Darius

I wasn't aware that Santana's contract had the Twins so close to the cap, that they'd have to get rid of him just to take on a middling salary in a trade. Better be a damn good prospect. You're basically adding Santana (I get he's going to another team) into the trade, and getting a worse, equally expensive, player in return......for the Dodgers 23rd prospect rather than their 30th on the back end of the deal. Also being the only respectable starting pitcher on the team.....you thought 103 losses was bad? I don't like it. No value in doing something like that. You'd be dumping Santana, in the hopes of getting back Santana (aka a prospect that will end up as good as Santana) a few years down the road. All while still paying Santana's salary (aka the similar salary of the dump from the Dodgers).

I'd take Napoli over Vargas or Park for sure. He's what we hope those two would develop into. He's a guy who has been in a lot of big games, and has a ton of experience. They have to start changing the culture in the clubhouse also after a half-decade of 100 loss years.

If true, that means that Sano is staying at third, and Polanco to second because Dozier is getting traded.

Agreed. If he gets healthy and his stats regress a little (to the mean), he's one of the best options this team could hope to have at this point.

Is Santiago really that much better than Albers or Dean? Either way, you're not winning a whole lot of you have any of the 3 throwing significant innings.

I'm not one who tends to shy away from hiring players. Especially when they're high quality individuals like Molitor, Hunter, etc. Why not if they are effective (and I do think Molitor can be effective. The roster he was given was, pardon my french, a pile of dog ****. The problem lies in the fact that this franchise has been absolute garbage since 1991, and they keep trying to recycle the same people over and over again, instead of making philosophical changes. The same people that helped lead the franchise to joke status. To Cleveland Browns status. Not sure why you're so negative on the stance that fresh blood might be needed to turn things around. Sometimes it's necessary, no matter how you feel about the status quo. They've done that with Falvey and his underlings/co-workers. So, we'll see how it works out. Personally, I don't think he'll do much here because the tone at the top starts and ends with the Pohlads, who seem to have no idea what they're doing and in it for money....and not one single thing else (you know, like fielding a competitive squad. With their approach, there are a lot of people who feel they were taken by the likes of the Pohlad's and Ryan, and the whole stadium scam (remember when they needed the stadium to compete and bring big free agents in? A bold faced lie to make a bunch of money. Borderline fraudulent misrepresentation of intention). I have no problem with groups of people who want everything down to the urinal cakes thrown out, and replaces. They have justifiable complaint. If you can't see the merit in that, I have to start questioning a few things.

Don't mind this considering the options available. I assume the Pohlad's have implemented their usual signing moratorium, and we'r done for the offseason.

No brainer.

Disappointed by this move. I know he Ks too much, and I'm fairly confident that this won't be another epic personnel fail like David Ortiz, etc. But, there is still something intruiging about the kid that makes me wish he would've gotten a shot here. His teams have been very successful everywhere he's played, and he's usually a significant driver. Seems to have a knack for rising to the occasion in the "high leverage" ABs, if you will, in big games. Something intangible there that can't be quantified in a ratio. Also, elite power, which is entertaining.

I think Park gets healthy and looks a lot better. I could see him hitting a lot of home runs for this team from the 6-7 hole. Escobar is another guy that I would expect to be better. But, not sure if he'll play. Tyler Duffey is another I haven't seen mentioned a while lot, but I would bet on him being better.

You could probably make the case to include anyone on the 53-man, with the exception of a handful of guys (Dozier, Santans, Kintzler, Polanco).

I don't know if I understand why this is so risky, relative to other draft picks (specifically 11th round draft picks). It's not 1992. Returning to form after a TJ isn't unlikely. Nearly every pitcher has it done eventually, it's almost routine at this point, so is it any more risky than someone who will probably get it done a few years from now? Talent w/ Tommy John vs Considerably less talent without (yet) ....... which is really more risky? For example....wouldn't it be more risky to take the same player, in an alternate universe where he did not need Tommy John, in the third round (where you spend more of your allotment and there is higher-end talent available)? In terms of financial risk (well, there really isn't any).....no fan should care.

I'll be surprised if the Pohlads let him clean house. Im guessing that's why they went with him instead of a McLoed, etc. He's young, and probably willing to go along with the wishes of ownership to get his shot (in terms of personnel, spending, etc)

100 mph at 17? Can he just get his Tommy John out of the way now?

This is just my opinion, but I see only two viable options here: 1). Everyday 3B with Sano moving to 1B/DH. I think this is the best option for both players (mostly Sano), assuming there are not major roster changes. Mauer can stay put and cut his ABs significantly, and Vargas can rotate in/ 2). Trade Dozier in the offseason, get some pitching in return, move him to second. Either way, status quo is clearly lacking.

Just a few things: 1). Plouffe is not good. Nobody is giving up anything for him. At this point, I don't see how just giving him his walking papers would hurt the Twins in any way. 2). Dozier should absolutely be traded. He'll never be as good as we was this year again. That's not so say he won't be a good player, but he's not playing MVP calibur baseball again. Just gut feeling (and about 10 years of numbers). Even if he does, it's not helping them compete for anything meaningful with this pitching staff. Hell, you could double all of his statistics this year, and the Twins still don't sniff the playoffs. For the love of God, Twins FO, have some foresight just one time and sell high on someone. 3). The biggest need on this team going into next year (outside of any carbon-based life form to stand on the mound, and in some way project the ball towards home plate) is catcher, IMO. The horrendous defense behind the plate has been sucking the life out of this team since Mauer moves. There are people walking the street who are better than Suzuki with the gear on at this point. He does some things well, but the guy can't frame a pitch, and he might as well be the BP net in terms of controlling base runners. It's time for him to start his coaching career.

I'm sure he was asked, and instructed to respond this way. What's he supposed to say? "I just want to hit the ball, and don't want to work on becoming a better athlete." I'm not worried about his defense. 1). He doesn't have to play defense. His value lies in mashing baseballs. IMO, he should be a 1B. I'm also OK with him as full time DH, Byung Ho Park be damned. 2). If he does stick at 3B, I'm not overly worried about his abilities. He was out for a year and a half with TJ and the idiotic RF experiment. He still showed the ability to make unbelievable plays, and has the best arm in the game. Nolan Arenado, who I think is the top defender, would look shaky fundamentally at times if he took a 2 year hiatus at the position. Sano's defense at 3rd should be issue #79 on the laundry list of concerns around Twins baseball entering 2017. I'm much more concerned with figuring out the bullpen and rotation, the catching position, the shortstop position, what to do with a fading Mauer, figuring out Berrios, getting the MLB club on the same page with the farm system, finding a competent GM.....and many more. A few errors here or there at 3B isn't hurting them team at all relative to some other things.

I have to think #3 on your list is probably criteria #1 for the Pohlad's/St. Peter in order for a candidate to be taken into serious consideration for the job (and not just a "due dillegence" move for appearances). To me, as a long-time fan of the team, and a taxpayer who helped fund a stadium off of which they are getting filthy rich, built under the pretense that it was necessary in order to attract high-end free agents, it's absolutely infuriating. It's one of the biggest bait and switches in not only MLB, but in filthy corporate America. Honestly, after the repeated failure in the 2000s due to unwillingness to bolster a solid roster to make an honest effort at a championship, total ineptitude of recent years, and willingness to ride out the shine of target field with terrible rosters because the profits were still there....I don't even care who they hire. It won't make one bit of difference, because they'll be kept in a cage. I'm sure I'm not alone in the sentiment that I'm close to quitting on the organization all together, let alone going down to that ballpark. At best, I'll watch from afar, because I grew up on it. But, I'll be damned if I buy a ticket, a hot dog, or a single piece of merch until the Pohlad's either a) change their philosophy or b ) sell the team.

Antony and Bloom would on the bottom of my list.....so I'm sure one of them will get the job. I get the feeling that it'll be Antony, because that's just how the Twins operate. I'll stick with that until proven otherwise.

All of those are Paul Molitor's fault though....

I'm not sure how any of these are Molitor's fault. He doesn't sign players. The only questionable thing on te list, that he may have had a hand in, was Sano to right. But, let's be honest, that was like Ryan's decision after accidentally winning the bid on Park. I'll say again, and I'll continue to hold this belief for at least one more year, Molitor has very little to do with the team's poor performance. Managers in general have almost no real effect on a team's performance. They maybe swing a few game +\- over the course of a whole year. Joe Maddon, the consensus best manager on earth right now, would also lose 90+ with this group. Also, Molitor nearly brought the club to the playoffs last year when the pitching wasn't a train-wreck, and after some guys broke out of slumps sometime around June they have been one of the best offense clubs in baseball. Not sure how firing Molitor helps/changes anything. We don't really know what we have in Molitor until he's given a roster that's not a complete disgrace in terms of a rotation/bullpen. All of you calling for his head....who do you propose they bring in that would win with the club? What do those managers do differently that will turn this roster into a winner? I won't hold my breath for answers.

Some good stuff here, and definitely a contributing factor. But, I dont think I buy that this is THE difference, and correcting this will turn him into the ace everyone expects. So, there are no AAA hitters/coaches that are aware of this? He cant get anyone out at the MLB level. Hes probably seen some hitters in AAA that were just as talented as some of the guys in the majors. Its not just elite MLB hittera giving him fits. His big issue is still walking too many batters at the MLB level, which he seems not to do at AAA. Again, fixing this issue may help, but i still think there is an overarching confidence/mental issue that he hasnt figured out how to get over.

How is the sample size supposed to ever become "not small?" 400 times? D'ohK. Accumlating 1000 ABs in a season would require one or two extra inning games. Especially as a role player. But, I guess the Twins do have a lot to lose. Those ABs given to the likes of Santana, Schafer, etc. over the years are vital to the 60 win seasons. Why give ABs to anyone with tools that could actually be useful off the bench?

Kind of like Twins fans?

You all seem to think that the manager has much more to do with player performance than he actually does. I'm not advocating one way or the other. But, to think that things would be better with a different manager is downright delusional. It's just a terrible roster put in place by a terrible FO. For all anyone really knows, under normal circumstances (an average team), Molitor may be a great manager. After all, this team nearly squeaked into a wild card spot last year when the pitching staff wasn't historically bad. The lineup is in place to compete. Not sure what Molitor can do about the pitching staff.