Rosterman

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.

Dozier is a tough call. He's 29, you have two more years. He might have a breakout season, but you pretty much know what to expect. Double his numbers this year, you have a tad higher average than ever before but consistency in ALL categories including walks, strikeouts, doubles. His fielding has gotten better, it seems, but that depends on who is playing short. Polanco brings youth. He might bring speed, the ability to put a ball in play, draw more walks, strikeout less. You are eliminating the power. Can you have total power weakness up the middle - catcher, second base, shortstop, centerfield? Does the speed you WILL have at second and centerfield offset that loss? Does right and left make up the difference? You can run with a year of Polaco as a reserve, filling in as needed at second/short/third. You also have Santana in the reserve category if Rosario comes back to the outfield. You might also find a reason to keep Nunez. You have Escobar. After a year of Polanco as a reserve, you need to make a longer-term decision on Dozier, or hope that another team also sees him as a long term solution. Which means you trade him in 2018 at the latest, or extend him (shades of thoughts about Plouffe right now) You CAN play Polanco as a reserve for a couple of seasons. You are pretty much guaranteed that his three arbitration years would be lower in salary than if you started him at second out of the chute in 2017. Dozier (and Suzujki) are both making themselves attractive pieces for acquisition. One longer term, the other a short-term fix. If the Twins feel that Polanco can play second base and are willing to take what they get over the next few seasons, then you move Dozier. If not, you have a few middle infield pieces to try and pawn, one being a potential prospect. But right now, I would picture most other teams would grab Polanco and put him in a reserve role, too, in 2017 and see where he goes from there. If Polanco has true worth (assuming you are keeping Dozier for the term and looking at extending him) would be to package with Nolasco or another salary you wish to rid yourself of. A promising prospect and an expensive player for some more minor league depth. Yes, the Twins can start turning things around this season. But as other posters have said, even if they play .500 ball, they end up with 90+ losses. ALL the players are smart if they do start producing. It will mean they have jobs with the Twins or elsewhere come 2017. If they continue to stumble, a few will be unemployable. And the Twins HAVE to make the decision on the direction they are going, not just play for the possibility of winning today. YOU CAN MARKET a losing team, you can market rebuilding. You just have to accept the fact, adjust some ticket prices, make the event of going to a game even more fun (rather than lame), What's sad is the stumbling block we will see the Twins have. Do we change front office, field management, stay as we are with internal options, keep things going the Twins Way, addressing problems us armchair fans don't really see or know exist, Maybe every day they are having meetings discussing direction - on-field and marketing. Maybe there is a plan in place (and they REALLY DON'T HAVE TO SHARE IT with us...because plans can succeed or fail. Okay, let's get back to discussing who the Twins would lose in an expansion draft!

7TH START kYLE GOT HIS FIRST WIN. WALKED ONLY ONE. Still, that ERA is gawful!

I find the inability to move players when they have their most value to be the crutch. And totally understanding the rebuilding process. If he succeeds in any one area, it is waiver claims and maybe, maybe finding a glimmer of gold that can be flipped for a prospect. But at some point, you have a player that excels beyond their norm, you look to see that another is on the horizon, and you start moving players. Not all will succeed (the ash of centerfielders going out for starting pitchers and a catcher in point) But if you do trade from your strengths, or aging vets for multiple possibles, you should succeed in one way or another, especially if you do some savvy free agent signings and such. Ryan also seems to suffer from the old loyalty aspect of baseball, which has diminished the second time around. There are no longer hometown discounts. As I like to tell people, player NOW work for major league baseball once they enter free agency. They are expected to produce and play and shine for the game as a whole, compared to teams in the past. And even if you do sign a guy for a respectible contract (WIllingham), you really don't owe him three years of service with your team if an offer happens, or if you see the possibility of an improvement by moving said player. The Twins lost out bigtime when free agents walked who Ryan and Co. thought might resign with the team (Cuddyer) and my own thought that too often they expect the player to offer a modest discount, or come back with a counter offer when the Twins underbid for their services and another team makes a higher offer. Not necessary anymore. And then, with no sense whatsoever, the Twins are then forced to overpay for new talent because (1) they won't get the golden offer elsewhere (2) they need more money to take a gamble on playing for Minnesota-nice baseball team. And even in the draft, where we often hear taking "best player available" we get...well, what we have gotten. Guys with solid playing skills that need development, no emotional issues. Etc. Etc. Etc. When you now have the ability (and must) pay 18 and 22-year-olds millions of dollars to come and play minor league ball...you do need to go after the best and adapt yourself to the system. Afterall, if someone hands you a couple of million, the biggest issue is hoping THEY WILL make the majors. You want those guys that will makes the majors! I get no sense of the Twins working to be a well-rounded team. They put an emphasis on defense, and then it flounders. They want contact, and then we get no walks and lots of strikeouts. They have Molitor and Carew (and maybe even Gladden) helping players to bunt and run, and we have no running game whatsoever, and out biggest projects -- Gomez and Buxton -- can't get on base for the life of it, and then we poo-poo when we have someone like Revere that does. The system failure is showcased this year in which you have no true line-up. Who hits where, why, and how. What they contribute. How they back-up the guy in front and set-up the guy behind. You have a bullpen in which you ask: who can get a strikoeut, give us a flyball, a grounder. Who can pitch multiple innings. Who can close? You have organization meets. You have 160+ players on a big chart. You move names around. But now, when this year's attendance has finally fallen behind last's year, you have to start to shudder and see a long half-season of lots of no-shows and few walk ups, because you really don't have a plan. You can market youth, the future, continue with the outdoor experience of Target Field. But people will flinch at paying major league prices for minor league ball, except that it is nigh impossible to get a Saints ticket in town. The Twins baseball operations have to move into the future, possibly go outside the organization for a wealth of front office talent who might, just might, be able to work with the promise that the team has from all those high draft picks over the last five years as well as future funds to spend in 2018 and beyond.

Not if the Twins grab them all first...wait, you see free agents...not waiver wire six year minor league free agents. I imagine the Indy leagues would lose all their top players!

Again, you totally look at where you are going. You don't have to protect high salaries. The team has to pay them. Having paid the expansion fee, how many sheckles are there in the money vault, and is it better to wait until free agents come on board. But, they are also building at least two years of a minor league system So you would definitely lose those 25th and 41st guys fer sure, if you aren't position heavy already. Of course, don't have to keep any possible non-tenders or high level arbitration dollars. You do not keep marginal guys like Pressly. Or Duffey. Or Rogers. Or even Gibson. Again, remember, the other team will be drafting for guys to come on board in 2018 and even 2019. So you do have to worry about the Gonsalves, the Stewarts and such. Also, with free agency and non-tenders and waiver wire guys, an expansion team might take a fair share of tradable prospects. So, it is a tough call. Out of the Twins Top 40 (or 50) what 19 do you protect, along with anyone no longer a prospect (Sano, Buxton). If this draft happened today, a team like the Twins might even be looking down at the expansion teams if they would lose 2 or 3 pieces of their future, while keeping the Mauer, Park, Dozier or others. I'm sure stuff would have to be worked out regarding the 10/5, draft bonus dollars, and other things. But I would expect that the Twins would lose three prospects like a Gonsalves/Stewart, Burdi/Reed and even a Polanco out-of-the-chute. Now this is the mindset the current Twins front office should be looking at as they go forwards and evaluate their players. Not only who is valuable to current teams, but who would be valuable if someone could cherry-pick your organization after setting aside 15 guys, then 19 guys.

Allowing a player to move on and watching them succeed elsewhere means something is wrong with your system. You either didn't see it, or didn't work it out. You know what you got and don't think it smells better than everyone else's. If you believe in Plouffe, you sign him longterm NOW! If you expeft Jepsen to be a solid bullpen guy, continue to let him close.