Rosterman

We are sitting here remembering that Joe Mauer is a lock at first base where so many current names could play (be it Sano, Park or Vargas). We talk of Dozier be moved as solving our problems. But we are still a ways from having Gordon at shortstop. Dozier talk (should he be moved, why isn't he being moved) is similar to the talk of Trevor Plouffe who, for all intent and purpose, is still in the Twins mix. And can any of them play the outfield, and where does that leave our three prospects of Rosario/Kepler/Buxton, not to mention names in the wings like Palka, Walker and Granite. And then you do start to look at the worth of ANY of the above names. We feel Dozier has worth, yet any team looking at him has to have a second base need (where else can he play) and do they think he is a viable player to resign in 2019 and beyond. I don't think we can move Park or Vargas or even Plouffe. Escobar is fumes. Teams would rather gamble on trading for Buxton, Sano, Kepler, Polanco at this point. Rosario is on the bubble. Santana is a placeholder. Anyone really feels Grossman is needed with Palka/Walker/Granite in the wings? The team is a mess in pieces to send elsewhere. As a general manager, I would just wait to see who the Twins jettison, and worry about trading pieces with other teams, who may fulfill my needs equally if not better than the Twins, or just waiting for those waiver wire moments that may see more Twins than any of us imagine.

Yes, the biggest complaint is giving at bats to Schafer instead of Walker, both on the 40-man (or Schafer was actually added). You can argue that the Twins should find places for the pitchers who MIGHT be added to the 40-man, or give a look to other pitchers of the same quality as Dean/Albers (they did add Wimmers for a looksee and have to make a keep or go decision on him). Wheeler was the one who could've gotten a look to see if he was worth even considering for the 40-man in the off-season, or just going after as minor league depth. You could argue that instead of Beresford, the Twins should've elevated Goodrum, perhaps. Someone to consider keeping in the organization (they have, but he is still eligible for the Rule 5). But the Beresford reward was nice and he might stay with the team another season as minor league experience and depth, and speak highly of the Twins to fellow Australians. My problem is guys like Landa, Rosario and Melotakis. They were still unlikely to appear with the Twins in 2016. Now they also appear unlikely to appear in 2017? Yet the Twins lost Zach Jones (who they got back) and kept Pat Dean, and added Andrew Albers. Sheesh. A lot of names that went nowhere fast. At what point do you fear losing that 3-year player who still has dues to pay before reaching true prospect status.

So that means the Twins could spend upwards of $130 million on payroll, which they won't, in 2017. They have Mauer on the books for two mroe seasons. They also have Santana and Perkins for two more years and Hughes for three, and that's about it. You might expect a considerable drop in revenue next season, but if the Twins can excite the fan base, maybe not. Still, whatever isn't spent one years doesn't seem to carry over to other years (why not). And, thusly, you have to weigh your prospects well, signing some sooner rather than later with the longterm gamble. But the question will always remain, do you ever again make someone a franchise player (like Mauer) and do you ever overspend for mid-level talent longterm (like most of the rotation of late).

Not totally. They could have Park back there at first base. Goodrum could be an infielder. Beresford could return. I would hope you would advance D.J. Hicks, Ryan Walker, Engelb Vielma. Levi Michael needs to show his stuff (or might just be released). I would keep Wilfredo Tovar if he would resign. You'd think Nick Gordon MIGHT make it that far next season. But, yes, sadly NO TRUE third baseman at this time.

There is not enough upside for a team to grab a Thorpe, unless they think they can carry him for the season (they can't). Wait to see what happens to him and remember, because of high draft picks,the Twins may still have difficult roster decisions for 40-man adds for a couple more years!

The Twins have a number of pitchers who could just walk away if not kept on the 40-man - Wimmers, Boshers, Light. With their performances last year, and the number of same/significant arms in the system, almost want to say so long. The only tough choice is Wheeler. Should you or not. Baxendale MIGHT be grabbed, but I would take the chance that he won't be. The truth is that the pitching staff is a shambles and can be rcreated with same bodies out of the 2th or 41st men that msot teams will elt walk in the off-season with hopes that SOMEONE from the minors will fill 2-3-4 of the holes sometime in 2017. There is zilch trade value from all bodies except for Santana. Even Kintzler. there seemed to be no biters during the regular season. Sad that you have to think about protecting these guys.

Nike Goodrum is one to consider. Believe he will also be a minor league free agent, thus he could just walk to another team. Is he more valuable to the organization than, say, Danny Santana or Robbie Grossman. It's these fringe guys, or a couple of players lower down in the minors that won't be AA/AAA guys right now but could be rgabbed in the minor league portion. Someone mentioned turner. Happily, the Twins didn't advance him. He is still too rough to be held all season as a third catcher even. Adam Walker? If the Twins removed him from the 40-man, some team would grab him immediately, which rubs salt in the wounds that the Twins didn't expose him to major league pitching in September to just see how good/bad he may be.

Drew Butera will be available, right?

Polancho will be the shortstop in 2017. But the Twins have to move on Dozier before he enters his walk season, or sign him longterm, and not sure if that is a geat idea. Or is it? And do you move Dozier, plant Polanco at second then, and have Gordon at shortstop. Of course, the future of Sano is also the question. Is he a third baseman longterm (doubtful). Do you want him at first, or do you make him a designated hitter. But the shortstop answer comes from the longrange vision of where Brian Dozier is with the organization...the lifelong second baseman, a fixture at first base or the outfield, or a dynamite tradechip today when his value is high, as we have no idea how far down -to-earth he may come in 2017 and no longer be the bargain other teams could grab!

Right now, no one needs to trade for a Minnesota Twin player. Period. The Twins will ask for the moon for the couple that have possible worth (salary, experience = Dozier, Ervin Santana). Anyone else, they can find equally substantial candidates pretty much anywheres for a fraction of the cost.The Twins are a mess. Players will slump again (as many do in their second year). The Twins have to think and play and trust longterm in their system. Period. They do have to make some decisions on where guys are playing, and start doing it early and getting a depth chart (realistic) going instead of experimenting.

We have to wait to see the direction the new front office will be going. Otherwise, as it MAY be a total rebuilding team, closer by committee is the answer. You either have to look at someone being the closer of the future or not at this point. Perk can still close. Kintzler can close (both should be 8th inning set-up guys at first). But closers tend to be made, rather than come up thru a system. Sadly, our closer of the future might just be...dare I say...Jose Berrios! Look at the record of similar guys! Right now, the Twins NEED to see what they have developing in folks like Zack Jones, Nick Burdi, Jake Reed, Tom Hildenberger and others. they NEED A PLAN. They will need to establish roles for guys over the next 3-5 seasons if they build from within AND THEN supplement any weaknesses with outside help. But until the team is winning and a bonafide closer needs to pitch, say, two out of three days somewhat consistently (like winning streaks), you can try to mix and match a little.

I would consider putting more stock in Goodrum, too. Especially since he could just walk. Too bad they couldn't move Escobar when he was...hotter. The Tale of the Twins. I guess could take a gamble that no one will gamble on Wheeler at this point. Of course, that means you can always fallback on Albers or Dean.

I had some faith that the Twins starting rotation would take us towards the 7th inning after a pretty solid spring training and that the offense was there as long as starters could keep the damage to around 4 runs per start. But some things happened. Injuries. First off, Perkins. We hoped Jepsen was the guy to step in, but the Twins went too long with him, and Fien also imploded. We also had Sano as the right fielder. We had a couple of guys names Quentin and Wheeler fighting for a job with the Twins in spring training that we let go because we had Sano/Buxton/Rasario with Arcia as the backup and Santana in the mix. What a mess that turned out to be with Rosario and Buxton going up and down and Sano not doing his best, combined with a longball no-hit DH that was being given every chance to shine. Carlos and Ryan went nowhere after their releases and the front office signed David Murphy as a possible. Now the Twins hoped another Murphy would be a solid shared catcher with Suzuki. But he also imploded. I personally felt that a guy named John Hicks should've opened the season as a Twin with Murphy going to the Red Wings to play regular, as it looked like Suzuki would hold down his share of innings. But Hicks went to the minors and the front office did a shuffle that backfired bigtime, about to advance Murphy and they removed Hicks but then Murphy quit. Happily, it meant we had more of Kepler, but we lost a possible replacement catcher who we had gotten for a song. At some point, the Twins cut bait with Arcia. Sure, we also signed Robbie Grossman, Rosario came back stronger, we had to move Buxton up and down because he is a top prospect. We had to give playing time to Park. Arcia became the odd man out. That he ran thru a few teams after his trade (for $$$ only, I believe) means word is still out. But we started to see signs of no one knowing what they had in player personal and what to do with them. Yes, a team can get temporary results from folks like Grossman, or Kintzler, Boshers, Schafer, Centeno and the like. Even Park, the 29-year-old rookie. Time will tell if Park was a better sign and keep than the half-decade younger Arcia. We were still coming off a year in which the Twins won 83 games and were competitive, but they won only 83 games and the wild card was weak. Admit it. Yet they did little to really improve, just created logjams and blockage with the keeping of Plouffe, the misplaying of Sano, the signing of Park, and the waste of Arcia, and then Vargas. Happily Nunez was an all-star delight and the Twins moved on and got a good look at Polanco, and he delivered. But a shattered rotation (in which none could win ten games) and you best starters were giving up too few runs or too many. You had a different lineup everyday. You have a franchise player who is still good in the grand scheme of things, but fallen so far down from greatness only able to play positions others in your mess of DH/1B/OF/3B guys in the majors and the minors could probably fill the shoes of equally for a fraction of the cost, not that you would've spent the saved $20 million in any other fashion - this is the Twins front office where four Tommy Milones are better than one Greinke. A bullpen in which no pitcher seemed to get three outs in a game, but would appear in every other game. But we did have that new bar/food dwelling in center field. Players who shine in the minors and struggle in the majors. But the coaching staff is bigger than ever, ever, ever. And, again, the prospects shine as they rise thru the minors and them implode bigtime. The team still went out and played each and every game. But they made errors, struck out in record numbers, and had so set role or lineup position. Sigh.

The only reason to add Goodrum is because he becomes a minor league free agent. If another team grabs most any of the other Rule 5 eligibles that didn't play beyond AA ball (Granite is the exception), no one really put up big enough numbers to warrant keeping on a team's roster spot. So Wheeler and Palka are givens, as is Garver. The Twins have more to worry about in the minor league portion of the draft. If the players can't go to the higher end minor league rosters, they might get snatched, which is where you end up losing guys who have excelled at A/A+ ball, or may be on a comeback but disabled (Bard, Thorpe, for example). The risk of adding anyone as a longer term minor league guy is that you pretty much have to keep them on the 40-man, or risk losing them outright to a team, who usually then has a better option keeping the player in their organization. And you are also tying up a 40-man spot for years (see Polanco and Kepler, for examples...and the current crop that didn't make it this year and probably won't next like Landa. Happily, the Class of 2011 hasn't produced all that well for the Twins (Michaels, Harrison and the ilk) so the Twins have caught one here. And a player like Turner, who might start at AAA (or Garcia, for example) just aren't major league ready, and you can almost assume they aren't the go-to guy you want to have in the wings at AAA ball -- yet!

Clearing out names: Free Agent: Suzuki Arbiration: Plouffe, Milone, Santiago...possibly Kintzler or Pressley. Let them try and stay: Grossman, Centeno, Schafer, Albers, Boshers, Dean, Beresford. NOT On the Bubble: Gibson, Tonkin. Either Way: Duffey, Light, O'Rourke, Light Decision time: Walker, Park, Vargas (or Palka). How many do you need of the same guy. Granted, you need to keep a couple around in case you need roster space for a free agent. But, seriously, how many of the above names would be immediately added to another team's 40-man roster. Seriously? Mpst would get an invite to spring training. Many will find a home in another organization but still toil in the background of major league baseball. So, 11 of the above could go. Another 11 wouldn't be missed and wouldn't bring back anything in return. Speaks wonders of the Twins current 43-man roster. And I didn't even include Danny Santana or Escobar in the discussion.

I would happily start 2017 with Vargas anywhere and have Park, Walker and Palka in the minors, ready to step up. Even though Sano at third and Mauer at first could create issues down the line. I would give him 40 solid starts at DH/1B and then make a decision. None of the mickey-mousing that they did with Arcia. Park can start in the minors. Should start in the minors. Period.

You hit all the points. No need to get super starters because they could end up wasting a year or two (as Ervin did this year). We need to see what we do have that is REAL (not Albers, not Dean) and push on those that show some promise (Stewart, Gonsalves). You have to make a decision on Dozier. Do you commit and feel he will be the cornerstone of the team past age 31, or jsut move on. And you move on with anyone that isn't a surefire lock for a position or has potential value (Plouffe and Santiago are they going to become tradechips in their walk year, doubtful). You make decisions on replaceable guys like Tonkin, Duffey, even Gibson. Maybe you turnover up to 10 positions (after adding your own prospects into the mix) by letting folks like Schafer, Centeno and Grossman and Boshers walk and replacing them with those 41st guys that other teams are cutting...if only for a year. No amount of money will make the 2017 Twins playoff contenders. It will be field staff leadership, finding a team leader, and the players that are shoiwng promise to excel combined with the hungry attitude of more future prospects that might pull off a pleasant surprise, but also build to be a more solid team by decade's end, when you do open the purse strings and buy not one, not two, but maybe three of the BEST guys you can find to fill any obvious holes you have at that time.

I think I figured out your Top 1`0: Luke Westphal Brian Olson Joe Maloney Blair Lakso Nick Greenwood Jason Adam Todd Van Steusel Jairo Rodriguez Jason Wheeler Miles Nordgren

Molitor is a great player and all, a Hall-of-Famer who is known more for his work as a Brewer and even a Blue Jay, as with the Twins. He is a hometown guy, but although he gives a nice official presence, he is far from Mr. Warmth (of course, same can be said for Tom Kelly). I really don't how to react to the opportunity Molitor took playing basically Rochester Red Wings lineups the final weeks. But so many names on the disabled list (Rosario, Santana , Hughes, Perkins, Plouffe) and a roster still bloated with guys that have no business being given playing time (Schafer, Grossman, Boshers, sadly Centeno) or purely overworked (Dozier, Pressly, Tonkin) or not doing what they should be doing (Kintzler). There seemed to be a total lack of what this team could possible strive towards doing well. You had your home run leader batting leadoff. You have your future leadoff man batting ninth, until the last game of the season. You have a mess with your potential third baseman. You have Duffey starting games and barely lasting a long relief stint, but not being tried in long relief. You jave guys in the minors who you needed to look at badly - Wheeler, Walker, maybe even Reed. Instead you have, again, Schafer, Boshers, and that comedy duo of Dean and Albers. I think it goes back to before 2015 when Molitor was hired, than a coaching staff was put together, and names were interviewed and approved more by committee than the manager who, suffice to say, hasn't developed chronies like Rock Anderson or Dick Such. Maybe it is the thrown together coaching staff that also adds to the confusion. Ultimately, what is the Twins Way anymore, except great views and good food at the most beautiful stadium in the league. That they seem to do right. But, sadly, Molitor isn;t that same marketing kick that Torii Hunter was for the 2015 team in selling tickets or putting fans in the stands. Not sure he is even better than "come see the new guys" or "free beers with every strikeout by a batter". But 100+ losses, few managers should be given an encore. If anything, you do find someone from outside who knows what they are doing, or totally go with that guy from the system who has worked with the players (assuming the new operations and GM don't clean house of prospects).

And, thus, the spirit in the clubhouse HAD to be down. Some would say a Torii Hunter presence was needed. Others will say coaches weren't doing their pregame jobs with the players. Many will criticize the manager for poor lineup construction and not knowing his own players. You have to admit that the offense has so much potential if they can get beyond the strikeout, youth, and enjoy the game more. Pitching put the team behind, which is a tragedy, with Santana being the only one to truly shutdown the opposition on a continued basis. The bullpen was all over the place with no surefire closer (of course, few REAL closing opportunities). You never knew what you'd get from a bullpen pitcher.

Murphy will be given every opportunity to start. Garver should also start, albeit at AAA Rochester. So the Twins still need a backup catcher. But doubt that they NEED to keep Centeno on the 40-man (barring who else they rid themselves of). Centeno COULD be resigned to a minor league contract. If Murphy flounder, or is just okay, then Garver could come up and share duties. And Turner better be at AAA in 2017, too. Fast track some of these guys a bit more. DOn't hold them back and fill the roster with AAAA wannabees.

I liked Molitor commenting about the status of the coaching staff (under review) and acting like he will be part of the decision-making solution. Sadly, maybe he will. But I would think the new powers-that-be should have full decision-making process and get ahead of the whole mess as soon-as-possible, rather than wean people in and out of the organization. If the organization will still have another doomed year, let it be rapid rather than long-lasting. Time for the Twins to become MORE than a family business. It is time to become a sports entertainment business!

He now has the power to hire a general manager. And with the GM should be able to pick his field staff. Will be interesting to see where all the lifelongs in the Twins front office end up

Rob Anthony. Seriously, whoever they hire, well they then have to turn around and interview other (different) candidates for the general manager position. I would think the president of baseball operations would have a say in that hire.

Sadly, he is one of those guys that it is doubtful that people are lining to sign him. But if the Twins would move him off the 40-man, he would get a contract somewhere...even if he had to start over again at AAA. And he wouldn't return to the Twins.