Rosterman

It's one of those years in which the Twins MVY is the Twins Roster as a whole. Everyone has had their moments, everyone has been pretty consistent and played as a team. Even the now forgotten jettisoned bullpen arms (Magill, Parker, Morin) have been a part of the Twins getting to where they got. Talk about a TEAM EFFORT!

Y'know, I sometimes wonder why you would start your best pitcher against their best pitcher. Maybe start worst against best (or best against worst) and hope for a miracle. The Twins could also pull a first...a bullpen Playoff game! Again, who would be the guys you would keep. Would you keep Perez or Gibson. Can Perez be a bullpen guy? Do you want any of Smeltzer, Stashak or Graterol or Drobnak? Is Ryne Harper your secret weapom? Could you put Hildenberger in the opposition uniform and have him sneak out on the mound?

Yeah, the Twins were hoping to strike fire with the B-squad and another start by committee. They almost did, but then realized that fielding is also part of the game. The two things that stood out...was it necessary to have Gibson come in as a relief pitcher (you still had Alcala and Hildenberger) and why not have Garver and Cruz at least bat once each for someone of lesser talents, replaced then in the field by someone with even lesser talents. Three tough teams ahead. They have nothing to prove except a lot of players hoping for work in 2020, especially pitchers. So watch out. Do your homework, Twins. Let the bombers come out bigtime. Watch out for base runners. And remember, a lot of pitchers did get the day off yesterday, as well as players. Be nice to win the division in a home series!

Errors and the need to use Gibson, although I haven't figured out that need with Stewart and Alcala available. I would've brought in someone for a strikeout insted of Gubson for a ground ball. Heck, if I wanted a ground ball I would've brought in Harper. Instead, could've used Hildenberger if you wanted the home run that bad. Bad moves in the field. Too many. Cleveland was playing hard. Bieber was out of sync. But Cleveland pushed buttons. Can the Twins be more ruthless sometimes against opponents like this? I was hoping that both Garver and Cruz would see an at bat once we broke into the Indians pen. Five Twins wins, 4 Indians losses, and the Twins are there.

Would you pay $36 for three more years of Gibson? That is the Big question. Not that expect people to be knocking down the door, but we will get a multi-year offer.

I'm not sure the reasoning behind bringing in Gibson. I guess he is not a bullpen artist...yet. I was sad that Romero got out of synch so fast, as his shortened stride seemed to be working. But a whole different game without that 3-run shot. Of course, the bad fielding didn't help much, either. I liked Polanco coming in. Was hoping we would see Garver's bat, and even Cruz, before the game finished. Sometimes I do want to see some ruthlessness on the field. The Twins just seem too nice, letting bats speak for themselves at times. Sigh. I wonder who would've pitched the ninth!

Well be an interesting game to say the least. A sample of what the Twuins will be seeing in the next two weeks...hungry players with something to prove. Happily they will knock the Indians starter out after six innings (I hope). So, there is a chance, especially with the bench the Twins have!

I believe I read they did make an offer, which was rejected. The thought was to still comeback. But, hey, if you could play in Arizona or Minnesota...where might you rather play (live). And if a price is met, rather than back-and-forth....you might jsut sign faster. It's a game. Money can be a BIG aprt of it. Negotiating can be a pain (even with agents doing the foot work). And reagrding free agents as rentals. They are players you spent x-amount to play for the season. If you can get performance from them, and turn around and get something else of value before they "walk": - you might jsut do it. And also remember that prospects come with a cost. There is a signing bonus, player development time, which is looked at in terms of a transaction. I still am trying to be comfortable with the aspect that people "trade" players like they are dollars and cents, still.

Graterol could be a starter. If you can get the innings from the arm, the Twins could go for it. Romero actually looked good. Don't count him out. And Gonsalves might still be in the mix. And give Thorpe another season. Some of these guys are still coming back from inaction dur to surgeries, remember.

Pineda will have to sign a major league contract, and then those games will click off at the beginnng of next season, so he will sit for a good mont-and-a-half. I imagine he can workout, on his own dollar, in Florida at the Twins complex. But would have to spend sometime in the minors upon reinstatement. The biggest question will be the dollar amount, and if anyone wants to go beyond the season (or maybe just a mutual option...probably for the amount of the "missed games." Be an interesting gamble to take, and I would like to think that barring other free agent signings, the Twins will have 1-2 spots being filled by newcomers from their system, which factor in two ways...the amount of innings the guys can pitch for the year, as well as the quality of the innings overall. So it could be a good reasonable cost alternative as more arms mature in the Twins organization.

Looks like Rocco is positioning the rotation for the playoffs, pushing back Berrios for one game, which means the Twins really only need one more bullpen game between now and the end of the season (not counting this last game against the Indians). The magic number is nine. The Twins have to win five. If the Indians lose five, the Twins are set. It still isn't over, but would be ncie to win the division during the home series!

A good solid baseball game that Twins fans felt was a bubble game. We won. So will leave Cleveland in decent shape. But still two more chances to sink the stake even further.

Stewart can still hold value. He, they went the whole season with Gonsalves not contributing. The Twuns will probably need 6-8 spots at the msot on the 40-man, with any otehr changes happening if they sign a free agent. They need to make hard choices on Cron and Perez. But will lose Castro, Schoop, Pineda, Gibson, Odorizzi and Romo for sure. Throw in a couple of outfielders, thoughts on people like Hildenberger. The Twins are probably sitting pretty good. Compete in 2020? I don't know, lots of youth. Chances of Diplan being claimed are probably slim, so the Twins will jsut be able to stash him in the minors for another season.

Yes, we will look back at inaction at the trding deadline as a minus. Those precious prospects and how they MIGHT pan otu in the long run. Two factors. The Twins DO have a crop of starters, changed from the beginning of the season (when names like DeJong, Mejia, Littell, Gonsalves, Romero, Slegers, Stewart where the common ones mentioned). September, with basically one FREE spot and pitches struggling to pitch five innings, has opened an opportunity for many to strut and shine. It is the call of the player. You can sink or swim in September, get a jump start on consideration for the future or just a fodder spot until replaced by someone more promising. The trick of Wes and Staff os who needs to pitch to start and throw multiple innings vs. those we just need to get a couple of innings from the arm. But back to the above article. Difference between organizations...well, the Twins DO have a few top flight prospects sitting there in the system. Maybe not for 2020, but for 2021 we see a decidedly different mix of arms developing and showing up in the major leagues, arms that may rival if not outdo the current crop in Cleveland, No one thought the Twins would truly be where theyare today (first palce in September, with two weeks left in the season). We should be happy with that development. And because of the inaction at the tradde deadline, maybe the front office does know something we don't know about all those precious prospects that they wouldn't part with for a Grienke or Stroman or Minor or Lynn.

You don't have to push and get that extra inning, but glad Smeltzer is going out-of-the-gate. I would almost like to see Graterol as the opener for game two, followed by Thorpe. Again, get two solid innings. If comfortable, that third. But once they start putting runners on base, go to the pen. If you need to use your elite (May, Duffey, Rogers, Littell) you can use them for one or two batters. We know Romo could pitch in both games. Heck, I would have Perez available for a couple of innings, too. These games are essential to play and to TRY and win in any way possible. And we need the BIG bats in both games! Only switch out if we get comfortably ahead. You can start resting guys come Monday, if we are still in first place.

Ehire would be 60-dayed.

Curious to see the bullpen game. Thorpe and Smeltzer are both lefties looking for use. I actually would love to see Graterol as the opener. You can bet that Cleveland will see these as the most important games of the seson and will do everything possible to win. The Twins need to do the same.

I think there may be some underlying thing where the duo has given the Twins five years of their life, and Pohlad will keep them comfortable. How comfortable is the question. But they might be onto soemthing big here. 2017 caused them issues with success. Just like 2019 is turning out much better than anyone thought, as the duo was building to be competitive and possibly win-it-all in 2021 with the focus on development of players, trades, other signings and such. Money COULD win out, but money doesn't buy you success on the playing field, either.

In the final weeks of the season, concerns have happened for resting players and dealing with hurts and pains, in prep for the post-season. But it is still a race to the pennant line and every game is important and if you basically set yourself up to have, say, a lesser chance of winning...then there is a pretty good chance that players will get plenty of rest starting October 1. Hurt players, suspended players, are the name of the game. EVERY team is facing the same issues, be it now, last month or at the beginning of the season. Somehow the Twins seems to be playing fiscally safe, patching instead of replacing. The trade deadline came and went. Okay, the Twins got a couple of pieces who lok good on paper. The Twins were active in the free agent marketplace and succeeded in some excellent scores who have helped the team this season, but I look and also wonder if the scores were so good that I would look to keep 65% of them going into 2020. Over on the Twins page mention was made of Alex Kirilloff, that he is still only in AA ball and possibly not ready. But having a future All-Star taking bumps and hitting .100 can't be any worse than patching in 2-3 guys who may never play for the Twins again after the season ends, of putting infielders into the outfield. The Twins have 35+ payers on the roster. Every game until you clench is a playoff game. If the pitcher is looking to be in trouble, let someone else come in and save the day, or make the mistake. You don't need the starter to finish his innings, or the relief arm to get out of his jam. You supersub is injured. Don't put in the new guy if you are still in competition for the win and one of your better bats can still play. And start having your BIG bats, the guys hitting 30+ home runs, coming up after the guys who get on base (Arraez) and not before. It will still be a fun final couple of weeks. But we can't be complacent and keep saying we face easy teams in the end. Those guys are hungry and want to be spoilers!

But we still have Bert Blyleven with the most homers allowed by a pitcher in a season. Anyone know the year and number?

Well, I don't want the Twins swinging for the fences because. They will get home runs or not get home runs. Cruz, Kepler and Sano have to stay healthy and the Twins have to feel comfortably playing Sano. I want Cave to get three more dingers so the Twins can at least have that record (12 players with 10+ home runs). But the key is still winning the division and then advancing from there. Imagine if the Yankees had Stanton all season. They would be 30 homers ahead of the Twins.

I'm hoping that NOW Falvey and Levine will have free reign. After being hampered by keeping Molitor, as well as working with inherited players, the team has now created a management structure in the front office that SHOULDN'T LOSE ANYONE YET, as well as putting together a field staff, minor league system organization, and the beginnings of players that they feel will mesh as the Twins future continues. 2019 has been a unique year. The division looked a tad weak, with the Indians being in a beatable position. The Indians have proven to be more than beatable, suffering their own injuries, but still managing to cobble together a highly competitive team. The front office made some fine signings with eyes towards keeping the Twins competitive, but the team broke out strong, moreso that possible trade chips to further improve a team on the rise ahd to remain as the team hit a highpoint. If the Twins were runners up, no doubt they would've explored more extremes to trading pieces like Gibson, Castro, Pineda, Schoop and Odorizzi at the deadline, as no doubt none of them will return to the team in 2020. But the Indians didn't run away, and the Twins now have some openings (basically same openings they had at the trade deadline....need for a top-flight starter, need for a possible secondar starter, a closer, and a solid bullpen arm...preferably with team control. The team, going into 2020, has hard decisions on where Rosario, Buxton, Sano and Berrios fit into the organization and how much they wish to spend to keep them in the organization. Decisions made on those four will cause fan outcry, either allowing the players to go elsewhere (with healthy returns), or cries of overpayment. Falvey and Levine still have two more years under their contract. 2020 will be a tough season, as they have to rebuild a rotation, and hope the offense stays pretty close to the same. The purse strings could open a tad more. There are a number of potential prospects who could make their major league debut in 2020, and actually too many bodies for protected roster spots in the years 2020-2022 under contract right now...so the fact that the Twins didn't put together a dynmaite package fo someone (say Grienke, who didn't want to play here) which would've made them more competitive in a playoff situation and the Astros less, is moot now. As fans, we can get mad if a team plays a bit with smoke and mirrors, creating a team to win the division but coming up constantly in the playoffs. Sure, Minnesota can't afford to have tens of millions sitting in limbo or on the bench (that they released Addison Reed was a shocker). But, again, no one says a little David can't knock down a Goliath. Put your best pitchers against the other teams worst pitchers in the playoffs. Hope you can figure out the perfect lineup construction. See how hard the players will play when extending the season or going home is on the line. But back to the beginnings of this post. The Twins see value in Rowson as a hitting coach, otherwise he wouldn't have been a holdover. Jeremy and Dan have pretty powerful and solid positions in the organization and someday...if Falvey and Levine run a decade+ dynasty in this town, they will go elsewhere when a job materializes, but right now the Twins could still throw money their way, and if the guys are comfortable....they stay. But if there are cracks in the system that we fans aren't seeing, they will explore better opportunities. Let's just hope the Twins, in the current state, can hold on to the division and make the playoffs. That would be dynamite. Thoughts of a 95+ winning season are beautiful. But it ain't over until it is over!

If Buxton is indeed down and the Twins are playing without Kepler,too...I would move Byron to the 60-day and add Alex. If nothing else, it would give the Twins a good look at their future and what they should think about Buxton and Rosario longterm. He can't hit any worse than Wade, run the bases as well as Miller, and probably contribute overall as well as LaMarre in the scheme of things. Plus he is coming off a playoff series, so not like he hasn't been playing ball for the last week. Good to see that Gibson will be returning to the mound, which means the Twins only have to patch togetehr one game with rookie starters, although I would strongly consider using an opener for Perez or Gibson, depending on how either come out of the gate this round...simply because you can..you got the arms, and nothing like starting a lefty and following with a righty (or vice versa) to screw up the other manager's lineup. And then you only really have to worrky about your starter giving you four good innings. The Yankees are closing in on the Twins and hope theycan keep the lead and win the homer chanmpionship, but seems we have subtracted while the Yankees have added bats. The only redemption is that the Yankees only have another series at home.

I imagine Cleveland is pumped and Terry Francona is doing everything he can to make this competitive when the Twins come to Cleveland in 3 days. The next six games are playoff games, folks. Sadly, Cave has to be well, Sano ahs to be on the field, and Arraez has to be somewhere. Without Cruz, the Twins have...Willians as DH? Anyone know when Gonzalez might come back? You would think this team would own Target Field. Great crowds. Some funky spots. Real grass. Did I say great crowds?

I was telling my wife, watching the play, that this guy is the current Delmon Young. All the talent in the world, but does his own thing, be it good or bad, and as long as team's tolerate him (and keep throwing millions his way) he will continue to play. Always putting up better than aveage numbers, but think how great he could be.