Darius

I agree on Bailey. I think it’s a great signing. I think he’s an upgrade over Perez, and possibly Gibson (I still contend that Gibson is a really good pitcher when he’s healthy and confident, which hasn’t been often). I don’t want him starting a playoff game in Yankee Stadium, though. James Paxton v Homer Bailey in game 3-4 isn’t likely to turn out well for the Twins. Have to remember what we’re up against, here. You’re looking at an offense equally as dangerous (Yankees), with Cole, Severino, Tanaka, Paxton. If you’re running out Dobnak, Bailey, etc, you’re losing that series 9 times out of 10.

Do they need one to win the division? No. If they want to advance past the divisional round in the playoffs, they need another starter. Berrios is the only guy I can run out there that can take over a game and win it for you. I think Odorizzi is close, I’m just not sure his stuff gets to the same level. Pineda is fine, but misses too much time to be counted on a playoff rotation stalwart. Guys like Smeltzer and Dobnak are nice filler/swing guys. But, in no way should they be the primary in a playoff game against the Yankees or Astros. They are overmatched. Graterol has the talent, but doesn’t have the innings track record. The wildcards are Hill and Bailey. I don’t think Hill can be counted on to stay healthy, or Bailey be counted on to be good enough. Could things work out with status quo as we speak? Sure, theoretically. Is it likely? Of course not. It’s a prayer, and nothing more. Add a third legitimate starter and you enter the conversation as a “serious” contender. We saw it again last year, pitching is king in the playoffs. The two best rotations in baseball outlasted everyone. At the end of the day, I’ve done a 180 on this off-season. It’s gone from awful to great with the addition of one of the best position players in baseball. But, if you’re going “all-in,” why not actually go all-in? If you go get a guy like Blake Snell, or even John Gray, you’re no longer “a great offense; but.....” club. Certainly, there is no hurry at this point. The trade deadline gives plenty of time to evaluate things.

I wouldn’t think twice about one of Harper, Poppen, or Wisler. It has to be one of those three, considering they’re brought in Clippard. Astudillo is a candidate. But, it may be nice to have him around in the case of an injury to Avila/Garver. I’d stash him at AAA. Adrianza is an option. But, he’s probably the most competent defender at short stop that we could roll out if Polanco got injured. He’s also one of the few guys that can swing a bat from the left side. He’s played well here for years, I think he’s earned it. Wade is an option. But, it sure would be nice to have him sitting there as a 5th OF (which came in handy last year). I’m not selling low on Gordon at this point, with so much invested. Could be a valuable middle infield piece sooner than later. With the defensive issues up the middle, I can’t see pulling the trigger on that.

Nailed it. If we’re going off of the 50% of revenue rule, they could’ve been spending 130-140 when they were awful and getting no fan turnout (they made $270 in 2018 while being terrible). They should have to no problem getting up into the 150-160 range while still not surpassing 50% of revenues going forward if they remain competitive. The media has done such a great job protecting the Pohlad’s pockets for decades, that people actually believe this is a massive and extremely risky deal. No way this deal should hamstring the Twins. For God’s sake, people were signing $100M deals back in the 90s. It’s time for some people to adjust their thinking for inflation. He’s one of the best players in the game. It’s a bargain.

I was wrong. They FO did it. Nothing but credit. I don’t care if Donaldson suffers a career ending injury this year. They made the attempt, and that’s all I was asking for. What a freaking lineup this team will have (especially against lefties). I’m imagining: Polanco, SS Donaldson, 3B Cruz, DH Sano, 1B Garver, C Kepler, RF Rosario, LF Arraez, 2B Buxton, CF Pretty incredible. Now, everyone make their sacrifice/offering to the injury gods.

That necklace tho.

This changes everything for me. Great offseason.

Doesn’t matter. We can’t definitely say roids helped guys like Bonds, either. Bottom line, they cheated. If it didn’t help them enough, then they’re just dumb for doing it.

Well, I have an idea. Don’t cheat if you don’t want your fans pissed at you for vacating a title. There should be more to it on top of vacated team accolades. Verlanders Cy Young should go. Altuve’s MVP should go. The stats players accumulated during those seasons should go. You get no HOF points for those seasons, like roiders. Players don’t like it? Who cares, you knew. And, if you didn’t, go take it up with your teammates/coaches who did. While you’re at it, cry me a river. If I’m complicit in a murder, I don’t get a pass just because it’s inconvenient for me. There should be forfeited draft picks. There should also be some sort of monetary compensation that gets allocated out to opponents based on number of games played against the Astros. Who knows how much revenue was potentially lost elsewhere. You’re right, vacating a title is a slap on the wrist. It should be worse than that. But, at the end of the day, what’s the point if you’re not officially vacating titles/awards? It just won’t deter teams like the Yankees and Red Sox who will gladly pay monetary penalties, etc, if it means winning a title. It’s not going to hurt a team fanbase-wise (see Houston’s Twitter). There’s literally no downside to “cheating” if you don’t actually punish somebody. You want to see a useless “punishment?” Suspending the manager for a year.

Well, when you lose 20 playoff games in a row (which is impossible in baseball) to a team that has been implicated in this mess by former players (the Yankees), I think it’s clear how the Twins were “cheated out of something.” Also, the Yankees beat the Twins for home field last year by 2 games, including losing a series at home to the Yankees. You don’t think illegally using video analytics to steal signs for the entire season could’ve changed that outcome? It’s not bad enough to have the umps calling doubles 3 feet inside of the line foul....you also have to beat the most potent offense in the game when they know what pitch is coming. I’m not sure how it would work, but I’m pissed if I’m a pitcher like Berrios or Odorizzi. I’m going to players association and elsewhere to see if there is any sort of grievance I can file against the alleged teams or MLB. These guys just negotiated contracts. Playoff victory’s vs playoff losses to the Yankees on their record could cause a difference of millions.

Not a good look for the MLB. Especially when it’s clear that there are numerous clubs getting away with it. It’s just another reason why the sport is becoming unwatchable. The lack of parity already alienates fans of small-mid market teams enough. Now, when knowing that these large markets are cheating on top of the gross payroll inequity...it’s just another coffin nail for many would be fans. Just look at Twins v Yankees in the playoffs for the past 20 years. Let’s be honest, nobody really wants to watch that garbage. Way to keep shooting yourself in the foot, Major League Baseball. What a ridiculous dog and pony show this sport has become. An total and absolute joke. It’s like they are deliberately trying to run the sport into the ground.

Sure, the infield defense isn’t stellar. But, before moving people around we need to think the overall implications. Pursuing someone like Iglesias seems like a good idea. The defense would undoubtedly by better. But, how many runs does that take away from the offense? It may end up being a net loss. Then, there is the clubhouse factor that has been a hot topic surrounding Cruz and Hunter around here. Does it have a detrimental effect on clubhouse morale?

Sure, Rich Hill can be good when healthy. But, expecting anything out of him is a huge mistake, IMO. He’s never pitched over 135 innings in a season in his career. For whatever reason, he seems to always be having blister issues. He’s over 40, and is coming off of an elbow surgery. It’s more likely Rich Hill doesn’t throw an inning as a Twin than becomes a postseason horse. Decent back-up plan/flier. Awful plan A for a team desperate for starting pitching.

Reasons to not be as excited as we could be about the upcoming season: 1). Knowing we aren’t as good as our direct competition for the World Series. We weren’t good enough to merely put up a fight in the playoffs last year....and we did nothing to improve this offseason after blowing hot air and making promises to sell season tickets. I’m excited for the formality and/or process of baseball. Love having it on the radio in the garage while working, in the boat while fishing, etc. But, I have no expectation of a successful season. I already know that the best case scenario is losing in the division series. Hoping for anything beyond that at this point is delusional and about as futile as attempting to count every blade of grass in my yard. I can tell you I’m not chomping at the bit to get to any games. If I had season tickets, I’d be pretty pissed off with the organization right now. I’m certainly not signing up for any season ticket packages. I can assure you I’m not alone. Massive wasted opportunity for this franchise to really kick the fan base into overdrive. It’s really a shame.

Another great plan by a Twins FO. We have one shot at a legitimate ace caliber pitcher (Berrios). He’s already clearly not overly high on being here, and clearly has issue with the team’s financial approach (aka, they’re cheap). So, let’s go to arb. with him over $200k and piss him off even more by detailing every reason why he isn’t worth what he thinks. The Twins’ precedent of low-balling players has been very thoroughly established. Going to battle over this is just an awful strategic decision, and does nothing in terms of a helpful precedent. Meanwhile, fans and media call others “morons” for describing the Twins as “cheap,“ while swearing up and down that the only reason why players don’t want to spend July in Minnesota is because it’s cold in January. D’ok.

Context is needed when determining whether or not this is a good move. Bringing him in to provide competition/depth for the 5th starter/swing man role is a wonderful move. Bringing him in to be your 3rd starter means your rotation probably stinks (aka, bad move if you have aspirations). Both are happening, sort of. Ideally, he’ll be the 5th starter come July (being Berrios, Odorizzi, Pineda, Hill). But, until Hill and Pineda come back, he’s your #3. Factor in likely injuries along the way, and you’re probably looking at him at the #3-4 all year.

This takes a little of the edge off of this offseason for me. Not totally, but it at least gives me some indication of a pulse. Great deal for both sides. We may have just gotten a top 20 offensive player in the game for $10M per through 2023. Sano gets financial security for his entire family for the rest of his life (and more if he’s smart). Of course, all of these great cheap deals (Sano, Kepler, Polanco) mean nothing if you don’t use the savings somewhere else.

So, the “rational” crowd are the ones who say, “wait, they still might do something.” Something this franchise has never done.....ever (a blockbuster trade for legitimate front-line pitching). See definition of insanity in the dictionary. Fans have every right to be pissed off. People want to watch a legitimate contender. We watched this franchise piss around and waste talent for a decade in the 00’s. Then we built them a stadium when they said it was necessary to compete. Then they told us we need to wait for a wave of prospects to open a competitive window. When it finally arrives, we see a respect of the 00’s. I’m sorry, but if it doesn’t piss you off as a fan you just don’t care that much. You’re fine It doesn’t bother whether they win or lose. You’re a casual. There’s nothing wrong with that, but stop telling me every freaking 5 minutes that I’m the irrational one for expecting a little return on my multi-decade investment with this rug-pulling, snake-oil selling franchise. This off-season is a complete and total failure. There is no other way to describe it. There is nothing they are going to realistically accomplish at this point that is going to change that. Let’s stop the, “eel they might trade for Syndergaard” delusions.

I know I’m probably dreaming, but this is set up absolutely perfectly: 1). A left handed starting pitcher and another power bat from the left side are exactly what this team needs. 2). There doesn’t appear to be any large market players ahead of the Twins in terms of international FA budget (not sure where you’d place the Cardinals, they have more). 3). The Twins are flush with cash. That should be a good negotiation tool. There should be almost nothing holding them back from a long secure deal, whereas a team like the Yankees, Nationals, Angels, Dodgers may be less inclined to add another significant deal. Due to the nature of the process, this is a true “pick where you want to go” scenario for him. But, we have to be on the short list of semi-legitimate contenders willing to push some chips in. I won’t get my hopes up. But, this seems like a perfect opportunity.

Not sure what you mean by “he HAS to do it for a full season.” Despite only producing for half the year, he still put up numbers that would be awfully impressive for a full season. He carried the club down the stretch when Buxton was out, Cruz and Kepler were hurt, and Berrios was breaking down (again). He then went on to hit a home run in Yankee Stadium in the playoffs (not epic, but contributed more than nearly every other player in a Twins uniform). Would it be great if he did it for a full season? Of course. He may finish top 5 in MVP votes if he played 150 games. But, what’s the ultimatum if he doesn’t? DFA him for hitting 40 HRs and 80 RBI in 100 games while finishing among the elite in nearly every meaningful metric available? The Twins need to find a way to keep the guy healthy come playoff time. Maybe that means only playing 100 games during the regular season. With the emergence of Cave and Arraez, Marwin is more than adequate to fill 3B for 50 games. Acting like he’s not a valuable asset if he hits the IL once for twice just doesn’t make sense to me. At the end of the day, he’s still probably one of the top 10-20 RH power hitters in the world right now. He’s the kind of guy that can get hot and hit 4-5 homers in a playoff series to win it for you. How many times could you ever say that about a home grown Twins prospect since Harmon? Maybe Puckett and Morneau?

I think saying Kirilloff is projected to be a much better hitter than Rosario is a huge stretch. I get Rosario has some warts, but recently people have been acting as if he’s a mediocre, or even bad, player. Rosario with the Twins since 2017: 2017: .290/.328/.507/.836, 27 HR, 33 2B, 2 3B, 9 SB 2018: .288/.323/.479/.803, 24 HR, 32 2B, 2 3B, 8 SB 2019: .276/.300/.500/.800, 32 HR, 28 2B, 1 3B, 3 SB. A little lacking in the on-base department, but in terms of hitting for power, which is a pretty big deal these days, he’s remarkably consistent. We’ve seen how he can carry the team for significant stretches, and he seemingly always comes through in “clutch” ABs. “Much better” at the plate than Rosario is pretty darn high bar. Not saying it isn’t possible, but I think Rosario gets a bad wrap. The perception gets skewed because he’s a bad ball guy, and that’s seen as a negative. But, despite being a bad ball guy, he’s been one of the better offensive outfielders in the AL over the past 3 years. Also, did you know he finished 18th overall in AL MVP voting last year ? He received 5 more vote points than Max Kepler and JD Martinez (finishes 20th and 21st, respectively). I’m not sure if the context in regards to Rosario was lost last year, because of the historic performances for the lineup as a whole. But, it got lost somewhere along the way. Rosario is a damn good hitter. “Much better” than Rosario is going to be guys the caliber of Betts, Springer, and Trout in terms of the OF. I’m high on Kirilloff, but the odds of him reaching those heights is almost nil (possible, but almost nil).

Im sorry, but there is just no reasonable argument, IMO, to have a likely future reliever with developing injury issues before he even reaches the majors (Graterol) ahead of the best defensive player on the planet (arguably ever) who has shown impressive offensive flashes (Buxton) with significant team control remaining. Whether we are talking potential, actual production, or whatever other measuring stick available.....it’s not even close. I’m even hesitant to put Kepler ahead of him based on one year of production with a juiced ball. Even with the injury Buxton still amassed 3 WAR, compared to Keller’s 4 (which could very well be his career high). As mentioned, I’d also put Balazovic over Graterol at this point, I think. I just don’t see Graterol sticking as a starter any time soon.

Monster year coming.

No. Just a sense I get, but he’ll never put up the kind of power numbers he did last year again (I think people have lost context on what 40 homers with non-juiced ball actually means). I’d expect the his numbers to look closer to 2018, in which he hit 20 HR in 611 PAs (as opposed to 36 in 596 in 2019). I think people are underestimating the ball change in their evaluation of the 2020 team. The Twins seemingly changed their entire program, in terms of approach at the plate, To get the ball up in the air. The hitters did a wonderful job of it, and with the ball it was a perfect storm. We’ll see Sano and Cruz put up monster power numbers again because they hit the ball a mile, regardless of the ball. But, I think guys like Kepler, Garver, Rosario, and Polanco are going to See significant power reductions. I think Kepler and Rosario especially. The home runs to right and the balls off the limestone could turn into fly ball outs at a significant rate for those guys. Garver also drove a ton of balls to that right center area of the field, if I remember correctly. I’m concerned. We’ll have a good offense, but it won’t be a top 2-3 elite offense like we saw last year. That’s why it was so imperative that we upgraded pitching. Signing Josh Donaldson would certainly help keep that offense up with the Yankees, who certainly won’t be hurt as much by the ball in their T-ball park. Long story short. I think Kepler has a nice year, but he’ll look more like a .270/20-25/80-90 RBI guy than Yelich and his absurd all-time great numbers. It’s not even fair to compare the two, really. It’s like wondering if Jorge Polanco will reach Alex Rodriguez status circa 2007.

I agree with some of the sentiment on Garver that we really don’t know yet. Was his production enhanced by the juiced that ball? I think so. And, no, the juiced ball didn’t help everyone. Not all hitters are created equal in terms of fly ball rate, etc. it helped some more than others. I don’t know the data, but it just seemed like he was one who really benefitted from an approach geared towards “lifting” the ball. There’s really no telling at this point how that will affect Garver and his production. There’s also the issue of playing time. If he’s truly the offensive force he appeared to be in 2019, he needs to play more games. But, if he plays more does his production decline? Likely. Nonetheless, you can’t say he’s one of the greatest offensive catchers of all time and an MVP candidate when he’s only playing in half of the games. I can’t really argue with where he is placed on this list right now, at the end of the day. But, I have a healthy level of skepticism that he’s indefinitely going to be the player we saw last year. I certainly don’t think he’ll ever match the level of production per PA/AB, so where does that put him? On Buxton, despite the injuries and past struggles, etc. I still think he’s one of the most valuable piece on the team. He’s certainly higher than 7 in the Twins organization. There’s a reason all of these teams start with Buxton when discussing trades with the Twins. Personally, I think he has a big year in front of him. He could very well be a top 5 piece in the MLB, let alone on the Twins, this time next year.