Rosterman

Santana. He is probably worth the most right now, today, for any team looking for pitching...and his consistency will work in his favor for another team absorbing his contract. If you decided to hang on for some team to overpay, they will (1) go elsewhere (2) don't call. In the Twins favor, it gives them payroll relief (not that unspent payroll carries from season to season). His value might not necessarily increase as you pitch for a losing team. Yes, there are few off-season free agents, which makes him even more attractable to a team that will score 4+ runs in a game adding him to the rotation if they are prepping to lose someone themselves. That we replace him in the rotation with, say, Berrios. Well, who is to say that Berrios WON'T knock off 4-5 quality starts before season's end that will make him that much more valuable as we enter next season. Milone passed thru waivers. The Twins can dangle him out there again and hope someone bites and grabs his contract and will give us a lowend prospect in return. Otherwise, look to August where any player claimed on waivers can be given to the team as salary relief. Be it Milone or Nolasco or Plouffe...the Twins should do this and move forward. Don't wait for some off-season miracle. I would also dangle Escobar and keep Nunez at this point. I would go with Sano at third and , if need be, have Nunez as the regular shortstop or backup at third. What we do with Danny Santana (infioeld or outfield) is what we keep for the rest of the year, plus advance up Polanco. We bring up Wheeler as a starter and see if he can give us better-than-Milone numbers. Who knows, he might be a sleeper. I would also strongly consider making the fifth spot (in place of Nolasco departing) as a rotating spot to have an early look at Stewart, Gonsalves, a look at Baxendale and any other starting pitcher you expect to add to the 40-man roster this offseason and who has a good chance of contributing to the team at some point in 2017. It doesn't look like May will be stretched. We can always consider Dean the guy in reserve. We can hope Meyer gets some starts and also some major league starts come September. I would seriously consider, given the Twins placement in the standings come September 1, to go with a six-man rotation and give GREAT looks to future starters as well as bring up ANY relief pitcher you have room for on the 40-man who will also be added to the 40-man (Zack Jones, for one). I honestly don't think keeping Nolasco and Santana dn their salaries into 2017 will make the Twins a better or more competitive team. I would go for the salary relief (although, again, the savings won't carry over, sadly) and see what we have in youth. If you can make a mental note in your books and pay out above your quota for $$$ in 2018...I would take those Nolasco and Santana savings and get a top-flight starter. And then, throw into the mix, the NEED for a new front office and field staff. That is job #1 at this point, too. Get someone who will rebuild with what we have in prospects and go forth from there.

I would rather see the Twins gamble on Chargolis, Reed and Melotakis as the season progresses than, say, Burnett, Boshers and the continued Kintzler (plus Abad). I would rather go and trade the vet minor league guys and see what we drafted and their potential. I mean, the Twins really can't climb that high this season, can they? And if we continue to drag, let's do it with the future, not the scrap heap. If the future isn;t there, than we do have a true system failure starting with the scouting department, the draft, and the training these guys get in the minors.

Come back and see the game. You shouldn't have any trouble getting a good seat this season for a decent price. And you gotta love the trash the Twins throw on the scoreboard/television between innings. Everybody clap your hands. Yes, the Stadium is a wonderful environment to watch a professional baseball game. But also recommend the Saint Stadium (which is usually sold out) if you desire better and cheaper food, the same outdoors, and a quality game on the field against more evenly matched teams.

Okay. Let's put some more thought into fixing the product on the field. That is ultimately which gets the nacho eaters and beer drinkers to the stadium, and keeps them there for the long haul! That and especially players kids will identify with to play the game. You gotta get the guys out into the community, FO, and not just on phones.

We can argue all we want about the Ramos trade. It was a surprise, and even the throw-in of Joe Testa was more than enough for an okay possible closer (who still had contract left). But, yes, Ramos was blocked. And the Twins would've done the up-down with him for at least another season and then made him a backup and there was probably hope that the Twins would actually have another catcher in the wings by the time Mauer left fulltime behind-the-plate in 2016 or 2017 or 2018 (we had Pinto in the mix at one point - who is doing a-ok in the Brewers system right now). I don't really have a handle on how the Twins do teach.train.view their prospects. They seem to spend a lot of time in the lowly minors and then get a shot at AA, but the AAA roster always seems full of...dare I say...fodder. I see the Twins carefully bring guys thru the system (again, to AA) and then they end up not going anywhere in the organization, or even baseball. At what point DO YOU make the call on a prospect. That they are just playing ball for you in the minors or truly will be given a good hard shot at the majors...and more than a quick call-up and then demotion. Especially when you see how anxious the Twins are to play those guys they grab from the cuts of other systems and give them a chance and playing time: Grossman, Kintzler, Boyer, Abad, Fryer, Bernier, Centeno, Mastro, Boshers, Pressly, Graham, Ramirez, Pino, Martis, Perdomo, Vasquez, Marquis, Carson, Burroughs, Komatsu, Roenicke, Deduno, Walters, Thomas, Burton, Schafer, Neil Ramirez, Schafer, Robinson, Cotts, Thompson, Fuld, COlabello, Thielbar,,,and Mr. Nunez. That's a lot of names in five years that the Twins turned to rather than young guys in their system that they drafted and were developing for major league play. More so that people that they brought north in the past five (mostly) dismal years to fill the lineup from the guys who scout high school and colleges. Maybe the Twins JUST need to skip the draft and turn all their scouting to discards from other teams. Or maybe your sole reason for having "prospects" is to trade for good pieces, but not necessarily the best or what you really need to go forth into playoff land if and when that time rolls around. And then we can have the whole argument about hanging onto players too long and getting nothing in return: Kubel, Cuddyer, Nathan, Willingham, Delmon Young, Fien and Burton. It is a two-way street. You make your players available for pieces that you are missing in your own system (right now, catcher fer sure) and deal accordingly. You should be dangling Abad out there for a promising catcher who is blocked at the major league level for another team -- if that team is foolish enough to see that their own catcher won't be playing behind-the-plate for five more years and they may suddenly need this top prospect sooner rather than never. I'm still just feeling the "total system failure" happening. The attitude that we will try to put a competitive team on the field for the least amount of money, market the heck out of an outdoor stadium that gives the "fan experience" to watching a game played, and the hopes that people will buy into the sport of baseball as fun, and not as a need to win-it-all, or at least show a need to try to win-it-all above and beyond telling people we are doing so. Looking forward to the second half. But someone/s do have take a fall for what happened in the first half.

It's nice when a team has the roster space and ability to give players an opportunity to build some value. But we are still in last place when all is said and done.

And now we can also look at Alex Wimmers MAYBE finally fitting in somewhere. Or will he be the next Anthony Slama?

So I am now a confused owner. For a pro-rated major league minimum, I can either grab Jepsen or go after Joba Chamberlain. Someone will find a place for Jepsen now...with the Twins eating his salary. Oliveros, a guy with a super arm. But got broke last season and was picked up by the Royals.

Some of it is that players in question have to start doing something if they want to keep their jobs, find jobs, or be wanted by another team (or even the Twins). But when you look at the bigger picture, the Twins are still dead last. They have some overpriced players (Plouffe, Suzuki, Nolasco, Santana) and the appeal these guys MIGHT have to other teams can be underwritten by possibly equal candidates for less dollars elsewhere. Plus teams CAN play a wait-and-see what the Twins do, or just see what the Twins will do in the off-season. The Twins major issues are: What to do about catching. They have to see Murphy up here. They will need to protect Garver AND Turner come the off-season. They don't need to protect Centeno. They don't need to pay Suzuki $6 million. Crowded outfield. Suddenly the Twins may have another centerfielder as a trade chip (Buxton). Wait, don't go there. Rosario, Grossman, Kepler are more than enough right now. Santana can also play out there. Walker and Palka are in the wings. Who is this Granite guy. Hummm...maybe they can trade a highly regarded prospect centerfielder?! 1B/DH. Took care of the Arcia issue. Vargas is showing life...he likes those major league paychecks and meal money. Park will be back and we can see what we have here. Happily, once we pass the posting fee (which was in this year's budget, I hope, and not prorated) we CAN take a bath on him if need be. Mauer is making up for all the singles Vargas won't hit, while Vargas is doing the extra bases we expect from a first base guy. Palka could play first base. Kepler did play some first base. Plouffe could transition into first base at $10 million a year (or be a supersub. We have a mess in the inner infield. What do do with Polanco is the magic question, although he can just be a bench guy for at least a season while we delay the Dozier decision. But what of Nunez? Regular at shortstop? Where do we play Escobar (supersub). Is Santana in that mix, too. I think we see right now, on the field and on the bench, the 25-man roster for next year with a change in catcher, a decision on Plouffe, being the only significant off-season offensive changes. We will still have Joe doing what he does in 2017. Pitching is another fine mess. At least Nolasco and Milone are increasing their value, possibly, to another team. But we will be stuck with Hughes and Perkins coming off injuries. Hey, what about this WImmers huy as closer at AAA. What gives? Now if we can get Alex Meyer up and running. I can start to dream.

If you see Vielma as a bonafide prospect, then you look at Dozier vs. Polanco and make a trade decision there.But if keeping BOTH Polanco and Dizoer, Vielma will egt lost in the shuffle and stands to be passed by any number of other players in the system. It's what makes a general manager's job tough. Who to keep and who to pass. Vielma is one of those guys that if you aren't going to keep him, does he get you a better return when packaged, say, with a veteran and salary you wish to rid yourself of.

So, Palka can also play first base, right?

You have an awful amount of money available (and required) to be paid to your top draft picks. The players chosen will pretty much know what they are getting. No more choosing, say, a Ben Revere because he may cost less and is eager to sign. Drafted players are pretty much working against each other now...If a team decides to pass you by for someone else, there is a reason (or a more significant need). It is also an investment. Out of the millions spent each year by a team, truly how many players make it to the show for any significant time with the drafting team or another. And with the ability to trade picks sooner rather than later, you should basically go after the best available. This has changed and I'm not it works well with the longterm Ryan system of scouting. You can't just choose a good or comfortable player and negotiate a bonus. You are locked into a specific amount, or close to it. 250-300 guys know they will be getting decent money to start their minor league careers. You pretty much put yourself out there willing to accept whatever you get for the level you are drafted, or make known your needs to continue growth by going to college. And then you have to get these guys thru the system in x-amount of time and know you only have so many years of control. It's a tough and expensive job. But, ultiamtely, you go after the best talent available now. You supposedly have the money to spend. Maybe the problem is that Terry, like his free agent spending, is happy to spend the money...sometimes now overpaying for the talent.

Good point. Best point is...hey, Nunez is in the All-Star Game...now I do have to watch. But I'm not sure who would be the best representative that would make anyone from Minnesota watch the All-Star game...unless you are have Sano, Park or Arcia (wait) in the Home Run Derby.

This is the situation the Twins now find themselves. If they add the guy, is he a keeper. Do you remove, say, Centeno for Garver or Turner. Will Garver or Turner play next year. How many players like Landa, Melotakis and Romero can you carry that may not contribute until 2018 or beyond. Do you let the Boshers, Grossmans and Kintzlers walk and maybe resign to a minor league contract? Out of all the players mentioned above, the Twins HAVE TO look at names like Palka and Granite and see if they wish to trade Rosario, Santana or even Walker, for example. What role would Walker (Ryan) or Vielma play on the Twins next season or in the future? Who out of ALL those names would a major league club grab to keep on the 35 man for a year. Who DO YOU RISK losing in the minor league portion. Do you pass on Wimmers and Meyer and hope you can still keep them around. Do we have a list of the guys who are eligible (Seth?) and who will be minor league free agents? Again, this is a list the Twins need to carefully go over as the July trading deadline swings into force and the Twins MAY have to package a prospect or two to rid themselves of, say, a Nolasco or Plouffe, and get someone still promising but not needing protection in return.

Projections are always fun meaningless excursions into what-might be. Like the guys on other teams that might win 30 games this year. Ha! How about this: last year it took the Twins 161 games before being eliminated from the playoffs. This season, it took only one game!

And would love to hear, say, Joe Mauer's take on the bat and how the ax swing works versus the way he was taught with the Mauer Hitting Machine!

How does it work for bunting?

Well, you can fault the players. When they exceed expectations, you praise them. When they falter, you look to a coaching staff to bring them back to square one and what is expected of them...in reality. You can't push rookies. They need to get exposure, play, learn, and play again. Only a few come out of the gate and excel beyond. You can't count on veterans not getting hurt. Just like you can't count on rookies moving up and dominating. But you can have rookies skip a class and get their feet wet. In the future, when drafting pitchers, realize that the majority, if hard throwers, will egt hurt. Sooner AND Later. John Ryan Murphy will still have four years of Twins usage under his belt come 2017. Is it this weekend the Twins will be eliminated from a Wild Card spot?

We have to hope that the Twins will be able to see something in advance of next season, giving Gonsalves and/or Stewart or even Jay a looksee come September. I alssot disagree on keeping Buxton up here (who ahs sat out the last couple of games). Go with Rosario, Kepler and Santana (Grossman) and see how they do for another good solid month while Buxton goes back to AAA and works more on what he was doing so well down there. Buxton is the future, and Rosario and Santana will more likely be passed by Walker or Palka in seasons to come. But let's see if we can build some value in Santana and Rosario, beyond their sophomore slumps. Glad to see Vargas get a shot. It may be brief, but it will be his main opportunity. Pretty bad when you really don't need a closer, and the Twins bullpen of the future IS a mess. Reed, Burdi, Jones and Bard should've all been battling for a callup, but not. Hildenberger seems to be passing them by at the moment. The Twins also need to take a look at Wimmers in some capacity. Alex Meyer needs a decision, too.

I think the disaster is in the use of the whole pitching staff, and not sure who to blame for that. It seems we might be seeing some light, with Gibson and Duffey pitching well, Santana doing his job...but otherwise, we can't trust Milone and Nolasco can't go deep. The bullpen is settling in. No true closer (not that the Twins need one). But they seem to have some guys who can K batters, as well as get a ground ball or fly ball when necessary. What is missing is a bonafide longman. Roles have failed to be set all season with the majority of the pen pitching one inning (or less). I don't put longterm stock in Kintzler or Boshers or even Abad. They are what they are. Guys you give a chance, they shine, they can move on and hopefully get replaced by a Blaine Boyer next season. You can always scrounge up some diamonds in the rough. Sadly, we can expect to see the surprising Wheeler and the return of Berrios. Have no idea on the state of Meyer. We won't see Stewart, Jay or Gonsalves until next season at the earliest. We can continue to drag out Dean, Greenwood or whomever. Baxendale...but he is being used in relief right now. It doesn't look like May will be stretched. Sad. Unless they groom him to close. We have to see where Burdi, Bard, Reed, Jones, Chargolis, Melo and any other young arm end the season (Hildenberger (?) might be an exception). And then hope hope hope they will come into the storm sometime in 2017. One year late. Sadly. If the Twins CAN write off Nolasco, trade Santana...they free up some monies. Also Milone and Jepsen and we are looking at a lot of bucks ($30 mill next year alone). What they do with it in the off-season is anyone's guess. Doubt that they will bank it to overspend in the future. I'm curious to see what happens with Wimmers. He has to be entering minor league free agency, so do they 40-man him and hope? Not to mention the other guys like Romero and Landa who are years away (where is Jorge in all this mess, not to mention Thorpe and Cederoth).

The Plouffe situation is a mess, as the Twins have to ask themselves...will they offer him arbitration or not. I'm sure we will have to wait to see what can happen with Plouffe (and Suzuki and Nolasco) as the season winds into August and players are put on waivers. The Twins then have the option of making a deal or letting someone walk. Plouffe only has value (as does Suzuki) if he can replace temporarily an injured party for the remainder of the season and then given walking papers to explore free agency in the fall. Dealing both for anything can be a plus, as the Twins would then be in a position to resign, if the need or desire IS there. Of course, any of the Twins waiver wire, minor league free agent guys could be flipped for something...depending on what the Twins see as depth from the minors happening next year. Don't forget that Escobar could also be a candidate as a team is looking for a solid utility guy. But most of the players mention will just bring minor league depth, maybe a prospect of two still a bit raw that COULD develop into something usable in the majors. We don't need anyone out of options or who demands a 40-man spot...unless they are truly major league ready and just blocked on another team's depth list. I say part with Santana, especially if YOU DON'T have to eat salary, and better to invest that money elsewhere, or down the road. I think Joe Mauer will pass thru August waivers unclaimed, sadly.

My favorite Jepsen moment? Today! Add in on decision on Mastro, and suddenly the Twins are getting some 40-man roster spot openings. Plus, Milone will have at most one more start to [prove himself.

I like going to ball games to savor The Target Field Experience. The adorable off-key National Anthem sung by the grade school choir, the fireworks during that anthem, the old guy hoisting the flag, Jim Cunningham, (PA Guy) trying to make lame games sound fun, seeing the little kids try to put bases into holes, sitting all alone in the upper deck (shades of the Metrodome), not eating the best stadium food ever because it is the most expensive stadium food ever, nice not having to scoreboard watch, but that lineup has horrible batting averages, hey the pitcher is worse yet, why is the front office staff isolated in a box and not enjoying the Target Field experience in the fresh air with the fans, wow sure doesn't look like 20,000 fans, when did that guy join the bullpen, I wonder if my friend has any Saints tickets - they have good food and it is cheap-er, too bad the grounds crew is so good - cute to see kids at T-ball pull dandelions when the game gets boring, how many guys pitched tonight, jeez I wonder if the wife wants to do a road trip to Cedar Rapids.

Yes, all three should've been entering their prime and we should expect 12-12 records with a 4.14 ERA and approximately 180 averaged over the course of the contract. They might be better, but shouldn't be the dismal worse that they are showing this year and especially last year. Case in point, Gibson should've figured it out. Maybe he started this year injured (tell us, people, when you can't pitch). The point is that if you sign a bunch of middle-of-the-order average guys, you are going to get middle-of-the-order average pitchers for the most part. That's fine, if you excel at hitting and have a stopper to lead the rotation. What really hurts is when you supplement this rotation with a bunch of guys who will have very limited careers (Albers, Dean, Deduno, DeVries, Manship, Hendriks, Vasquez, Marquis, Walters, Hernandez, Kris Johnson, Pino, Duffey.) You don't recognize what you have sometimes (Manship and Hendriks are examples) that can be better used in other positions. We want the Twins to spend money,but look at the results (Pavano, Worley, Correia, Pelfrey, Milone).

Well, considering our options are Park and Vargas for now....... I had always hoped that Kepler was getting some rotations at first base and would be our first baeman of the future (assuming Sano didn't need the shift). Seeing that we potentially could fill the outfield, it would be nice to have one of the many guys for the outfield play elsewhere.... Park needs some work, some seasoning. He can be our short-term first sacker. But what of Mauer. Yes, move him out of the front of the lineup. Let;s keep that round of msuical chairs going for the season. Why should Joe get the same spot everyday while everyone else wanders the chairs around him. Dangle him out there. Maybe he will allow trade if a contender comes calling. That would be major salary relief. Or let's get some consistency in the lineup. Return Dozier to leadoff. Bat Kepler second. Have Sano 4th when he returns and stick-with-it.