Rosterman

With the Twins roster in its current state, all three, along with a catcher, would basically be the Twins bench, with Escobar at shortstop, Santana in centerfield and someone/anyone in leftfield. They would provide adequate protection for the infield and outfield. But, and here's my kicker, none of them SHOULD be a starter if someone goes down...give that job to any prospect, not matter how young of inexperienced, until the starter returns. And still, it is not a great bench. On paper, you have some punch in Parmelee, average getting on base Nunez, and speed in Schafer. If all three were one player, you would have a nice starter somewhere. But ALL THREE can be replaced by any number of other players cut at the last moment, that 26th or 41st guy. What hurts Nunez and Schafer is arbitration. How much are they worth. And do you expect to keep them around in 2016? Will they play and perform enough in 2015 that they can be traded for another piece of a mid-level prospect. Can you save a half million by having a odriguez in the outfield, or a Beresford in the infield, and still have the same results...solid journeyman performance with limited at bats. Again, none of these guys should supplant a regular or stop a prospect from play if a regular goes down. That is what bench and utility guys on last place teams do. They collect experience and time towards a higher payday while someone else holds down the fort. All three will remain on the 40-man, but any could be gone if the Twins sign a free agent.

Colabello will be cut from the 40-man before November roster is finalized. He just might resign as a free agent with the Twins. He has hit well at AAA. Parmelee remains on the 40-man until the Twins sign a free agent, any free agent. Then he could be expendable. If Colabello doesn't stay as a minors free agent, the Twins need to find someone for Rochester. Gonzales is interesting. Not quite ready for AAA. Not a need on the 40-man. Would he resign and start at AA. That would solve some problems. The Twins have to make a decision on what to do with Kepler, who has to come to the team in 2016, play a reserve role in 2017, and stay forever after that...as the new first baseman, perhaps? Shows the pain of adding players to the 40-man when they still need a lot of seasoning. Because of the monies tied up in him, the Twins fear losing him. They can't remove him from the 40-man unless he would really, really tank at High-A ball. Of course, the Twins have Sano. Or Plouffe pushed over. They really have no solid reserve if they lose Parmelee (who can't be optioned out and would probably go free agent if given the opportunity). If they would sign someone like Cuddyer, they would be protected in the outfield corners, at first and third base, and have a designated hitter if Vargas flounders. I say give Mike 2-years at $9-10...because YOU CAN.

Some of this should've happened this past season. Yes, we had Rosario disciplined. Buxton and Sano were hurt. Meyer was blocked by Deduno, Pino, Darnell and others. But you can still do the above (minus Pinto, who the Twins don't seem to want to be the catcher of the future) by adding a top flight starter who MAY be around for more than a season, extending Hughes, adding a bat to play leftfield, and adding some bench versatility. If you choose to advance Meyer, which the Twins should, you can always put May in the bullpen, and still keep him in mind for future rotation spots. You can jettison Milone to Darnell to the minors as backup. You write-off Pelfrey. You do give innings to Tonkin and Achter and every other able-bodied prospect, splitting their seasons between AAA and the majors as they adapt and show if they can compete. You give one last push to Hicks. You let Arcia improve his worth. Remember, Arcia is young, and we could have an arbitration albatross here where he actually hits his stride when he hits free agency. But, sadly, right now, today, the Twins do have to do everything and anything they can do to make the team exciting and put some wins, or competitiveness, on the board to fill the seats. They won't reduce ticket prices. Will fans pay to see a questionable rebuilding team? I say no, unless they do win games, too. If they have another season of 85-90 losses, and even if the prospects outshine any veterans, people still don't pay the big bucks to see TC Bear. They pay the little bucks, which will stifle the team even more, and then they have to figure out ways to spend less to still put more butts in the seats. You can have a surge, like the Royals finally did, and go deep into the playoffs and play in the World Series which will dramatically increase their ticket sales for another year or two. Or, again, like the Royals, you can be at the bottom of the pack and flatline out for a decade or so. The Twins are about to come very close to being in the bottom five in attendance (which also affects revenue from advertising, corporate sponsorships, concessions and the like). Like the current decisions being made on field management, do you go with what you have in the organization or go outside...the Twins also have to look at each and every player they have and ask "why do we want this guy to be a part of the team today and tomorrow." They have to see if the player has any market, any chance to be playing for the team not only in 2015 but in 2016 or 2017, and if the player is replacable by a prospect today or the near tomorrow, and if not, can they find someone better in the marketplace that will add to the team, allow some flexibility if a prospect does emerge. Pelfrey. You don't keep him because he costs $5 million. You keep him if he can pitch deep into a game and give you innings. Pinto. Can he catch? He had a great September a season ago. But if he can't catch, and doesn't figure into the plans, you push on another prospect, or bring in a solid defender behind the plate that is a true bench bat. If Santana plays short, is Escobar the utility guy? Where does that put Nunez? Or, better yet, if Santana becomes the centerfielder until Buxton, where does that put Hicks. Too often the Twins try to wring every last cent out of their investments and suffer the pain of play, rather than make hardline decisions. And, unlike Billy Beane, who is in a world all his own, they put too much worth into a good season and lose track of the flipping of a player (Willingham, Young, etc.). We can dream and praise prospects all we want, but look at a similar article about Baseball America looks at the 2009 draft. The Twins have three plays that made it to the majors and one (redrafted later) that is still in the system out of 50 players. The players: Gibson, Dozier and Herrmann. Another half dozen are still around, but didn't sign with the Twins and were redrafted by other tams. Only one (Mario Hollands) has made it to the majors. And with prospects, unless you do trade for otehr highend prospects, that is a good example of a prospects chances of making the majors. Maybe you get a pitcher of sorts. Maybe you egt a bat. Maybe you get a utility guy. We can hope that the Twins have May and Meyer in 2015. That Sano, Rosario, Buxton all make the grade. That last year's gems of Vargas and Santana hold. That the previous season of Arcia, Hicks, Pinto emerge victorious. That some guys like Achter, Tonkin, Beresford, Darnell fill in the holes. That Burdi, Stewart, Walker, Kepler make us forget names like Michael, Wimmers, hermsen existed at one time or another. Step One is choosing field management. If that choice fails this season, front office management will be in shambles and needs to be replaced. Step Two is to figure out what will get fans excited. Youc an't hype prospects because they might be the next Joe Benson (or Aaron Hicks). Step Three is to totally evaluate the worth of every player on the 40-man roster and the high minors and figure out if they are keepers, if you can get anything, anything for them, or do you cut your losses. Is Gibson a keeper, for example, or do you trade him when he may have worth. Is he a better pitcher than he has shown, or not. Step Four is to identify a free agent or two who adds a bit of marquee value, more promise than prospects, will play the game hard (Cuddyer, for example) and not totally block someone come 2016. Step Five is to market the team, and the way you market the team is to forget the bring the family to sunny Target Field (we can all go the new Saints Stadium in 2015) but by spending your money for on-field product. The money is there to spend, wisely or not (you do make mistake...accept that fact and move on.

Charlie in the Sunday St. Paul paper said Jake Mauer is now being interviewed, too. It doesn't hurt to get a perspective on what your club is like from those outside the organization. Any candidate could also be considered for the second in command coaching position, too. You do need to interview a variety of people. Also, if it truly looked like the Twins weren't open to an outsider, it would quickly spread that it isn't worth your time to interview. There is a deadline of sorts, hopefully by the end of the World Series. I think there might be a blackout on transactions and manager hiring while the series is on, to not take away from that spotlight. So expect an announcement once the series ends. You want the manager on board heading into winter meetings and such. You probably want the manager on board sooner rather than later so you can sort out your minor league assignments, like who could work with the new manager on the major league level. That is part of the interview process for Glynn, Mauer and Mientkiewicz, at least. Would they consider being a major league coach. I see the Twins strongly wanting to keep Bruno, Vavra, Steinbach in the organization, and I'm sure Cuellar is someone they don't want getting away, either.

Whatever the Twins do will be fine, unless they are losing bigtime. They have to look at the division. See the strengths and weaknesses. What it might take to be a wild card team, or what might placate the fans by at least approaching a break-even season if even half of the prospects pan out and the team plays to it's highs, not lows. At this point, the Twins can't afford to do nothing but wait and see and go into total rebuilding mode. Maybe they can tell us that we shouldn't expect anything but growing pains for 1015. It may also be the same in 2016. They will be bigtime in 2017. But everyone else could be bigtime, too.

Okay, you look at the team. You have to balance the plus with the minus. First, you have a $70 million payroll going into 2015. But you are probably closer to $45-50 million because you have some major downers. Nolasco is eating up something like $10+ million. Will he come back or not? If he doesn't, you don't get the glories of that expenditure. Same with Pelfrey. He's a $6 million writeoff. Mauer can return to the Mauer of old, but still, will he bring $20+ million of value to the lineup and the clubhouse. At this point, you have to bite and absorb these longterm committments and call them losses and move from there. If you egt something, anything of value from the players on the field, you will come out ahead. But you can't let the team as a whole suffer more because of it. Pretty much everyone else on the roster is a wash. Perkins has more life than most. Suzuc is a average catcher at a reasonable price, you could've tried for anotehr but had no guarantee. You might have paid close to his salary and still get less, and you have to be wary that you may get less in 2015, but you hopefully have adequate pipeline reserves. The outfield is a mess. We wait for Buxton, but he is only one-third of an outfield. Arcia is a work in progress that could get expensive as he hits arbitration without blowing people out of the water. Hicks is an enigma. You could actually sign an outfielder, even overpay a veteran for up to three years, and probably not kill the wallet. But you also have to think Oakland A's smart and be prepped to move that outfielder, or move that Suzucki, or move that Nolasco, the moment they show any glimmer of baseball sainthood. Why, because you supposedly have longterm variables in the system. But back to payroll. The Twins could spend $100 million. They have, in my estimate, $50 of reasonable payroll. They have $20 million in mistakes that need not count against the future. They should readily invest monies, partly because they do have the monies in the short-term to be wild and crazy and even eat more of the deadwood if it does happen, over the next five years. That current core of $50 million (even less when you take out Perkins and Suzuz) will even go down over time as the Sano, Buxtons, Polancos, Meyer, May, Stewarts et al advance in 2016 and 2017 and whoever else shines for 2018. The Twins have to create a competitive atmosphere. Something they were pretty decent as doing during the 2000s, but failing to take that next step that might put them into the playoffs and the World Series, partly because of money, partly because they don't play the game all that well. They play it safe, signing minor league free agents, hoping for that diamond (Scott) in the rough. But still not capitalizing on some of those diamonds and moving them when able and letting potential free agents walk, of players with super years then fail and become worthless. Too much rambling here, I apologize. But you don't get me to buy a season ticket by telling me you aren't going to competitively spend to improve the team, that I should be assured that the Twins will improve with the prospects (cheaper talent) in the system, and that I get 10% off on concessions. Payroll and how you spend it is the biggest marketing expense of any professional sports team. Players that you make mistakes on are like creating an ad that no one remembers, or that people laugh at and dismiss. You get the right player, you put the correct product on the field, you don't have to do ads, really, the team will sell itself! So that is where you put your focus. And you have 52% of your revenue to play with each and every year, in the least, and even more as revenue goes up!

What is the salary structure if you have been around the minors this long. If the Twins, say, reupped Hermsen, would they have to pay him more because he is staying with the organization? Does salary come into consideration, especially since some of these guys have made 40-man monies in the past, which is significantly more than a minor league salary. Any insight on this, Seth?

You have approx. 150 minor league roster spots to fill come the opening of the season, x-amount of players are disabled or in the training camp. You add 25-35 thru the draft. The Twins have some south of the border teams to draw from, too. Be interesting to see the 15-20 guys that played around the leagues last year, with 1-2 years of service time, that do get cut.

Was amazed at the age of he minors free agent kept at New Britain all year. Of course, had a full roster of them at Rochester. The bigger question is who advances from within the system. Do you want Farris, Rodriguez, Thomas and Vasquez at Rochester? Will Wilkin find another team that might give him a flyer. Is Rohlfing a replacement for Herrmann. Do you really need to protect Beresford and, if so, why did you promote Bernier over him in September. All these guys will weigh their chances of making the Twins in some way next season, or are they betetr served toiling in the systems of any other last place team. Danny Ortiz was a surprise to me when they advanced him and not Vargas to Rochester, although Vargas ended up with the better deal. If Ortiz can play first, he is more valuable. I see him as a possibility of getting a Rule 5 claim if the Twins resign him right away. He should be able to find work elsewhere easily. Hermsen is probably done. Will have to work his way back into an organization via the indy leagues. Hamburger will find a minor league job somewhere. Do we need him more than Kris Johnson, or Logan Darnell? He seems blocked. You hate to lose Salcedo, for example. And if you haven't felt the need to take a flyer on Guerra or Iberra yet, is there any season you will do so in the future. Gad, it is almost a complete roster of minor league free agents! Are there 25 true prospects that can replace all these guys in the high levels of the minor leagues? Yes and no. Just seems the Twins had a lot of AA-ball fodder last year. And AAA guys filling holes where you had no advanced prospects at AAA.

Tommy Watkins should be a coaching candidate. Maybe Jeff Reed or Ray Smith can come to the bigs as a bullpen coach, finally. Jack Morris as pitching coach!

I would move the team to Rochester Minnesota and call them the Red Wings.

When looking internally for coaching options, I see replacements everywhere except from pitching. I can see Twins keeping current coaches Brunansky and Vavra in the system, Vavra perhaps being manager at Cedar Rapids and Bruno becoming the minors hitting instructor out of Ft. Myers. I don't see Steinbach leaving the state and also not standing on the diamond, so he would be bench coach or bullpen coach. Bobby Cuellar is the only guy to consider for pitching coach, Mauer, who is manager candidate of the future, could move up the ladder to Chattanooga or Rochester, if you bright in Gene Glynn as a coach. I would also not rule out Tommy Watkins and Ivan Artega or Rudy Hernandez as coaches advancing up; the system to the big leagues. Jim Dwyer is also floating around, internally. The guy out of all of this is Scott Ullger, who was once considered a topflight managerial candidate and MIGHT be able to catch on as a minor league manager elsewhere to keep such dreams alive (which he MUST do rather than just become a coach elsewhere). Part of the manager searches is that if you go external, you are more likely to get outside coaches. If you do internally, you can advance frm within.

Yeah, all those killer starts. You could've started Trevor May and Alex Meyer 30 times each and had equal, if not better, overall stats. The team is too much about finding that Scott Diamond in the rough. You can jump up-and-down when you Rule 5 a Shane Mack or a Johan Santana. You can smile when you pull a Fien or Burton out of the discard pile. But you also have to take flack for calling Joe Benson a five-tool player, or not figuring out Aaron Hicks, or (everyone except teams actually in post-season) doing something about Delmon Young. We had Hicks, Mastro and Benson major league ready. What happened? No one saw the Nolasco meltdown. We all knew what Correia will give us. But even this season, trotting out Swarzak for four starts at the end of the season...this is where you definitely look at the next crop: Meyer, Berrios, anyone that might be in the plans of the rotation in 2015 and beyond. Not your burnt out long guy in the bullpen just because he wants to start. (And why we didn't September call-up Kris Johnson is beyond me. He could take lumps as well as the rest of them). Not just Ryan. But, sadly, start with St. Peter. Bring in new blood from the top down. You have a new multi-million dollar stadium, a strong fan base, yet everything has gone downhill for four years and no one seems to see/learn from their mistakes.

Keeping in the Twins Way, we have to be looking at the next big group of long lasting coaches. Mientkiewicz could be around for 10-15 years. Jake Mauer definitely. And if you hired Jake as a third base coach, he would be grabbed by someone within five years if he didn't want to stay with the Twins. You can pepper the coaching staff with Glynn as the bench coach, or Steinbach. The Twins have Tommy Watkins, who would make a good coach. Probably Bonilla or Artega could become bullpen coach. You have to find a pitching coach. Cuellar could be it, if he is committed longterm. Gardy's downfall, like TK's for awhile, was his close ties to a pitching coach. Dickie Such and Rocky Anderson both get more gruff than the manager. Gardy is still under contract. The Twins want him doing something for them if they are paying him. But if jobs are still open (would Texas, close to Oklahoma home, be appealing...would Milwaukee be a choice) or does Gardy be a goodwill ambassador, slopping down drinks in Hrbek's with Bill Smith until something better opens up mid next year or 2016. Yes, the Cubs would grab him. Washington is out because of personal reasons, I imagine. Would the Twins want Kirk Gibson? Will Don Mattingly be available if the Dodgers flounder? Should the Twins give a long-term coach the chance no one ever took with Scott Ullger? Going to be interesting to see the timetable, the reorganization of the minor leagues and such. I'm sure the Twins want to keep Bruno in the system. Molitor will always have an advisor job. Would love to see Vavra stay in some capacity (become Cedar Rapids manager if Mauer would move up). And, yes, Jake Mauer might be the true Twins manager of the future, and why not take a running start and do it sooner rather than later or never.

Prospects are hit and miss; Twins Prospects 2010: Hicks, Ramos, Gibson, Sano, Revere, Valencia, Gutierrez, Morales, Blomberg, Kepler. Who HAVE we traded. Who bombed. Who could we have traded for something more workwhile (Hicks, Gibson?) Prospects for 2011: Gibson, Hicks, Sano Nishi, Wimmers, Benson, Revere, Hendriks, Salcedo, Bullock. Was this the year the Twins should'be dangled Benson and Hendriks. Get rid of Wimmers? 2012: Sano, Benson, Rosario, Hicks, Arcia, Michael, Hendriks, Gibson, Parmelee, Dozier. Gad, Benson was on everyone's radar. If the Twins had flipped Gibson and Benson for Sheilds, what we we be like right now. Let alone moving a promising Hicks and still having Revere getting on base every game. 2013: Sano, Buxton, Arcia, Gibson, Hciks, Berrios, Rosario, Kepler, Santana, Bard. Berrios is one of those guys you hangout there as tradebait. Or he is such a system surprise that he makes Kohl Stewart expendable. Could the Twins have moved Kepler, hoping he doesn't pan out and eventually becomes a minors free agent with some worth? Rosario's stock has fallen badly in two seasons. You look who has made the team out of these 30+ names: Hicks,Gibson, Ramos (traded), Revere (traded), Valencia (let go), Nishi (stunk), Benson (released), Hendriks (let go), Arcia (young and powerful), Parmelee (running on fumes), Dozier (a .240 hitter with speed, power), Santana (is he a shortstop or an outfielder). 12 Top 10 Prospects made the Bigs over five years. 12! 3 Keepers and one a dream, still. Another person mentioned Nolasco and Correia being untradable. I would hope that Nolasco has a little better stock than Correia. The secret to signing free agents is taking the chance that you can trade them and their salary. Willingham after 2012, yes. Willingham after 2013, no. Have the Twins ever had a real trader? Ryan is good at trading over-the-hill vteran signings for prospects. Maybe you get lucky with a Knoblauch or a Pierzynski...but you are trading a decent player for what are esssentially chaf from another team. No matter how high you predict your top 2-3 prospects each year, there are a couple of guys who can move into that position every year. You deal from minor league strength, watch the coming free agent market, and also build a good bench/AAAA system.

Emulate KC? What the twins have to do is stop playing it safe. They almost did it this year, signing Nolasco, Hughes and Pelfrey. Wish they had signed anyone else but Pelfrey. But the years before the added Willingham instead of keeping Cuddyer (yes, Cuddyer was worse than Josh that first year) and Correia. Two able-bodied, yet flat players. Since '91 the Twins have been content to field a competitive team, looking at what the division holds and hoping everyone else plays flat or bad and they could win the division. In the 2000's they did that quite a bit. Prospects are just that...prospects. Who would've thought Joe Benson, Terry Ryan's five-tool guy, would be a bust. That Aaron Hicks would be less than average. Who saw Danny Santana making the successful freshman jump? Can he sustain it as a rookie. Pinto and Parmelee had shining callups but flat-lined. Parmelee the man without a true position and Pinto the man not given his position. Vargas and Arcia are promising works in progress. Dozier was a half-year sensation, but is he a longterm fix? Will Buxton, Sano, Michael, Rosario, Koch, etc. be in the lineup fulltime in 2016. Will they be crushing the ball in 2017/2017, of be like the rookies of lore of the Royals? o you trade them anyways, hoping someone else is in the pipeline come 2017/2018/2019. Do yousign a free agent. Giving Mauer money and 5-6-7 years and down-the-line regretting it? Do you keep your own free agents. Would Cuddyer have hit the same in Minnesota dn be worth the extra $10 million they saved with Willingham. Did the Twins totally lowball Morneau, who was lowballed by the Rockies, too. Can the Twins figure out line-up construction, bullpen construction, and the Billy Beane way of trading guys when they have more value (Willingham, Burton, Fien, Delmon Young, pretty much anyone) than wait another year expecting them to shine even more. Kinda like keeping a pitcher in the game for one batter or one inning too much, or not knowing to bat someone third or second when they are slumping and should probably be batting sixth or seventh, but wait, you don't have a leadoff guy, let alone a cleanup hitter, so everyone can't bat low in the order, right? The Royals, overall, have been cheaper than the Twins because of attendance. They were in first place and drawing flies. The Twins still had decent attendance, they have the bucks, they have the payroll space to not only spend, but absorb $15-20-25 million of worthless salary. They did it this year, with Pelfrey, basically Mauer was stagnant, Nolasco can't be that bad. Man, close to $40 million right there. Whew! Where did the extra $20 mill go from this year. Where did the extra monies from last year end up? Again, the Twins are playing the safe game. Like hey are anticipating loss in games AND revenue. "We will field a payroll of only $70 million because our attendance may dip even lower next year" is the thought instead of "let's really go and spend and if we win, they will come, and we can return to sellouts in the beautiful outdoor world of baseball at Target Field, the fun and entertainment of the new Saints stadium be damned and come and enjoy family-priced sports as you drive by that grand church of Sunday-only sports on your way to good food, good seats, wonderful skyline, TC Bear, and a winning team in 2015 that not only makes the wildcard, but goes deep into the playoffs in...well, stay with us thru 2015...in 2016." Can the Twins trade prospects? Can they sign real free agents? Can they play smart baseball? They sign draftees within budget. They get minor league free agents that perform. They trade or grab others that fill holes well for a time. But they don't do well on free agents, and they don't do well on trades, overall. Not that anyone does. But the Twins "scores" seem to diminish in the eyes of what other teams successfully do.

The joy of 20 starters being available, not every one will get a huge contract because the money is not there. And let's hope Correia is not on that list. The return of Liriano, under a new pitching coach. Interesting thought. Bring back Lohse. As an after thought and because you found loose change in the office davenport, you sign Slowey. Wait, maybe better choices than former Twins. And who says we have to keep Nolasco and his salary. And let's write Pelfrey off out of this season's profits.

My wife and I were 20-game season ticket holders the first three years. We dropped last year, mainly becuase of our own schedules, but also saw that we could go to most any game and get decent seats for a modest [price. This year, it was even better. Yes, you have to have season ticket sales to create StubHub seats. If you don't have substantial sales to season ticket holders, where 1-3,000 of those seats will be released at various prices to the fans, than the alternative is that the team had Game Day sales, which can actually prove to be a higher return -- if the team is winning. Plus, the more availability of closer-to-game-day group sales. Last night, we went to the game, had tickets in 215 for $12, right behind home plate. We could've gotten cheaper seats in the upper reaches. My wife's daughter and husband were at the game and had seats they won from work in 105, which we sat in briefly when they left. But there is no need for season tickets when you can buy cheaper tickets on line, or when there are tickets readily available at pretty much any price range direct from the Twins (this month, buy a ticket and get free food!). So, we took the light rail instead of parking. We dropped $44.00 on food.concessions. We left before Fien (who needs to be shut dowen) and Burton (why is a potential free agent getting closer duties) took the ball and made it a closer than need be game. Just because the light rail is a lot longer than our trip would be by car. I don't know how they are going to attract season ticket holders. This year, between the All-Star game (which many season ticket holders couldn't afford) and the promise of a competitive team (truthfully, we expected the rotation to be so much better, and Willingham to rebound, and Mauer to be Mauer, and Plouffe to hit 20 homers, and we even felt good when Morales was signed and the Twins were still in the win-column hunt) which couldn't even challenge the White Sox down the swoon drive. Changes have to happen. But we can't give up on prospects we don't know anything about on the field (yes, they could ALL be Aaron Hicks light), or can we. Who wants to come here and run the team. Will they be given total freedom to spend and sign, or trade anyone and everyone (including Mauer, Sano, Buxton, Kohl Stewart if need be) to produce a winner. If you bring someone in from outside, the need for them is to win sooner rather than later. If you advance from inside, you tell people you are continuing The Twins Way and things will happen. Field staff needs to be changed, shaken, up, no matter. We need to put on the field a group that will gel and work together for 3-5-10 years, like the last couple of groups, preferably from a field staff rich minor league system I'm not sure if there is a manager from outside the organization that would make anyone want to buy season tickets. And the Twins need to spend...with the thought that if the team wins and even though the season ticket base may be 50% of what it is today, a winning team will sell more walkup tickets, and late season ticket packages, and get people into Target Field to buy concessions and souvenirs (what did we spend last nite?) and not make the aisles of Target Field seem like a ghost town that it wa from the sixth inning on. A #1 starter. It might be a $125/150/200 million dollar gamble. You need to bring in a veteran hitter, not necessarily in their prime, but solid enough to play somewhere everyday, and keep the clubhouse alive. You need a coaching staff that will push the players to be exciting, and to play ball as well as they can, not the way that they should be playing it, but a way that they can play it and succeed. I shake my head at the Worley success. I shake my head that a potential fan fave like Ben Revere, for his shortcomings (getting on base at least once every game and getting to second a third of the time too) gets panned even in Phily. That Morneau may win a batting title. That Cuddyer walked and won a batting title. That Torii Hunter is still playing ball. That Target Field was supposed to make us not only continuously competitive, but that we could keep our own free agents if desired, people who had a fan base and were good for the image of the team. Mauer is still the franchise, but he isn't making the Twins a must see anymore. I could actually picture him NOT being on the team, and that is a strong stretch on my love of the team. I am excited about Vargas and Santana, who still have to have a sophomore year. I want to think highly of Arcia. I shake my head at the talent of Hicks and wonder...how...why. I don't see cheaper tickets. I don't see the team doing a shakeup. I don't see them spending. I don't see them releasing real financials so we know how good they have done the past couple of years, still maintaining decent attendance, sponsorships and concession costs. I see a lot of bitching and moaning about the high cost of players, the competitiveness of the division, the need to give our coaches time, the promise of all-star players down the road built from within. The budget, we can only spend this much (50%) on payroll. (I still haven't figured out how you sped $50 million on a hundred million, than CAN spend $100 million on $200 million, and it still is the same thing...did operations double when you moved into Target Field, too). But I'm still going to watch them on television, listen to them on the radio (except when the signal dies between cities...huh), and see what tickets are for a game and applaud the ushers who patrol their sections like moving into an empty seat is a cardinal sin. And why would I want to go to Twinsfest, if it is the same old same old with less player contact, higher prices, and...fan friendly, okay, define.

If I were the Twins, would pull a Nick Blackburn and option him off the 40-man. If someone wants to claim him, let him walk. Maybe let him walk, but hope he stays on and starts at Rochester (which is where he will start 2015 in all likelihood). The Twins can afford to lose the money. They will be badly under payroll. They can oevrpay to keep Duensing and Swarzak, amongst others.

If the Twins can get at least another season out of him as a closer...good contract. He is tradeable. And can always extend his career as being that lefty set-up guy out of the bullpen. Technically, he should be able o pitch. I think the season has just worn him down a bit.

I had high hopes for the rotation going into 2014. Detroit might've been better, but they ahd an aging offense and no bullpen. Nolasco, Correia, Hughes, Pelfrey and Gibson looked darn good. Especially compared to what Cleveland, KC and ChiSox were putting on the mound. The bullpen was strong. The overall lineup looked better than it turned out to be (Willingham and Hicks, tanked. Mauer, disappointed. We still needed a DH and thought we had scored big with Morales). The pieces were there. A combination of injuries and players being bad made this a long season. Right now, the Twins could comfortably field the current team they have in play. Maybe with proper lineup construction, some sound pitching coach work, the Twins will thrive enough to play .500 or maybe be competitive. Then we get repalcements in the outfield, third base, maybe 2B/ss, a catcher and DH that improves, Arcia finds his notch in the bat, some young hurlers push aside the Milones and Gibsons. No, you don't make change because change is good. You make change to try something different, right some wrongs. Something isn't working. The Twins Way is a nice thought, but we still need to go that extra...playoff. A new crop of players are on the horizon. Do we stay with the current guard for a decade, which is not out of the question, or do we go with a new guard who we will be hoping stay another decade in a decade and a system in place that will take a team with 6 championships in nine seasons to a team that WILL NOT have four dirty rotten stinkin' seasons. You do ave to placate fans with some moves. You can't pay players if you don't put butts in the seats, sell concessions, and have advertising revenue from media ratings, period. The talent is there for new on-field management. The question is front office management, do you go outside the organization and then have to deal with someone wanting to bring other outsiders in, or do you continue to promote from within (which I don't see...forgive me Rob Anthony...you are not the next general manager of the Twins). But someone has to put all this in play and fast...and think heavily longterm. There is no All-Star Game to sell (not that it mattered). I can care less abut the beauty of outdoor baseball...I'll but tickets for the Saints at a fraction of the price (wait, not true, I can buy Twins tickets for any game this week for a big $6). I want to see players to cheer, players to watch grow, players that play god baseball, and a team that wins. Otherwise, I'll just move to Milwaukee.

The Twins have to seriously look at the direction they want to take over the next 2-3 years and who will be heading up this new crop of players. If the team becomes successful in 2016 or 2017, will you be keeping the same management team in place to carry it forwards towards 2020 and beyond, or do you change right when the team hits success. You can always keep bodies around in a consult status. But the other question is are we just replacing current bodies with younger versions of the same old same old company men or do we bring in new blood, which will transform the team in ways that aren't the so-called "Twins Way." There is something wrong with the arm injuries that are starting to happen too often in baseball, and the Twins system for sure. The Twins evaluate talent too carefully and tend to go with more middle-of-the-road guys. They need to take even more chances. Yes, 2014 was a free agent disaster with the Twins basically eating salaries of two major non-productive pitchers in the weakest link of the field players. But does that stop you from taking a chance again? It looks like it might or could. Did the Toshi experiment keep the Twins from actually offering sums of money to other foreign talent from Japan or Cuba? It seems to. Gardy has a hard job. With his pitching coach he either leaves a pitcher in too long or not long enough. If you have 25 players on the team, you need to feel that you can use any of them at any time, otherwise why are they on the roster. I have never loved Gardy's lineup construction. Especially this last year with Dozier leadoff and Mauer second. Maybe Mauer isn't the #3 hitter anymore. For every matchup right vs. left and all, well, it just seems to be a card shuffle. And you egt on the case of Hicks, or ride Colabello, but Arcia gets every opportunity in the world. You have a first rate catching coach in Terry Steinbach, yet the guy who most needs him you DH or send to Triple A. Management seriously ash to look at how do we become competitive in 2016 and 2017 for sure. What do we need to do to get there. How does management play into keeping these pieces motivated and together, What is the next generation of front office staff and on-field staff, or does the current regime have another decade of play within them. I have no trouble with Ryan and Gardy being around for another 10 years, if they can do the job. But if they can't, I don't see the need to keep them in anything but an advisory capacity entering the 2015 season.

Whatever happens, it should be in the works, NOW. Whatever happens has to reflect where the team expects to be in 3-4-5 years and the management team, including front office, should remain intact thru that period.

Ultimately, Gardy will be given one more year to improve and see if the Twins will stay with him after that. But if the team tanks yet again in 2015, I see the Twins giving Glynn an interim shot before making a final decision on the future. Dougie would be a fun choice. But he is managing at Ft. Myers because of family issues and to get experience. Jake Mauer IS in the pipeline. Would Terry Steinbach be the Billy Gardner or Frank Quilici before a Dougie or Jake, the in-between guy. Is Moltor a longterm choice? I see some ncie names down on the farm to add to the coaching staff. Tommy Watkins for one. Jeff Smith would be another. Move Cuellar to pitching coach. For some reason, I would like to see Ron Comer on the coaching staff. Right now the Tiwns have to look at 2015 as a rebuilding year. If the team rebuilds, then are you staying with the old guard thru 2016-17-18. You can do the Kelly/Gardy thing and have someone step aside and someone move up that's on the major league staff. But I would almost like to see fresh blood brought in both in team and field management for next season and beyond, a group that will probably be together for five years or more, with the understanding that they still may fail in 2015 and even 2016 before the new crop of players gain experience and real money is spent on free agents to form a stronger backbone for the team. So, I would go ahead and hire Jake Mauer or Dougie as the new manager and build the coaching staff around names like Jeff Smith, Tommy Watkins, keep Cuellar but make him pitching coach, add a Doug Bernier, maybe Sam Perlozzo, keep Steinbach, figure out if you do want Bruno or Molitor around, or make Bruno the minor league hitting instructor. Bring in a couple of outside names, then.

Molitor or Steinbach will be the new manager. There has to be a coaching shakeup, yet there should probably be a general manager shakeup, too...but then everyone would be gone and people from outside would come in. Who's the new pitching coach, Cuellar? Do the Twins advance Glynn and others from the minors? We have to see some of the bullpen kids. Four guys need at least five appearances each the remainder of the season. Hicks needs at bats. Santana needs to play shirt. Pinto needs to throw out runners. Vargas needs to take turns at first. There's not many bodies to change on the roster. Could see a free agent slugger/outfielder. A better pure backup catcher (let Pinto start at AAA yet again). Buy a #1 starter. They have more than enough bullpen arms to play musical chairs out of spring training. Swarzak, Duensing, Parmelee are all bubble guys, yet can be kept because the money is there. Even Burton could be resigned. With another losing season, though, who wants to come play here no matter how much money they dangle. It has to be more than others will pay, period. Ball players are fully aware that you can predict the future, no matter how much stock you put in Buxton, Sano, Stewart and others.