KirbyDome89

Adding one of the best pitchers in baseball to a rotation that desperately needs help would absolutely push this team beyond simply being mediocre. Teams reach an elite level my making multiple moves forward (from within and outside the organization) over time. Adding Syndergaard would be another step in that direction. I'll never understand the notion that a team needs to "wait," until they're "one player away," to add serious talent via trade or FA. If they won't trade for or sign anybody how can we expect that they ever reach that point? The "they're not there yet," argument becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

Regardless of how much payroll Cleveland sheds, the Twins should be in on this season. Here's to hoping we start the year with more than "fingers crossed."

If Austin's time with the Twins last season is a SSS (it is) then I have a hard time buying Cron's career year in 18' as a "track record." I'll take the guy making 500K who fails to control the strike zone, has zero positional flexibility, and is an average fielder at best over the guy making 5M with nearly identical attributes. Also I laughed my a** off at the notion that the Twins will simply cut bait with Cron in ST. This ownership literally sold a 2nd round pick rather than just rid themselves of a player who had proven over the course of 2 years he wasn't a capable MLB pitcher. They aren't going to simply piss away 500K no matter how insignificant we might feel it is in the big picture....

FWIW I'm still on the Buxton train. I can understand the skepticism. His defense has been elite since he stepped onto the field, but aside from an insanely hot July though September of 17' he's oscillated between atrocious and below average at the plate. I'm not sure I'd call Hicks a superstar but he's certainly better than Buxton at this moment. Honestly, if we're picking a team for only next year, is anybody choosing Buxton to start in CF ahead of Hicks? Each player may have broken out in 17' but Hicks followed that season up with an even better one while Buxton reverted back to a player who looked clueless with a bat in his hands. Maybe (hopefully) last season can be chalked up to injuries & mishandling, and Buxton bounces back similarly to Hicks. IMO a long term deal probably isn't in the best interest of either side right now. The Twins were content to gain an extra year, even if it meant pissing Buxton off. They might as well use it to see how this season plays out. If Buxton bounces back and they end up spending a little more they can consider it the fee for a more secure investment. I can't imagine Buxton is in any rush to sign a long term team friendly deal, especially after the way he was handled last season. Using last season as leverage, after stealing a year of service time from him, to coerce him into signing a deal that would pay well below what he stands to make as a FA assuming he can replicate some of his 17' season is a bad look for the Twins. Buxton is better off betting on himself.

"Communicative," "Culture-building/Positive thinking," All things the Twins organization needs. If Baldelli is half the guy he sounds like then this should work out really well.

A hard-line stance is the easiest to take.

Remember a few hours ago when the Twins needed to cut him?.....

His flaws as a manager were certainly irritating. It felt like the season was building towards this, and I don't really have an issue with the move. That said, Molitor took more heat than he probably deserved, this season especially, and he was the scapegoat for organizational and personnel failings. Such is being a manager I suppose.

That's a lot of love for Pineda and Odorizzi. Pineda hasn't started 20 games in a season since 15', he's coming off TJ, and he's already been injured during his rehab. I hope the Twins aren't relying on him as a significant contributor. Odorizzi has turned in a few good starts in his last 5 or 6 games but he's been largely the same pitcher all season. He doesn't throw enough strikes, he struggles to get through five innings, and he can't face a lineup three times through. If he's your fifth starter you live with it. Gibson has been a solid middle of the rotation arm this season, Berrios is a lock, and Romero shows promise but beyond that things are hardly settled. The goal shouldn't be to bank on the best possible outcome. This unit is far from ok.

Sure, and every employee wants to make more while every employer wants to pay them less. Arbitration is a negotiation process. There was no negotiation with the Buxton situation. The Twins took back a FA year from him. Not only does he stand to lose a hell of a lot more than a few thousand bucks, but there's also little he can do about it apart from filing a grievance, and good luck with that. There's a difference between being unable to come to an agreement on a raise, and an employer actively preventing you from reaching a raise. I don't think I've been overly harsh on this FO at any point during their tenure. You don't see any validity in criticizing the human element of their decision? Like I said, I agree that money matters above all else. I have 0 faith in this organization outspending other teams though. The Twins operate within the margins because they choose to. IMO the weeds matter in case.

The Twins gave themselves the opportunity to manipulate his service time by mishandling him early in the season. Then they set themselves up to do it when they optioned him during his rehab assignment following his DL stint, after they rushed him back from the toe injury. If he's allowed proper time to rest and rehab the toe injury his service time never becomes an issue. IMO the idea that Buxton played himself into this situation is just scapegoating for the FO.

Well, no, my point is that the decision reaches beyond Buxton. If you're working for a company; you watch a coworker get f***ed over on a bonus, and you're due to negotiate your next contract there, you don't think that situation plays any part in how you handle the upcoming negotiation? Every club fills a roster. I understand that. You're asking for evidence where neither of us can provide any. It's my opinion that a move like this leaves a sour taste in the mouths of players & agents. I can't say with any certainty how or if it affects negotiations. By that same token you can't use the fact that every teams fills an active roster as evidence that no player has ruled out particular organizations or ownership groups based on reputation/culture. It's openly agreed upon that variables like climate, business opportunities, cost of living, ect influence the decisions players make. I'm not sure why it's so controversial to think that franchise reputation/culture plays a role as well.

Johnny Field Matt Belisle Chris Gimenez All of them have been terrible major league players this year. You can't tell me with a straight face that performance is what kept Buxton off an EXPANDED roster.

Of course, I think that's part of the reason the "FAs don't like MN," thing is overplayed. Do you believe the Twins are a franchise willing to throw those zeroes out? I don't, and if you're a mid market club that is notorious for being cheap I don't see how adding the reputation of player manipulation is harmless. Hyperbole? We know the players Miami did sign. We have no idea who may have ruled them out. The effect on other players and agents might be more indirect, but IMO this decision directly impacts the negotiations they'll have with that group they tried to extend last offseason.

You don't think players inside the Twins clubhouse and across the league, as well as agents, have paid attention to how this situation has unfolded? Can you name another instance where a player who put up 5+ bWAR the previous season and won the Platinum Glove was left off expanded rosters to stop his service clock? Kris Bryant hadn't spent a single day with the Cubs when they decided not to bring him up. Buxton has been accruing time for 3+ seasons.

Agents of potential draft picks take notice. Players on the team that need to be extended (Berrios, Rosario, ect.) take notice. Players around the league, including potential FAs, take notice. The Twins are getting attention for all the wrong reasons right now. The downside to this decision goes beyond just damaging the team's relationship with Buxton.

3/4 full of what though? Hope? A broad perspective has to include looking backward as well as forward. Supplementing major league talent with a stocked minor league system + money to spend was supposed to have this team currently competing, hence the "grousing." I don't believe this record is entirely indicative of the talent level on the team but I certainly understand why others are tired of being sold hope while the timeline constantly shifts.

The FO only inherited Molitor for the 17' season. They signed him to a 3 year extension after that year. Whatever role he plays in this mess can't be viewed as out of the hands of this FO.

That very well could be the case, and it certainly wouldn't shock me, but I do find it odd that they would've kept so many who contributed to the organization falling to that level.

Nice to see Belisle finally pushed his number of ERs ahead of his IPs. I'm not sure Austin's strikeout numbers are all that encouraging. His number of PAs with the Twins is just over half of what he had for the Yankees this season. A few more Ks while rounding out those last 50+ PAs and his K% is pretty close to the 40% mark it was at when he left NY.

Gimenez, Belisle, and Johnny Field are all on the active roster right now. Blinders is looking at that trio and saying they should be getting innings rather than Buxton....

Then at the very least the Twins know he shouldn't start next season on the active roster and we don't have to watch him struggle to start the year again. I'd rather he try to apply adjustments during a meaningless month than during games that actually matter next April.

Spot on. It's important to remember why Cave, Drake, Austin, ect are on the active roster. I hated the Sanchez signing and couldn't have been happier to see him go, so I can't really get on the FO for cutting bait early on what looked like a horrible decision from the get go.

The gap was in reference to the odds that he's claimed vs the odds he's selected in the Rule V. I'll be shocked if nobody takes a chance on him if he's left unprotected. IMO they're going to have to add him to the 40 man to keep him. I agree, he might not be a big loss, but at least this way they'll have something to go off of before making that decision.

Agreed, I can understand falling on either side of the comments.