Dobnak has made 9 appearances and in 5 of those games he threw 3 or fewer innings. Two weeks ago was the first time he's thrown more than 4 innings in a game. Severino, even with a pitch count of 80, can give NY that kind of distance, so we're really talking about talent, and that easily favors NY.
  12. KirbyDome89
    Jose Berrios 2nd Half: 4.46 ERA, OPS against went from .671 to .755 and his SO/W went from 4.52 to 3.25 James Paxton 2nd Half: 3.63 ERA punctuated by a 1.05 ERA over 5 September starts Odorizzi has better numbers than Tanaka essentially all year, with each having their own rough patches so if you're a believer in him not giving up homers at Yankee Stadium that's your advantage. Severino is a no brainer over Dobnak. If Severino is healthy, and it appears he is, the lack of innings shouldn't matter. It seems silly to knock him for throwing only 12 innings when Dobnak has tossed 28 in his entire career. I'd take Rogers over any of the back end guys mentioned, but May and Duffey aren't on par with any of the 3 big arms at the back of the NY pen. May has turned it on this half and Duffey has been solid all year when given the opportunity and maybe this is their coming out party but IMO that's still advantage NY. As far as the rest of the bullpens go NY: Gearrin, Hale, Cessa, Kahnle, Green, ect... MN: Littell, Stashak, Romo, Graterol, Smeltzer, ect... That feels like a push. I won't feel particularly confident watching some of those guys take the mound for the first time, although NY fans probably feel the same after watching that series at Target Field. If the Twins have an advantage, it's that they have an offense capable of keeping them in every game. They've shown time and agin this season they're capable of whittling away leads or downright exploding to take over games. I'm excited to watch them swing the bats, i'm anxious about how the pitching staff will perform, especially in NY.
  13. KirbyDome89
    I blame this on them pitching him immediately after getting off the plane following the trade....
  14. KirbyDome89
    “Dyson, however, informed the Twins shortly after joining them on July 31 that he has been pitching with some discomfort, dating to a July 15-17 series against Colorado. He said he’s had aches before and ad pitched through them.” If Dyson sought treatment while with SF and it was omitted in his medical records the Twins have a case here. If he told the Giants staff about his soreness and that he was fine pitching through it as he had in the past, and treatment wasn't necessary, then the waters become murky. I suppose you could argue that morally the Giants are shady by not disclosing that Dyson had some discomfort but I'm not sure they're obligated to disclose that if Dyson himself isn't claiming any aliment.
  15. KirbyDome89
    Perez has been worse over a longer stretch? Idk 6 locks plus 2 near locks along with Stashak & Littell means you're taking 2 of 3 from Graterol, Perez, and Thorpe. IMO it's pick your poison at that point.
  16. KirbyDome89
    I wouldn't feel particularly good about anybody on the 1-10 list entering a playoff game. Half of the locks or near locks are hard to feel confident about. If they're going to carry Graterol and Thorpe then your 12th man as a LOOGY is a wasted roster spot. If they're planning on bullpen games they need somebody who can give them more than 1 out against a LHB. Perez looks awful; even as a LOOGY I don't want to see him.
  17. KirbyDome89
    The Twins approached each of them and they both passed. I'd guess each could've had deals similar to what Polanco and Kepler accepted but they voted to gamble on themselves. It'll likely work out in Berrios' favor and possibly Rosario's as well. I doubt Polanco and Kepler signing deals pisses them off; the amount they were offered by MN on the other hand is another story.
  18. KirbyDome89
    Or maybe Baldelli is shrugging it off publicly as to not make a scene while privately admonishing Rosario. It certainly wouldn't be the first time a coach falls on the sword publicly and honestly I don't have a problem with it.
  19. KirbyDome89
    He's averaging a hair over 5 IPs during that stretch so setting the bar at 3 runs isn't terribly impressive. More encouraging is that he's pitched well against twice against Cleveland and once against Atlanta during that stretch.
  20. KirbyDome89
    Berrios has had a tough 2nd half no matter which way you spin it. Perez has been "that bad," since June. Unless it's mop up duty I don't want to see him throwing pitches in the postseason.
  21. KirbyDome89
    It shouldn't matter, but I'm pretty sure it's been implied 2x now. Stating for a friend of course.....
  22. KirbyDome89
    They might not have a division lead without him pitching through July and August. He definitely screwed the team, but not in that way.
  23. KirbyDome89
    So are we allowed to disagree entirely with this premise or do we have to play along? Asking for a friend.....
  24. KirbyDome89
    That timeline doesn't make it any less suspicious. Whether he's taking the drug early season, mid season, or at the end, they all have benefits. Neither if more likely than the other because we've heard nothing about why the suspension was reduced. All the protocol in the world can't remove human error, and that assuming it was even human error and not an issue with the protocol itself. If he's masking, it'd be in his best interest not to reveal that the suspension was reduced due to a technical issue. It also wouldn't jive with the explanation he gave for the drug use, which lets be honest isn't the most sound or convincing story.
  25. KirbyDome89
    Are we going to lump their April/May performance in with the rest of the season and pretend it's indicative of where they're at right now? They outperformed those two months. Martin Perez and Jake Odorizzi aren't those pitchers, and they aren't producing near that peak. The bullpen benefitted greatly from starters going deep into games and lots of days off early in the year; since then they've been exposed. They were able to hide and protect guys in the pen and I'm glad they were, because the Ws they banked are the difference between winning the division and playing in the wild card. How many solid bullpens could drop their 8th inning setup man and watch him go unclaimed? Parker still ranks 8th amongst all Twins pitchers for WAR, and hilariously he shares that spot with both Gibson and Perez. Look at the 1st and 2nd half splits. The staff ERA rose over a full run from May through August. They're league average in the 2nd half in terms of OPS+, and that's with the benefit of pitching in easily the worst division in baseball, and in the AL where nearly half the teams have a shot at losing 90 or more games. The disparity between playoff teams and non-contenders is vast. If the Twins rank near or at league average it tells me what I already know, they've got an offense that will carry them and a staff that's good enough to weather a poor division but won't stack up come October. If that was goal then mission accomplished I guess, but in 3+ years I was hoping for more significant change, especially when this FO was handed this core group of position players.
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