barbarosa

Great article and while I understand it, I am disappointed by the lack of effort seen at the winter meetings. A two year contract on a pitcher we won't see until 2019 and a reliever who has seen better days. With the pitchers they added, or targeted, there was no need to worry about lengthy and costly contracts. Whether we all agree or not, this was definitely dumpster diving in order not to go big in 2018. I can see the Twins are still playing the old shell game with their fans. Articles prior to winter meetings FO had fans believing the Twins were actually going to go after another "bonafide ACE". Everything on Twins Daily and the Minnesota Twins page have espoused their FULL effort to garner a top of the line starting pitcher. It seems, as normal, that just is not the case. Whether it be dollars, trades or length of contract, Twins fans are seeing the same old FO antics. I understand the frustration from Dozier (and probably other team mates) last year when the Twins decided to trade away talent in an obvious message to the team the FO did not care about winning or trying to win and were not willing to give the tools necessary to win. After all...we didn't get much return. So I guess this year we can only expect to "see what happens" and even if we do win another wildcard spot, we don't have, at this moment, the pitching talent to move past that one playoff game. Post season does not mean much if you have no way to move forward. I hope this coming year, all the pitching talent highlighted on Twins Daily will step up and the FO will allow them to do so. IF the FO is looking to 2019, then we better find out what we really have in our young arms...now.

Okay, if there are none to buy why trade?

I always find it funny to listen to Twins fans piss and moan about losing David Ortiz, and now that we have somebody who can hit homeruns we rush to trade him. Sad fans, if you look at home run stats between the two they are on par with each other at this age. Both working up their numbers from age 25...from 29 years old on to now Ortiz probably averaged just above 30 home runs a year...I find it funny we don't learn from our mistakes. Second, when was the last time the Twins management actually acquired a solid, not wasted over the hill pitcher from trades? Not lately...if you want commitment from ownership, buy a couple of solid aces...don't trade away our power cause it gonna be awhile before our youngsters start hitting dingers.

Well...I think we have the big picture for Milone...I cannot remember a time when the Twins were in so much turn over/around with players. haha Delusional maybe, but the Twins don't look like they are going to just can Nolasco for youth...got to hope for a trade, and so far he is doing better than anyone else. And I agree, the "mold" thing, I think we will see Meyers back up sooner than later.

Bottom line, Meyers got screwed during the game and after, but we need to look big picture. What if management is trying to work Nolasco for a trade? He needs to pitch and pitch good for any hopes of trades. If you send down Meyers for his so-called poor performance, what about Hughes and Gibson? Do they need to pitch more in AAA to get back their "groove"? What is good for one pitcher should be the same for all pitchers. We lost last nights game in the first inning...Hughes was not going to pitch well last night and you could see it in the first inning. Only time will tell because management damn sure won't...

I know that Santana and Arcia are out of options I believe, but sticking them on the team is a waste. Neither can hit, and Arcia has yet to prove he can handle even right field. I also agree Nolasco should start in the pen, no matter salary. May in the BP is where we need him, something he must adjust to along with other Twins fans...it is not about his ability to make money but to win games. Just my thoughts of course...

Wow, Eduard Escobar has played SS for the Twins two years...each year he had to beat out those who could not either play the position or bat...both years he has proven he is the real deal. How can you not just say he is our SS for real? I look forward to this year and EE playing short stop full time.

Ya know, I turned on MLB last night and there it was...baseball. Not college, not reruns but real live professional baseball. I got all warm inside and felt a sudden peaceful, easy feeling. My son came in and sat down wanting only to know if this was live...when I said yes...he just sighed and smiled. We watched baseball together. Life is good again. I don't know how the Twins will fair, all I know is I get to watch them again. Win or lose, bitch or yell with happiness....I get to watch the Twins! Hope you all enjoy the season, good bad or ugly...it will be great!

Bottomline is we are not privy to the inside thinking or lack their of (in our opinons) of the Management/FO. This is not a business where it is our business, nor right to know what they are thinking or planning in long terms. We can just see the pieces and guess at what they might do, or listen to the ramblings of FO which feeds us whatever they want... Of course most of us would love to see some excitement in the decision making matrix/process, and all of us would love to see the Twins management somehow make all those decisions to have a top rated, talented, and winning team again; but we are going to just have wait to see how THEY want to run OUR team. And hope for the wins in the process.

Great article, on spending for the Twins future. And I guess I agree with most especially this year. Has the management squandered talent in the past yes, will they in the future...yes, we just saw that with the trade of Hicks for Murphy. The Twins pushed Hicks, too soon for many as he was making outs as easily as politicians hand out promises. Only, with time did he start to turn around, and I dont' think the Yankees would give anything away or take something that did not show promise. I am only hoping this trade actually works out for us and is not another "finger in the dike" move like those in the past. One has to believe there are well laid out plans for the Twins, one also can see where some of the plans have taken several hits. It is hard to believe the Twins did not plan for a new catcher to replace Mauer, I believe they did... unfortunately, some of those high hope drafts have not turned out nor was the timeframe for replacement probably what they planned either. Thus maybe our finger in the dike? I have to believe, as with most Twins fans, that our youth and our farm system is going to start producing. We just need to hang in there and quit spending money on weather veterans. Management also has to start thinking about putting the best team on the field, not the most paid.

Very interesting article, one which either can scare one or shed a little hope for the future. I can see your outfield without much difficulty, however you middle infielders are in doubt. Escobar and Dozier are still my choice, both show the range and speed for the positions at this time and it is important that middle infielders have a great working relationship which these two do on the field. Mauer is acceptable and Plouffe I have always seen at third for now. If you are looking at the future of the Twins then yes, I hope that in time they all can contribute both defensively and offensively, because as we all know defense does not win baseball games, it helps, but even a great defensive team cannot do anything about longball hitters and their contribution to homeruns.

Really want to see what the front office will do with Shaggy...this is what the team needs...not another weathered veteran...

The key words I took out of this was "weathered veteran"...we have better options than this signing. We trade youth for an unknown quality in a catcher, then we play around with who is going to be in our outfield...we have more than enough young players in this organization who should be brought forward, who are continually thrown into the discussion, so this was another bizarre signing. The only good signing of a weathered veteran that I have seen so far is Kintzler...

This is a typical Twins move...overload...with less than bright players. If it says anything to fans for the Twins it is we don't trust our youth coming up. Which sends to me that management again does not trust itself and is looking for ways to cover there "fourth point". This a waste of time for fans and players alike, another subpar performer who will take eyes from the youth we now want to squander? Come on...TR has got to be better than this, typical Twins move but some time sooner or later you are going to have to trust all those rookies you keep telling fans are sooooo good.

To me there is no down side to having Nolasco in the bullpen, other than maybe taking the spot from some rookie. But that would mean the Twins management is willing to bring more youthful pitching to the forefront. We are gonna have to eat this contract one way or another...he is prone to injury with extended play...say like a starting rotation spot. So utilize him in another role as relief...hopefully he will remain healthy and regain both his speed and slider with less use. We have seen other pitchers come back to life and be an asset rather than an expensive "Yugo". IF..for luck's sake he does come back as a strong reliever, his value will go up and trades may become more viable.

I don't think we are as bad as everyone indicates. Yes, we are relying on past performances on a majority of our relief pitchers, but we still have solid performers.May and Jepsen were solid last year and now we have to find our if injuries repaired can bring back Fien and Perkins. Why go out and garner another subpar relief pitcher while we can utilize some of that "youth" everyone goes on about, but we never see. I also believe our starting pitching is not that bad also. Yes we have some weak pitcher, but we have to remember these are the ones who got us where to the end last year..with injuries repaired and youth, again waiting in the wings, maybe Ryan finally realizes he may have to use them this year. I always am amused by the saddened backlash to Plouffe, he is a solid 3rd basemanand adequate hitter yet there are many who want to dump him for a subpar pitcher. Haven't we had enough of that...there are other holes we need to fix than 3rd base.

While I would like to see May in the rotation, it still comes down to who do you bump? Everyone talks Nolasco, but then you also say the Twins won't eat the Millions, it is a business. Hughes was weak, teams knew he would throw majority of FBs so waited and busted him up. Santana was burned because of his layoff but hopefully he will return to form. You have this forum and the Twins' own "chest beating" on their young hurlers...which with our stated rotation...have no where to go. So what do you do? First determine what you want the team to do...win...just chug along...what??? If you want to win you need to have a strong bull pen, Kansas showed that last year and it is what hurt us in the long run. May was a ROCK in the BP...and who says our closer is gonna come back smokin??? Let's face it...strikeouts were not the Twins strong point last year. Need to see what Nolasco and Hughes are gonna do this year. And see if Mauer continues to lose his batting prowness...we are not gonna have the answers right away...but time will clear up this picture. Good topic!