Rosterman

I would consider that half-million foreign contract for 2015.

There is no need to add Buxton to the 40-man. Just like there was no need to add Sano and Rosario this year. And a team, to Rule 5 a guy, has to keep him all year. The only reason a Kepler was added was that he might be enticing for another team to grab and the Twins didn't want to lose their investment. Levi Michael, Grimes, Lee, Wheeler will nto be given a major league 25-man spot. The Twins have to worry little about minor league free agents. Their AAA and AA club are full of guys they grabbed elsewhere. Their only major loses would be Guerra, Ibrarra, Rohlfing, Herrmann, Beresford at the most. Doubt that anyone would even take a flyer on Wimmers at this point. AND the Twins easily have a dozen spots to fill come November. Remember, you can't cut November guys once they are added until spring time, so expect to see Herrmann, Kris Johnson and maybe Eric Fryer still on board if a body needs to be moved for a free agent.

Basically he was 40-man roster fodder in Seatlle. Now he is the same in Minnesota. Is he out of options going into 2015 or 2016?

I would've traded Correia for the aging lefty the Yanks traded for McCarthy, too.

It is just talk. The logistics would be a pain, and the Twins would basically be taking over the new Saints stadium. It would've fun for us fans, with enough levels of play between major and minor. What concerns me more is that we are building this stadium in St. Paul and sounds like the Saints aren't a longterm deal (or indy ball baseball). That is what is scary. What kinda team or baseball will be in this new stadium in the years too come.

You are prorated the season day rate. Also, you gave a substantive jump in your minor league pay by being on the 40-man roster. Some players *like Diamond) are paid their major league numbers in the minors. Some have a split contract which guarantees an even hugher rate if sent to the minors.

It will be a wait and see. See what Santana brings to the mix. If Rosario is an option. If someone else materializes. Is Dozier stuck at second. Can he be a DH at 31 that also can be a super utility guy. If he hits the 30/30 club or higher, than te Twins will be forced t do something.

Minor point, Peterson played for the Cardinals (and always great to see any player get the major league nod). New Brit and the Twins are a great combination! Hope it continues long and strong!

Agree with stringer. The Twins third (emergency) catcher will be Joe Mauer, assuming they have someone, anyone else who can play first on the roster (probably parmelee at this point). There is no need for the weak bench bat of Herrmann at this point. Maybe next season Herrmann becomes the backup, if Pinto proves himself, with Mauer still as the emergency catcher. Bartlett will shine or stink. But chances are he won't make the team. That said, the Twins only need one backup infielder who can play ALL three positions at the moment. Yes, if they sign someone like Baker who can play 1st and 3rd, maybe many of us would be a tad happier. The outfield is crowded. Mastro will hold down the 4th spot until Hicks proves himself at Rochester. Who stays depends on how well Presley plays. We can't really write Kubel in totally at DH, but look for him to get the chance. The Twins will carry 12 pitchers. Worley, Diamond, Swarzak, Duensing will battle it out for three spots. Deduno will start if he starts. Picture the Twins to dangle bullpen in spring training and probably take a prospect in return to eliminate the logjam. Someone will be injured, no doubt...so it is nice to deal from strength. It's all those players (Diamond, Deduno, Worley, Parmelee, Plouffe) that are out of options that is...scary/ You want to say TAKE THE BEST 25 NORTH. I hope the Twins doo -doo that.

It would be a msot wonderful reunion. And, yes, the Twins do need a left-handed arm in the bullpen. If they moved Diamond to the bullpen, they could have four lefties in the pen. Wprley needs to go somewhere, too.

Everyone ends up getting what they deserve in the end, especially the owners who are sucked into outlandish payments.

With Mauer at first we pretty much have closed the book on Parmelee and Colabello. One will return to AAA, the other is tradebait. We also have to strongly look at the need for Doumit, especially if the Twins would sign another catcher. Of course, Doumit is here for a season and a veteran signing of a catcher would allow a good season and a half of Pinto at Rochester with the vet catcher becoming the DH/bench guy. Even the ripple effect of someone like Bartlett means that there is no room in the home for Escobar or Florimon if Bartlett rebounds. Ultimately, the Twins have a lot of roster spots they can free up if they do sign comparable players. Most of the names I mentioned above are already replacement level players, placeholders until someone better comes along. Throw in Willingham, and the Twins even have more free salary base for years to come. Likewise, if the Twins sign a starter or two and a bullpen guy they have names like Albers and Hendriks and Worley to remove from the 40-man. Hermsen is gone, Welker would probably pass thru waivers at this point. You can argue the need to keep Duensing or Swarzak at the moment. Is Pressly really that good? And Fien and Burton could both be comfortable tradebait if the need arise. There is a little value on the Twins 40-man roster if Ryan plays his cards right, or at least flipping AAAA guys for possible prospects (preferably pitching). You hate to just let guys walk, but.... not like Ryan and Co. haven't done it in the past.

But you always have the issues when guys like Colabello have a breakout couple of years in the minors (also think David McCarty, Mike Restovich and Chris Parmelee) but don't put it altogether and fail somewhat miserably in the majors. Even this season, Oswaldo Arcia had an okay season which works fine in a strong lineup, but in a lineup where he ended up being the 3-4th best player, well.... All these guys could conceivably be in a Twins uniform sometime at the sametime. If they do, and gel, it could be a homebred World Series team. It's getting them there, having them get the experience, protecting each other in the batting order and on the field, and we have the 1987 Twins. Who won because of blood and guts and a weak division and a very lucky starting rotation. You maybe add in Stewart and Berrios and a few other names like Kepler and Vargas and Gibson, of course, Mauer (not to mention Perkins) and...well........

Current SPs: Deduno, Correia, Diamond, Gibson. Future: Meyer, May, Dean, Logan. Possibles: Hendriks, Swarzak, DeVries, Hernandez, Duensing. We need five from that motly crew to end next season. It would ne nice to have one 2-4 year contract guy. Maybe another rehab (Baker back) for a year with an option attached. Maybe a slum dweller that can float to the bullpen if need be and be trade bait. Starting pitching is the #1 Priority. Someone with punch will be #2. Figuring out Mauer is #3.

Anything that starts to put players on the field that will more than likely contribute in 2015 and 2016. Adding one or wo free agents for a couple of seasons ain't going to do it for me. Joel, former partial season ticket holder who hasn't graced Target Field for one game yet in 2013.

If there are auditions. Cheap seats about to be available bigtime on StubHub. Yes, the Twins will average 27-29,000 the remainder of the year due to season ticket holders and such. But a lot of unclaimed seats, my friends. Also means loss concession revenue. Thje Twins have no 40-man spots to add guys. The only likey prospects are May (AFL), Hicks and Parmelee (will be punished by no recall), Hermsen (stunk up AA), Santana (too young), Pinto (will show up, at least, I hope). Tonkin will come on board. Maybe Diamond will return after playoffs. Maybe DeVries will get a shot. Hernandez and Mastro are up. Who am I leaving out? No one exciting, my friends. No 40-man spots to open up for anyone.

I gave up my season tickets, too. I haven't gone to a game all season (telling myself I will when the Twins get to .500). I do listen and watch, but am so often disappointed. Not sure the direction the organization can take, but a complete housecleaning is in order. Maybe even the "new" blood that they put on the bench should seek employment elsewhere. Maybe the Twins need to totally go outside the organization for now. No Steinbach, no Molitor, no Bruno, no Cuellar. Definitely time to say goodbye to Gardy and Andy and the Twins should've reassigned to the minors, if they desired to keep them, Ulger and Vav. Nothing against any of them except for losing baseball seasons. Terry Ryan is a nice guy, but he has to move on, too. Maybe time to get some outside help, a different viewpoint, someone who will demand that money be spent and will spend it and tell ownership that instead of planning for less revenue, think of ways that you can generate more...putting a winning g(not jsut competitive) team on the field and putting fan seats in the stands. I will say that the July swoon going into August had more butts than I ever thought in the stands. Will this change at State Fair time and into September? Maybe I will spring for some low-priced seats and the love of outdoor baseball. But let it be because I am looking at Sano or Rosario or even Buxton (okay, Hicks will do) rather than a lineup of guys who aren't the future of the Twins. Take five of those roster spots and showcase the future for one month. Maybe some won't play at all again in the majors until 2015, but you have to know something about the future...and it is now!

He will surface somewhere, but might have to start in the high indy leagues. But he showed nothing this year that I would gamble with even a guaranteed minor league contract. It's his call if he wants to pitch for peanuts with the hope of a return to the bigtime. Hey, Matt Kinney and Dan Serafini still plugged along year after year. His big thing now is to have his medicals covered and to heal.

Deduno is a thrower. It depends on his mindset. He has less control (working for him) than a Blackburn or a Silva, it seems. But watching him pitch, he is the perfect pitch-to-contact guy (in the sense that he throws the ball over the plate) but I don't see a gameplan. Like, what do I do when I do have a 3-2 count on a batter. What do I do when I get into a bad inning. How do I totally keep from having a bad inning? What do we throw each and every batter? I picture the catcher as a backstop that hopefully will get a great pitch or see the ball come out of the hand and be able to catch it/block it. He is a guy that you hope finishes this season stronger than he currently is. If he is out of the cute excellent next season, but the only plus on a Twins staff of rooookies, you sell as high as you can...because I don't see him keeping it up. I don't see him being a part of the 2015 or 2016 team and not sure that you need him to be. Yes, he would still be cheap. But I don't see him developing into a control pitcher at this stage of the game. He is getting by by towing those ground ball pitches and keeping batters uneasy in the box. If he had more control, he would make a great reliever if you were looking for that doubleplay, but right now the chance of a wild pitch makes you wince at putting him in that role.

I would bring in Andy as President and General Manager. Let him hire a couple of assistants and a new manager, maybe even another director of minor league operations. Gardy would find another job. We need new blood everywhere in this organization.

I think we have to look at this "Twins Way" thing, rather than if Gardenhire (and before him, Kelly) was doing their jobs right or not. The Twins have always relied on the farm system and homegrown talent. They might take a stab and bring in some free agent (Morris, Chili Davis) but often they brought in on-the-fringe type free agents (you can say Molitor, Steinbach, Monroe). They have a tendency to make good trades when they do (Knoblauch, Viola, should've ben Santana) which bring in multiple pieces that soemtimes turn into multiple pieces. THAT is the direction they go, pulling the plug on players earlier (Cudddyer, Nathan, Kubel...now Perkins) rather than let them walk. The Twins have always, when possible, been willing to field a team that they think will compete in the division. After all, these re the teams you have to face and beat more often than not, and the central ahs been notoriously weak.You would think that they would take the plunge and go all out and spend bigtime and get superstar pieces and totally destroy the division (no, it isn't as easy as all of that). Like the Oakland 's, the Twins like to field a team based around certain fundamentals (the Twins way). Both rely on a farm system. Oakland turns 1/3 of their roster over every year, it seems, and still manages to compete in the West more often than not. You are not going to compete every year unless you can throw money away at, say, a disabled list -- how much are the Yankees paying players not to play this season, anyone know? The Twins now have a unique opportunity to continue to build their farm system, by raiding the system of others (getting those 26th and 41st players) and scoring good drafts picks for the third straight year. With the return of Ryan, the Twins could've done a little better purchasing free agents, perhaps, that they could flip. Again, that is a crap shoot. Look at Willingham this year and Pavano and Capps last year. Yet the Twins have to do more of what they did with Span and revere...trade them for others after they have posted respectable numbers. Why they didn't do that this winter/spring with Willingham, or a couple of years back with Young, is beyond me. We have to also rememebr that if a team comes calling on some, like they may on Worley or Pelfry, they are seeing something in those players. Don't sit back and say...hey, I'm going to keep these guys because so-and-so wants them. Move on. Do it to someone else. Bringing us back to Gardy. Like Kelly, he wants the team to play fundamental ball. To take a led and hold it. Move runners around. Don't walk batters. Don't give those extra outs. Hit some homers. Steal some bases. Put a good show on the field. He can only do that if he has the players. Unlike maybe a handful of teams, I don't really see Gardenhire having a lot of say on who comes up and goes down or how the roster will be designed until he gets his Twins media guide in the spring. All those decisions seem to be made by the front office. Like Kelly, he's given a whole bunch of players and has to make some eliminations...win some, lose some. It be more of a time to make a major change in the Twins organization -- going outside of the home office for a GM, Manager, Scouting Director, Farm Director. Bring in someone who is a real baseball man as president or player personal director. Looking at the Twins front office, there are a lot of people there that look good in suits. They hang around the coffee room together, get their contract renewed every season, know that when so-and-so leaves I will be considered (and probably get) the job, happy and content to be a part of the Twins...because that is the Twins way...keep happy employees in certain positions and jobs. I like Terry Ryan. I think he is an excellent evaluator of talent, coupled with opnions from another. As a manager, Ron Gardenhire surrounds himself with people that he trusts to keep the fundamentals of the game in place, playing good-cop bad-cop when necessary. He seems to run a decent clubhouse when egos aren't involved, and places a lot of trust in his various lieutenants. Who would the Twins get to run the ship. Is there another Bill Rigney out there? Do we want a Gene Mauch? Again, these guys would only be as good as the talent that the team puts on the field. That comes from drafts, system development, trades, and purchase. With a close eye on those 26th and 41st players in other systems -- but no matter how good those players may be, they are still more often placeholders than superstars. The Twins need change for the sake of change. But they need it above and beyond the clubhouse. It has to go all the way into the front office. I won't say that the people in the Twins organization are horrible, no. But they are like the team on the field. They do enough to give an impression of a finely tuned and happy and "Twins Way" organization. We need someone to make statements...not just money!

Right now, Plouffe is a keeper. He is a keeper as he goes thru arbitration. He can play a multitude of positions, DH....his bat, if consistent, is worthwhile to have. There is no immediate replacement that can do what he does (Janey carroll, Escobar...think not).

Service time, and playing regularly. The Twins NEED to see more of Parmelee, it seems, at the moment.

Carroll is there. Is he better having around in case of injury or slump than, say, playing musical chairs with minor league guys. Right now, the Twins have no one to bring up if something happens, without making a 40-man roster decision. And whoever they bring up has to be around for the long haul or swapped out for another 40-man decision. I could see Jamey being swapped away and ridding yourself of some salary and the option if Dozier, Florimon and Escobar (and Plouffe) hold their own. Then the Twins can look at that Sober Rule 5 guy, or maybe Olmeda who offer a but more punch than, say, Carroll or the other middle infield options.

I like the concept of stealing bases as much as anyone. The bigger issue is getting a jump on a grounder or being able to go from first to third. A true basestealer is a singles hitter who then puts pressure on the pitcher on the mound which effects what he throws the next batter or two. Otherwise, base stealing is very selective. You have the chance to get hurt, or not accomplish much. Yes, I am sad Revere is gone...expect him to steal 100 bases some year, but who knows. Maybe it will be Hicks, who will pan out more like San with power. Maybe we have to wait for Buxton. Maybe Florimon or Escobar will take to the paths. Base stealing is more about the threat of stealing bases than actually doing it...most of the time.