gman

I don't want to continue to take losses with a listless offense. We need to prioritize putting our best lineup on the field every day. If that means cutting someone like Gordon or Kepler I'm all for that

Jovani Moran is still on the Twins roster. He will be fine. Of far greater concern .... the bats.

RE: Not stealing due to the injury risk - at some point you need to use the players to play baseball.

Does it matter - he isn't playing CF, and he isn't hitting.   Let's use Buxton as a ball player and take off the bubble wrap - it isn't working. 

There are 2 things that others have touched on that may bring some answers. #1, Maybe playing DH isn't the role for Buck. Maybe he needs to play defense to stay engaged offensively. #2, Maybe the lack of playing time against real opposing pitchers in spring training is showing up in April. Even Correa who didn't play much in ST is off to a slow start. Maybe the players you are counting on should actually play a decent number of games in ST so they are ready when the real games that count are played. No, it's just a coincidence. 

Well Julien is in the majors. Pre-injuries, there would not have been room on the major league roster. That might be an aggressive move.  Of course this might be a year when he is on the shuttle between 3 A and the majors.
I think Lee was just fine starting at 2 A and I'm thinking he gets to 3A by late May to early June. He could make it to the majors in August if there's room and he earns it. Let him earn his way all the way up, no reason for automatic promotions.

I have a feeling it's going to be Winder taking over the Sands role. I'm not certain what happens with Maeda, but I can't see him going to the bullpen yet.
It is good to have solid depth though.

You don't like Polanco. You don't like Kirilloff. Do you just want the current Twins to play all year with their current lack of hitting? What's your solution?

Without adding a first baseman while subtracting two guys (Sano and Arraez) who played there a lot in past seasons, I think the Twins were expressing confidence in Kirilloff being healthy for a majority of the 2023 season and for him to be able to put up representative numbers. The Twins brass knows more about Kirilloff's wrist than any of us do. Also in this thought process, there must be belief that AK can and will hit if not impeded by the wrist. 
Again, being patient while Kirilloff gets ready indicates belief that Kirilloff is worth waiting for. Count me as a believer as well. No one really knows if the wrist will hold up, of course. I firmly believe that Kirilloff will be an outstanding hitter if it (the wrist) does hold up. He isn't entitled to say "I'm ready" and be inserted into the lineup, but if he shows by his at-bats and performance in batting practice etc. that he is healthy, I doubt he'll be in St. Paul long. There is a real need to lengthen the lineup and include more threats in the middle. 

Well Julien is in the majors. Pre-injuries, there would not have been room on the major league roster. That might be an aggressive move.  Of course this might be a year when he is on the shuttle between 3 A and the majors.
I think Lee was just fine starting at 2 A and I'm thinking he gets to 3A by late May to early June. He could make it to the majors in August if there's room and he earns it. Let him earn his way all the way up, no reason for automatic promotions.

Lopez certainly seems like a guy who number 2 starter is his floor and true ace is his ceiling. To get him locked up for four years at just over $18M/year is a steal. 

This is excellent news! Lopez, Paddack, and Ryan locked in for multiple years with an extended MLB track record. Ober, Varland, SWR, and others waiting in the wings. 

As much as I've railed on the front office over the past couple of years, they've been doing a hell of a lot right for the past six months, even if the way they get there is... unexpected.

I think Gray and Mahle will get a qualifying offer (less confident on Maeda). One of them might accept it.

Wow that is amazing news.  This should really solidify the rotation.  Thank you Pablo!

Not counting spring training he has had only 65 plate appearances over since the end of June last year. I would expect him to take at least a month to month and 1/2 to really get his swing down. I'd give him until the middle of May to to make an assessment.

Not counting spring training he has had only 65 plate appearances over since the end of June last year. I would expect him to take at least a month to month and 1/2 to really get his swing down. I'd give him until the middle of May to to make an assessment.

Not counting spring training he has had only 65 plate appearances over since the end of June last year. I would expect him to take at least a month to month and 1/2 to really get his swing down. I'd give him until the middle of May to to make an assessment.

Seems like a win win trade to me. If Mahle has a good season and gets a qualifying offer from the Twins. Whether he takes it or not I would lean the Twins way.

I disagree. We needed a starter last year. That's what the trade was about. Unfortunately it didn't work out last year, but if Mahle contributes to a winning season this year, we got what we traded for. I get that down the road it could be lopsided, if the ifs pan out, but at the time of the trade, it's what we needed. And I'm glad we didn't trade for the other two Mike mentioned.

So they should not have traded for a starter last year? It isn't a disaster if he's gone. It just isn't. 

Between MLB dot com and ESPN they have massively dropped the ball on transaction listings this year. Between this thread and Fangraphs at least I can see these moves.

I agree - he’s overhyped. Overhyped because people lean into his athleticism as being his primary value - stealing bases - gold glove defense - etc.
He’s got raw power. He strikes out a bunch - most power guys in today’s game also strike out too much.
The fact that you only see greatness a few weeks out of the year exemplifies why he should DH - so he plays more than his average of 74 games per year (excluding 2017).
130-135 games played with the heavy use of DH & regular rest seems to be a plan. Never tried it before. Gotta do something different other than just cross our fingers.

I agree with this completely. He could be an MVP with his speed and defense. But that's not who he has been over his career. Just another pull hitter who strikes out a lot and hits a few homeruns. If he's a DH and not stealing bases, he's less valuable than Kepler, who gives us elite defense every night and a similar profile at the plate.

I think Erod gets promoted to St Paul for the playoffs this year. Maybe sooner if there are injuries/trades from the big league roster.