MileHighTwinsFan

Another blow to the doomsayers. The owners are addressing their debt and positioning themselves for financial stability and along with that a return to competing for division titles. I don’t expect spending to skyrocket anytime soon. But if the team remains competitive this season, they may be willing to add at the trade deadline, rather than stand pat or sell.

I think he believes what he says. I don’t think he is lying. He is trying to win every year. However, he has to work with what ownership gives him.

You may not have liked it, but that is what he did. He got out of a contract that was never going to pay off, traded a bunch of expiring contracts, and relief pitchers to bring in future starters, relievers, and MLB ready position players. The team was going nowhere, he knew it, and he took action.

Thank you! Falvey has been saying this for weeks, but no one took him at his word. So maybe now we can put all this trade chatter and doomsaying to rest.

You are convinced that Royce Lewis is a bust, I think it is too early to make that call. There are plenty of examples of prospects that "fizzled" out of the gate, only to be All Star level players years later (I also acknowledge that there have been can't miss players who were busts). At this point there is no downside in giving Royce the runway to work it out. He probably has one more year to show meaningful progress.

Fine. How about Brett Rooker and Liam Hendriks.

Not all players come up to the major leagues and immediately produce. There are many examples of players on the Twins or players the Twins moved on from that ended up having All Star and even HOF careers (Sorry to bring up the David Ortiz thing.) Byron Buxton, Torii Hunter, Justin Morneau - just to name a few had their ups and downs in their early years. Patience is key. Royce Lewis is a prime example. A player with high expectations that has not fully realized his potential. Injuries may have lowered the ceiling, but he is still capable of great things on the field. Right now he is transitioning to a role as a key cog on a young team. He will either rise to the occasion or fail. Only time and more reps will determine that. And no, 900 at bats through several injury riddled seasons is not enough time to judge him. There is no question that the clock is running out on players like Julien, Larnach, and Miranda. Players whose options are expired or who are arbitration eligible have much smaller windows to work with. It is for this reason that seeing what we really have in these players for the next 5 weeks is key to the future. None of that would have happened if Harrison Bader, Ty France, Willie Castro and Carlos Correa were taking those at bats.

Best post-mortem on trade deadline to date. The team still has a talented, but underperforming core. The deadline positioned the team to truly find out what they have with these players. Some combination of the current players on the roster and the promising prospects in the minors will be the core of this team for the foreseeable future. Many are mourning what was lost at the deadline, with good reason. But the excitement is in what lies ahead. We should look forward to seeing who emerges from the young core as the key pieces of a future playoff run and judging the FO on whether they will build the pieces necessary around those players into a playoff team. I, for one, am here for It.

If you don't enjoy watching or following the Twins, then don't watch or follow the team. If calling it a protest makes you feel good about yourself - go for it. But of all the things you could "protest," this is pretty much at the bottom of the list.

As the Twins sit on the bubble of being a playoff contender, we are seeing lots of discussion on whether the Twins should trade talent to make a run or build for the future. Adding a big bat or top notch arm are not likely to happen, but there is a way that the Twins could still compete for Wild Card without giving up the farm. While there is lots of talk about dealing Griffin Jax, Joe Ryan, Jhoan Duran, and even Byron Buxton - it may be a few smaller profile deals that could help the Twins get better, not by adding, but by subtracting. The Twins have a talented young core of position players who should be on a major league roster. Austin Martin, Luke Keaschell, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Aaron Sabato, and even Edouard Julien have played well enough to get a call up at any time. Meanwhile, players like Willie Castro, Harrison Bader, Kody Clemens, DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and Ty France could be attractive bats or gloves for a contending team to add. Castro, Bader, and Clemens have played well for the Twins, but moving them could get modest returns and open up spaces for Keaschell, Martin, and Rodriguez. Keirsey's demotion to AAA could give also give Rodriguez an opportunity. France, who has struggled of late with a +wRC and OPS below league average wouldn't get much in a trade, but moving him off the roster could make room for Sabato or Julien. There is no question these players would be missed, but adding the youngsters should be worth considering. Would bringing these players up be enough to grab the last Wild Card, who knows? However, the Twins should not be moving young talent at the deadline to nab a Wild Card spot, nor should they deal core players that would be key to a deep run in the playoffs in the future. As a Twins ticket holder, I would love to see these players at Target Field, as part of a playoff run or, at worst, as a glimpse at the future.

Analytics are a buzzkill. I would rather have seen this piece as an explanation after regression kicks in. For now, I want to just enjoy a talented young player having some success.

Expected this move. Given that Matthews and Festa may be protected from seeing lineups a 3rd time through the order, the Twins will need a long reliever. I also wonder about Twins using an opener when Festa and Matthews turns are up.

Another key hit last night where he shortened up and punched an outside pitch to right center to drive in two and clinch the victory. He is definitely taking a different approach with runners in scoring position, and it is working.

@Cody ChristiePresented data that says otherwise. Sure, he will always be a pull hitter, but I have seen Buck do a better job focusing on contact and the story's data seems to provide evidence of it. Debating whether Buck is hitting the ball the other way is not that important. All I know, is that it is my intention to sit back and watch Buck play great baseball.