Rosterman

What was great that for awhile you did get to keep the entire ticket, not just a partial. And enjoyed when the Twins featured different images on their tickets. Not a current season ticket holder, but it was sorta nice to keep that package of tickets intact. Of course, they want to destroy the secondary market, or even giving them to a friend. Keep a name or contact with the file.

In the end, I almost saw Alex Meyer as being an odd-man out in the future plans of the Twins. As a starting candidate, he was being pushed by some names at AA right now (Gonsalves, Jay, Stewart). As a relief pitcher, this was his year to show (even though he was penned in as a starter). Right now, he fell behind Alex Wimmers in the call-up for September race. So it was an okay move. He may be great a couple of years down the path, but chances of him getting great with the Twins in a couple of years jsut didn't seem to be in the picture. It's the constant joy of looking at your system (and not failing). Where does Adam Walker fit in? Is he being pushed aside by Palka in an already crowded slugger zone that needs to find a place for Park, Kepler, Rosario, Sano, Vargas? Where will Harrison and Granite fit into the future picture. Was he a viable trade chip? Who else would the Twins have been dangling matched with a player they wanted to move...Baxendale, Bard, Meija, Polanco? Polanco is interesting. He played third base. Did a couple of triples. Am I sad to see Meyer leave? In context of the Span trade, where we were told we were fleecing the Nationals with a player from an area of strength on our team for a long-term asset, we suddenly hear rumbles that the Angels are drinking the same kool-aid, only that asset is three years older and doesn't seem ready to pitch in the majors...yet. But back to Monday. What a game. Kepler is the hardest working player I have seen in quite awhile. Now if he can give Buxton a little bit of whatever it is he's drinking.

When all is said and done we got rid of Nolasco's contract for a modest $4 million in payroll expense. We gave up on Meyer, who has been his own worst enemy this and last season when he could've should've made the turn to major league play. We got a starter who will cost us about the same as Tommy Milone. If we can get a waiver claim on Milone, then it is a wash and we earn that salary back. Just think, offering Santiago arbitration will be similar to doing the same with Tommy. e got a hard-throwing AA prospect. Hey, we got rid of Nolasco!!!!!!!

Meyer needed to come on board the Twins roster fulltime next year. And that wasn't going to happen. So assuming he would be ready come spring training, the decision still has to be made of starter or relief pitcher. At that point, he may be bypassed by a bunch of starting prospects, and definitely passed by a bunch of promising bullpen arms. So he is one of those guys who had a chance last year and this year and...blew it. He's basically being replaced by Pat Light who might have a little more time on the 40-man roster, but also could be running out of options himself. I doubt the Red Sox would've continued to 40-man him next season. Santiago needs to pitch well to end the season to score bigger in arbitration. Then next year, he was to be a star if he wants a decent free agent contract, which could be a plus if the Twins wish to flip him. Of course, the Twins could always do something like offer him 3-4 years of outrageous salary and an option in the off-season to keep him around. I feel bad no one blew us away on taking Santana of our hands and am disappointed if Anthony and Co. feel the Twins will really be hard-lined competitors and would rather keep his massive contract on the books that not. And looks like no one really wanted Suzuki. It was the time to grab a free agent before the waiver deadline when a lower running team could possibly grab him. And the cost wouldn't have been that much. And if the Twins refused anything for a pending free agent...they that is a black mark in the bad-Anthony category. Plouffe coming back soon will be a dilemma. Polanco back to the minors? Buxton on the DL? We drop a pitcher? Can anyone actually tell me why Plouffe would be worth his last year arbitration contract next season and what the odds are that any other team would also pay that? And why the excitement of Tommy Milone as longman in the bullpen and Duffy back in the rotation. I would almost rather see Duffy as a longman to see if he can work the Rogers magic, as the Twins hopefully prep Trevor May for a look at a rotation spot next season before we really realize what we got in return for Span and Revere. The Twins will need some 40-man spots. These acquisitions makes it unlikely the Twins will add anyone they don't have to add to the 40-man sooner rather than later, or even take a gander at someone like Reed or Stewart in September...or any number of other guys that will play out another season in the minors in 2017 before getting a shot later that season with the big team that IS rebuilding. I like the deals, but nothing compared to other teams and doubt that they will set us afire into a competitive 2017.

So it would seem that no contending team was really interested in flipping something for Suzuki, or Kintzler. Those two, along with Milone, could be made available during the waiver wire process, and one would suspect that no non-contending team will leap at the opportunity to grab them, so a chance might still exist that someone wants them higher up the scale. But because a contending team didn't deal for Suzuki, means that they were all content with their catchers already. Add in Plouffe, the Twins have a few names that would be nice to just shed, salary wise, even if you don't get anything in return. When you put Suzuki, Plouffe and even Milone onto another team's roster, than they have to deal with the thought of keeping them or allowing them to walk at season's end. If the Twins are still interested, THEY MIGHT be able to regrab any of them at a bargain rate...or they might not...or might not even care to visit that. I was really shocked that Santana wasn't grabbed by someone, unless the asking price was truly waaaaaay too high. But the Twins were willing to basically pay for Nolasco to go to Los Angeles and take Santiago, who could be an arbitration surprise.Mey Question is Meyer. Who knows what he will be asked in the off-season and will he develop into a relief pitcher or a starter or nothing. Time will tell. The Span exchange looks like one of the worst deals ever (a reasonable long term contract on a lead-off guy and a centerfielder that was replaced with....what....). The Light acquisition was interesting. Someone who the Red Sox probably didn't want to keep on their 40-man. And now the Twins have to make the same decision at the expense of what promising prospect, perhaps. If it is Zack Jones again, I'll be really mad! But they did something. They got something for basically guys they added as free agents or, as in Nunez, a very minor prospect. It's too bad there is still more fluff on the roster that the Twins will basically say "goodbye" to with little coming abck in return...except play for the future and a lower payroll in 2017.

So the Twins trade for Pat Light, someone they drafted back in 2009 but couldn't sign.

He's not an after thought. The Twins thought high enough of him to put him on the 40-man roster last season. He pitched horribly at Rochester and was removed with no takers. He came back strong, is left-handed. He is a candidate to be added this year. Probably come down to him or Pat Dean in the end. Yes, if they think they would add him, bring him up first chance you get. Then make a decision if you raelly do want to keep him, or just have him hang around. Every roster needs a few bodies that COULD be jettisoned if you do sign a free agent or two. Guys added to the 40-man after the season can't be sent off until spring training. It's why you might see Dean and Centeno and even Romero stay around when the Twins start deducting guys.

There is no reason to go to arbitration with Milone at this point. The hope is someone claims him and if you really want him back, then you are free to negotiate. Same with Plouffe. Make it the decision of another team.

Looking at the wants/needs of Texas...I could see a package of Ervin Santana, Suzuki and Abad for something. Talk about a monster trade! Now if we could package someone with Nolasco to the Dodgers for their catching prospect (after they land Lucroy) and find takers for Plouffe and Milone (at least get back an A prospect). Maybe Anthony would be right for the job afterall. But why do I have the sneaking suspicion that the Twins powers-that-be are considering too much wealth and hoping for a big payback, rather than compromising on some pieces and looking at a bigger picture. Right now, every team has assets to move (that they can't keep or protect in the off-season) and, as people have said, you usually get a little sweetner with the trading deadline deals, compared to off-season antics. But it would be disappointing if the Twins don't move a catcher (who will be a free agent) a starting asset or two (as teams are getting stymied by other teams) and a bullpen arm for the future of the organization.

May needs to be stretched out nd that ain't happening this year. Not sure how it will work in the off-season. He should've stayed longer at Rochester and worked into becoming a starter again. You could always cut him back to relief, but the Twins blew that one. Combined with the other guys THAT MAY not be moved, the Twins will be carrying Hughes and Perkins on the 40-man and it is doubtful that either will come out of the chute and be ready once spring training ends. The joy is that their positions can be taken with a couple of minor league free agents, if need be. The bad thing is that you have two guys on the 40-man that you need to protect. I ws imagining that the acquisition from the Giants would be next in line for a call-up (after Berrios). That leaves Dean as the other starter in play (and Duffey). ;;I do wonder if any of Jay, Gonsalves or Stewart will get a move up to AAA. Next...when does Chargolis return!

I someone is willing to trade for Rsario (who probably did have worth in the off-season), they might be more mad that they missed out on grabbing Grossman this season. The next big question: Maybe the Twins need to move their strength in centerfield. Like Buxton? What could he bring? And would we be comfortable with Grossman, of Kepler, or even the future Zach Granite out there? I really don't want to give up on Buxton...and am just amazed at the folks we have sent away: Span, Revere, Gomez, Hicks. Plus what they have really done, so you never really know the potential of a player until they do play it out!

HE SHOULD BE OUR NEW DESIGNATED HITTER. I mean, the outfield is waaaay too crowded, so much so that WE HAVE to play Danny Santana in the infield. (Even on a day off, Polanco at third and letting Sano NOT field but hit would be better than what Molitor did today...this from a manager who feels a guy can lead off or hit fourth...anyone know WHY it is so hard to get a decent lineup and stick with it?)

I loved the Nolasco trade idea. Basically, you have to trade for change of location. But getting someone younger back could prove enlightening. Plus, not being on the 40-man, does that mean the Twins can carry him OFF the 40-man until November? The Twins currently have 3 40-man spots open. They will need approx. 7-8 potential between now and the setting of rosters in November, with two spots coming back with Hughes and Perkins. I don't necessarily see them adding Hildenberger. Also, Reed could also be out because YOU DON'T NEED to add the guys yet (similar to Berrios last year). But who comes up in September (pretty much anyone on the 40-man...Walker, Mason, Chargolis). Do you add back in a second look at maybes like Albers, O;Rourke, Darnell. Do you reward Beresford? Do you take a look at, say, Tovar? Do you immediately jump ANY of the guys WHO NEED to be added to the 40-man anyways? Takes an advance look at Gonsalves, Stewart? Also, would like to see WImmers get a look at the major league level. It is sink or swim elsewhere time for him.

WHO DISAPPEARS WHEN PLOUFFE RETURNS!

Sounds like a solid choice, and even though we need to carry him on the 40-man, he hasn't burned thru all his options yet. Picture that the Giants saw him as 8th or 9th on their own potential starter chart (not all that bad, there may be younger guys ahead that will get to the majors when they are ready and spots open). Makes a better choice than Milone, but also puts Wheeler on the back burner and possibly an off-season 40-man add-on again.

Stop complainng about Sano at third. Give him the rest of the season. He's still a talented work-in-progress. He SHOULD get better. He needs to stay comfortable, which he seems in the field as long as we all stop harping about the mistakes. He does seem to be working on them...as well as his ability to not strikeout. Slow, but will happen. Remember, August 1 is not the end of the trade deadline. Trades can still be made in August where players go on waivers, teams claim them, and you try to work out a deal in Round #1 (if you run them thru a second time, you lose them if someone claims). A player can be put on waivers anytime in the month. So things might still happen regarding Dozier, Plouffe and...Nolasco. If something happens to Escobar, we have Danny Santana to play shortstop!

At this point, since he is on the 40-man, no reason to NOT bring him up in September, even just to throw a couple of innings out of the pen. Again, when you have a losing team, use September to give guys a taste of the Big Leagues so they know what to work towards in the off-season. 23-year-old left-handed possible starter not named MILONE.

All the names mentioned should be up in September and added to the 40-man. These are the future. Except for Reed, they all need to be added to the 40-man, I believe...correct me if I am wrong. Give them a taste of major league life and action and turn them loose to improve in the off-season. There will be some bumps, but you have more leeway in the bullpen. Moving Taylor to the bullpen was a smart choice. Almost think Duffey should be moved there, too. And then we still have Burdi and Bard in the wings. And I do think the Twins should take a long look at Wimmers. He might be coming into his own. Imagine a bullpen next year of Reed, Jones, Wimmers, Chargolis, Rogers and any holdovers from Tonkin, Pressly, O'Rourke, Boshers, Kintzler with Hildenberger in reserve and possibly Burdi and Bard. Short steps towards getting better.

Okay, let's keep everyone under contract for 2017. Nolasco Santana Hughes Gibson arbitrate Perkins Kintzler arbitrate Abad arbitrate Milone arbitrate Mauer Nunez arbitrate Escobar arbitrate Plouffe arbitrate Dozier Park Look at that. 14 guys WE NEED to keep around because of contracts to go with Anthony, Molitor and whomever.

Two questions: What spaces do the Twins need for 40-man adds in the off-season? And, who will actually play for the Twins in 2017. Itdidn't take long for the Twins to not do anything significant with Aaron Thompson, Carlos QUentin, John Hicks, Murphy and Sweeney, DeLa Cruz, Runzler. And they managed to jettison Arcia, Mastro, Graham, Ramirez, Strong, O'Rourke, Fien, Jepsen from the 40-man already this season, with arguments made about keeping Graham, Fien and possibly Strong and losing (temporaily, Jones). Okay...Rotation. Santana (great contract, people should be fighting to add him to the back of your roster. A keeper veteran presence, but... Nolasco...you have a failed investment and might want to squeeze more out of him or see if he can get any sort of value next season, but gone by 2018. Milone, you probably could've avoided arbitration last fall, and don't need to arbitrate this fall. Hughes is a long-term hope that he will produce in the next three seasons. Duffey is struggling. Always felt he might be a candidate for long relief. Or is he the one-year-wonder of Scott Diamond or Albers or Kris Johnson. Gibson...if he can get on track, will have trade value but don't see the need to the Twins going to year 3 arbitration or free agency. Sit on the sidelines and see if they can get a deal when another team passes on him. Pat Dean is Pat Dean. I truly wanna know who would've grabbed him in last year's Rule 5. CATCHER. You don't keep Suzuki. He will be a free agent. If he can't find a $2 million job next year, maybe you consider. Murphy is what we have, go with it. Centeno and Paulino are replacement players. Garver needs to be added and might be the future. Turner needs to get some major league experience. INFIELD: If someone wants Park, you eat the signing portion and move on. Can Vargas play first? Should Sano play first? Can Mauer play anywhere but first? Dozier is still reasonable, and Polanco is the future. Is he the future in 2017 or 2018. He will be playing full seasons and going towards arbitration. We can take a looong look. Escobar IS NOT the shortstop of the future. Pure placesetter. Nunez is a nice backup if he keeps hitting and would rather see him at third than Escobar if... Sano goes down. Sano is showing life. He is the current third baseman. Plouffe will jsut be too expensive. If you want to keep Plouffe, you should've signed him long term. Let him walk in August and if you want him back, offer him something in the offseason. I would rather see Plouffe at first than Mauer, but not at $11 million a year. Our future outfield is Rosario, Kepler, Buxton. Between Grossman or Santana as backup, I go with Grossman. Walker may have been passed by Palka. Harrison and Michael are moot. Are Meyer or May closrs of starters? I don't see Kintzler as being nothing but luck. Tonkin and Pressly and Rogers can all be replaced by Burdi, Reed, Jones, Hildenberger, whatever...the question is when. Sooner rather than later, I say. But the truth is...what the Twins have is trade pieces are not in demand. And if the Twins don't want them, why would someone else really care. Those that might see playing time elsewhere are so on the fringe, you ask yourself "do I trade with the Twins or elevate a prospect...or jsut watch the waiver wire...the Twins do...." The Twins WILL NEED to clear roster space...5, 6, 7 names in the least. Who will go, who will get a look, who will stay, who will be added. Maybe the offseason will be exciting. But some of these moves CAN be made in the interim and not wait for a new Director of Player Operations and GM.

Man, I shake my head that Anthony feels he can be competitive in 2017. Maybe he can, but it would be a fluke and having no system failure. Right now, prospects are being delayed, you have a bunch of overpaid starters not producing, the Joe Mauer problem, and something isn't going right on the field,. No, you won't give away Santana. If he was a free agent this winter, he could possibly get the same as owed him by the Twins. You do move Suzuki. Unless you wish to resign him. But try try try to get something and then worry about resigning him. Dump Plouffe. If you do, he becomes another teams arbitration problem. Unless you wish to pay him $10 million in 2017. And then you might as well sign him long term. Figure out what to do with Mauer. At this point, I would ALMOST rather have three more years of Plouffe playing first, or happily have multi years of Vargas and even Park and wish I could go back and get Arcia. He was the face of the franchise, but no more. If someone, anyone would offer him a home...do it. I will admit that he is hitting pretty darn good if it is an eye issue. But putting him at the top of the order and his production pop compared to others isn't working out. You need 40-man roster spots this off-season. If they aren't going to be there come November, no need to have them here this September!

I do find it curious as to what does happen to the millions spent on draft picks, some of those millions going to a few players who never pan out. Amazing what major league baseball spends on the possibility of hitting it bigtime and giving money to players that never see the light of day. The above numbers should also be palced in the context of when a team drafts, with all those high draftpicks the Twins got for half-a-decade. Looking back on past Twins drafts, the number of players that made it to the majors with the Twins (or with other teams) or those that even made it to AA/AAA ball can be rather pathetic, at times. Especially for an organization that doesn't play the free agent market and would be the perfect place for drafted and developed players to rise and shine. And that is the crutch of Twins drafting. This year, 31 players have signed and are in the system. But let's look a few years away (say 2020) and how many of those will have lasted more than three years in the system and how many make it to the big leagues, and how does the international draftees work into the mix, and would a team just do better "grabbing" players from other teams as their minor league careers progress. In the real world, prospects replace players eligible for free agency on a cycle in which the organization constantly drafts for need vs. depth for best-all-around. But how soon does that best-all-around turn into fluff.

Kintzler is one of those guys.....no team is going to grab him to be a closer. They would grab him for depth, which is what the Twins did. Before trading, they would weigh their own minor league options. So the chances are good that Kintzler will remain a Twin going into the of season and join the notorious group of Guerrier, Burton, Boyer, Fien and others that the Twins have stashed on their major league roster and we can't rpedict where they will eventually end up or how much wear we can get out of them. Even a team seeking a lefty might punt for Abad. Maybe not. Face it...the Twins really don't have a lot of guys that teams will fight over. More so, tems will wait to see what direction the Twins do take and what they do with their pieces (don't offer arbitration to Plouffe in off-season, for example, or just release Nolasco and eat his salary next year). More and more I don't see the Twins eating salary if they don't have to. But I see them parting ways with a player (i.e. Plouffe) rather than overpay. So unless a few prospects don't fit into future plans (perhaps Polanco or Walker) and they can be packaged with a salary, we may have to wait to see if some guys can peak out and create interest in their arms, fer sure, in 2017 before that trade deadline, assuming the Twins aren't in the playoff hunt.

Good point. Yes, if anything, he seemed to be groomed for the future Twins job. In the scheme of things, how many people in the Twins organization have moved onto other General Manager or even front office jobs? Krivsky? Gebhard? Is that it? 50+ years!

Money-wise, two things spring to mind. In the scheme of things, WHY do you still want the same worthless players collecting a salary next year. Especially if there is a smidgen of an opportunity to move them and shed all or some salary, and still get a possible viable player option back in return. Even with waiver-August, if another team will absorb a contract, is it better to part company with said player for less than nothing, or to keep that salary (and possible position_ tied up next season. You should have a pretty good idea of what a player will do for your team (Nolasco, Santana, even Mauer) next season. Now you just decide if you want to pay for that, and if keeping said player will continue to make you a better team in the longrun. The problem with shredding payroll today, and not spending it next year too, is that monies seem not to carry over (like would the Twins go from, say, a $70 million payroll in 2017 to a $180 million payroll in 2019, because they saved money for two years or so.) Somehow, it doesn't work that way. And if us fans force the front office to spend by complaining about the lining-of-the-pockets of ownership, then we get what we deserve, i.e. $178 million spent on a rotation of Nolasco, Hughes, Pelfrey, Santana who are solid vets, but didn't really bring anything to the team except our sense that ownership was willing to spend money on free agents. Anthony IS auditioning for the job. But then someone has to take his place, too. A General Manager is not the guy who does everything anymore. It is a multiple person job. You have to have a strong overall presence and manage people well. You might also be reporting to a president of baseball operations. What are the different titles that Pohlad is seeing in this media guides: President of On-Field Operation, General Manager, Director of Player Personnel, Minor League Coordinator, Assistant General Manager in charge of contracts, Assistant General Manager of player development, Assistant General Manager in charge of assistant general managers. You look for someone who has a vision (that might agree with ownership) and can manage the different pieces to pull it all together. The actual field manager has gone from a coaching staff of four to upwards of 7 and 8, all doing certain duties that the manager pulls together into one big picture. Minor league staffs have increased from an average of three guys to numerous roving instructors, the people who oversee the entire coaching direction of the team in the minors, and even trainers and strength-and-conditioning coaches at the minor league levels. So many teams do have former players helping out (from Oliva making the rounds, to Carew working on bunts/base-running, to Hrbek showing how to lift a runner off the base, to Tom Kelly and even Gardy making the rounds of the teams and offering advice, via the fieldstaff, to players.) But back to money. What happens in the next days will tell us alot about the Twins. Are they afraid of eating salary? Do they hope to squeeze every dollar paid, and to be paid, out of their current players. What kind of return are they happy with if they do trade. Who advances and to where? Who gets a looksee in September. Who sits and who plays. So many of us will be sad if the Twins hold and the roster is still full of Nolasco, Santana, Plouffe, Suzuki next year. If payroll stays the same. If prospects are shoved aside by players making monies that management feels justified in putting on the field. Already, we go into 2017 knowing we will have Hughes and Perkins on payroll but not necessarily starting the season on the field. We have Joe Mauer not producing and blocking players who MIGHT put up equal numbers at a fraction of the cost. We have players like Suzuki having another career moment. We have solid players eating up salary and questionable if we can do better keeping them or letting them go elsewhere (Dozier, Plouffe). I'm not sure how much a new vision will be taken by management from an outside candidate, how long it would take them to bring in their own structure and work with the ownership to absorb all those longtime employees that can't find work elsewhere, and the whole question of the field staff...and then going forwards with x-amount of dollars ("55% of revenue is what you get to spend" - "Okay JP, then rest assured that people will only come to see what that revenue will buy for the field...you have to be flexible and take some hits and try some things.")T he Twins also need to work harder than ever in the community. They will be fighting the Vikings and their new stadium. They are being blown out of St. Paul by the Saints. They need to figure out a way to get better media presence instead of a game broadcast shoved between music for a new hip audience that is still on the rail about coming to Twins games. they have to keep the dwindling fan base happy. They have to think ways to get the television audience cutting their cable ties back into the fold. TC Bear is great for the kids and that guy works harder than anyone in the organization, but the organization has to work so hard to bring, what Dave St. Peter likes to focus on, the Twins Brand back to the forefront. Twins Brand. That is the real Total System Failure that shows it goes beyond Terry Ryan and all across the front office and the field staff and the minor league staff. The Brand has suffered bigtime. There is no trust in the future. There is the attempt to squeeze every penny possible out of current assets. There is the fear to gamble in a business that is a gamble, but ultimately increases in value no matter what happens, for some odd reason. Unfortunately, what we are seeing is a waiting and watching game that won't put people into the seats in greater numbers for the rest of the season and might make next season one of the worst ever for attendance at Target Field and also see a dip in on-field excitement if we going into total rebuild years after it should've been done in the first place.