Rosterman

Hopefully Gibson betters himself than being a five inning pitcher. Doubt Berrios, May or Duffy will break the mark. Ervin needs to build a workhorse reputation. He's playing for one more BIG contract, multi-year, down-the-line. But, yet...the day of seeing such a feat by multiple Twins pitchers in uniform may be fleeting forever.

I'm confused here, too. Basically giving up on Vargas and/or Park. Both can go to the minors for another season. Both could also be sold to the foreign leagues. But we still have an issue that it would be ncie to have a solid backup for third IS Sano needs to be the DH forever and ever. The Twins are walking the tightrope, waiting to see what they exactly have in the whole host of names like Kepler, Buxton, Rosario, Sano, Polanco. That's a lot of maybees for players that are supposed to be better-than-average. Who do they have pushing up from the minors. Gordon, maybe. But anyone else is still along way away. Vargas and Park may not be worth much, both may be Adam Walker with some experience. But you start to wonder about the mess the team has...who can they trade, who has value in the eyes of anyone. Or is the rebuilding process starting with the first draft day of the new regime and bearing fruit in 3-5 years. Whew!

Hey, but we are bringing back Yohan Pino for chance number three (shades of Carlos Pulido). I'm still waiting to see where Logan Darnell and James Beresford end up!

I can live with keeping Dozier if Polanco can play short. I would rather have Escobar as the utility guy. But, yes, it shows how other teams are valuing he players the Twins have. Combine that with the crop of inor league free agents the Twins put on contract...meaning right now there's not a lot of space at AAA for AA guys from last year. Be interesting to see who egts the push and how long the leash i on the spohs.

Well, they just paid $8 million to Santiago. So he starts. Santana starts. WIll Phil Hughes come back...then he starts. You have Kyle Gibson, who needs to prove himself capable of starting, and possibly being a trading chip if he excels. Then we have Trevor May, who still needs to be stretched out. We may have Tyler Duffey, who led us in victories last season, as well as ERA (on the wrong end). And we have Berrios, who some may say needs more seasoning. Sigh. Maybe at the end of the season a couple of others materialize (Gonsalves and Stewart, for example). But I just hope the rotation can keep their eras in the low 4's rather than pushing 5.

-There is a case to over value, and that is what scares someone. He had a GREAT half-a-season. He had back-to-back lousy half-a-seasons. He's young, but still getting older. He's cheap, but could be more expensive, or really cheap. In some ways, it is the same issue the Twins had with Trevor Plouffe. A solid player overall, but nothing exceptional (except Dozier did hit for more power.

Well if the Twins are truly in a rebuilding mode, they are doing what's best, standing pat and evaluating who they do have to put on the field tomorrow and longer down in the future. We also see that they really have no talent that other teams value. Dozier and Santana may be the best trade chips, but nothing happened. Both are still relative bargains for the Twins, although probably a luxury on the longrun. Trevor Plouffe was a loss, but he ended up getting a $5 mill contract, soemthing the Twins would've surely paid if they ahd the opportunity. But this is where arbirtation works against you. Making those tough decisions...again on a luxury you don't really need. Do the Twins have bad contracts? Of course. Mauer is two years and counting right now. Park is a works-in-progress. Perkins and Hughes need to comeback, but do we think they will shine and pitch to their worth, elt alone become, if possible, viable trade pieces? Perhaps not. I actually don't see anyone hungering for the Twins BIG prospects like Berrios, Buxton and Sano. Maybe Kepler has some life, but still people will wait and see. If they pan out, the Twins did good and have some keepers. If they don't, the guys won't work in the majors long and the next rung will get their chance. So much IS about development of prospects, guys who you can keep and play for 4-6 years, if not more. Who do the Twins curently have? Perkins, Dozier, they let Plouffe go. Gibson isn't quite there and might not make it. Polanco, Vargas, Danny Santana, Pressly, Tonkin and May are the main holdovers that came up in our system, and Ryan and Trevor came from elsewhere. Not speaking well of the system since 2013/14. SO it ultimately boils down to the players the Twins have and their perceived worth in the major leagues. Not alot of value, not a lot of tire kicking to even see what it would take to pry ANY of these guys away. Are they better than players currently on any major league team in question, or prospects in the chute? And that goes to show you the challenge the new administration has!

Wow! Heatrtless. How about Chuck Schilling and Russ Nixon from Boston for Dick Stigman. Interesting that he WAS a Twin because he was on the 28-man roster that was cut to 25 in mid-may, but never got in a game during that time. Whatever happened to that rule?

Most likely the A's will bank that Plouffe can bring them something back in return. Waiting to see the salary. Probably better than the $2-4 million was rumored elsewhere. Watch, the A's will get more for Trevor in half-a-season than the Twins got in two trying to move him.

Send Byung-Ho back to the minors, send Vargas on his way, and go ahead and pay $15 or so million for one year of a guy to help fire up the offense, play DH, and help the youngsters. WHy not. They got the money.

He started after the Stout season. Because of the large number of players down there, the Twins have multiple coaches now, besides the coordinators.

I would say Dozier is no longer in play and will stay a Twin, so the big decision will be 12 or 13 pitchers and Danny Santana in the scheme of things. There might be a fight for the 5th starter and at least one bullpen arm. But that's it, The need for REAL bullpen arms? Think the Twins will be in a total wait-and-see mode as they try to figure if Burdi, Reed, Hildenberger, Chargois are the real deal future (throw in Baxendale) or not. Look at next year when the Twins MAY tear things apart. I think we may have been thinking too much that a new regime would come in and tear apart and reorganize EVERYTHING over the course of a couple of months. Probably word is that ALL jobs are on the line and if you want to keep any of your managing or coaching duties, you will be asked to change and see if you adapt or shown the door. And players will be given every opportunity to succeed and claim a role in the organization. With the absic concept being that if you don't push and succeed, you may never again be a major league player or have the opportunity to be a major league payer. The tough areas are two. (1) Getting the team to be a team and working together to produce results, rather than individuals glories and (2) How do you market this to the average fan and at what price. I look for a lot of empty seats, possibly many no shows (hurts the concession biz. Unless the Twins get at least one breakout superstar (besides Dozier) who excites the populous to watch them play...or better yet, pitch.

Dozier is good. But is he that good. Is he the home run king. Maybe he';ll hit 50. And his remaining salry is not too bad of an undertaking. It's what to do beyond that, and if he does shine more, he becomes more expensive. If he doesn't shine, he ages and becomes...an aging Trevor Plouffe. Face it, NO ONE REALLY NEEDS a second baseman this year...like they didn't need a third baseman last year. Somehow, clubs seem set on these position (even including the Twins at this point). And the Twins need future building blocks for the rotation? Hopefully 2-3 names come up from the minors before the end of 2018. Hopefully their #1 draft pick is someone who will be fast-tracked to the majors and be the stopper they need. It is time to see where the new administration is going to go with the club. Right now, they seem to be treading water, seeing what they do have at the major and upper levels of the minors, figuring out who is being taught. They need spring training, maybe half-a-season to see who does keep their jobs and what direction the franchise has to take. I'm not seeing many money grabs in the minor league free agent market (guys you can flip for a 41st man prospect) and basically they have to see how the sophs do as well as the up-and-cmers in the minors to see if they do have any tradebait now or the near future. They need to hope the fan base supports the team enough so the money is there to buy a player or three in the next few years. They need to draft correctly. Right now, Dozier and Polanco is better than Polanco and Escobar. We have hopes for Gordon, and then pushing Polanco (if he works out) towards second in a couple of seasons at the most. Dozier needs to stay healthy and needs to produce to keep his own worth up. He does have a free year, here. If he does good, it is for the team. If he does badly, he can still redeem himself in 2018 and get the BIG contract. But that is part of the problem, today, determining his worth. How much do you pay for a guy for two seasons. Do you believe enough in the acquisition that ou look at him as a three-year deal or even five-year-deal guy.

Well, looks like the Twins do have the same problem themselves that other teams might have on Dozier. Is he worth contracting out past 2018...and at what price. Are teams waiting to wait-and-see what Dozier does to start the season and prove that he is more than a half-season slugger? Can the Twins afford that gamble (yes). The worst that can happen, Dozier ends up being average and walks, i.e. Plouffe. The best, the Twins are totally out-of-again in mid-season and someone badly needs a second baseman who is named to the All-Star squad and not named Nunez. Looks like the Dodgers may have been in a holding pattern as they just announced signing 28-year-old Cuban Fernandez. See what he costs. And will be play second. At this point, don't see room for both on the team short-term.

Well, what might've been holding up the deal is that the Dodgers just signed Cuban Jose Fernandez. He's been out of baseball for awhile and might need some minor league time. But only 28. Do they really need Dozier now?

Dodgers signed 28-year-old Cuban Jose Fernandez. He may need some time in the minors, but probably means Dodgers aren't anxious for Dozier.

Vargas and Park situation resolved and maybe one not staying with the organization. Bullpen is a mess. The entire thing could change. But with whom. And we hope it changes totally by 2017. Wheeler and Baxendale should be invites to just see if they can contribute. Why theya ren't? We have to settle the Dozier matter so we know about Polanco and then can look at the surprise...who is the backup infielder. Not Danny Santana. Someone mentioned Palka. Not likely. The Twins MORE need someone to fill-in, at times, at third base rather than someone else to cycle in as a DH. We need the DH to also play 1st so Mauer can cycle out, at times. Yes, the fourth outfielder is the question (and not Santana). Can Granite push Grossman out of the picture (probably not). I want to see Berrios and Sano shine. I hope Kepler, Buxton and Rosario improve. I hope Polanco gets to play everyday in the majors. And I worry about the catching position, but someone ahs to contribute to 24-27 outs in a game, right!

At this point, you hope Santana will be a valuable trading chip in the mid-season, when teams are looking for an experienced pitcher and may trade 2-3 prospects for such a talent, especially one controllable thru 2019 at a decent salary amidst his age. He also could be a viable candidate to be traded out of spring training, but then the Twins are basically looking at guys that teams will be shredding from their 40-man or system, possibly...and the Twins would be stuck with having to carry the guy on their own 40-man with no demotion in sight (think Humber, Pelfrey or Worley as examples of guys you don't need back in a trade package). Then, again, the Twins do have time on their side, so they could stand to gamble on a guy finding his arm, but still..... The tought part is gauging how the team will ultimately playout next year. Strikeouts need to be addressed. Line-up construction, too. Mauer still #3, or can Dozier or Kepler fit into that mold, but where does Joe go. Who's at the top. Polanco and Buxton? How mush teeth gnashing will we experience at the Twins fail to score enough runs to even make a quality start look good with a loss. Do they need Santana? Probably not. They also don't need Hughes, who might not start the season. They also have Perkins as an arm without a place in a bullpen that is full of holes. Go figure. It is a mess. Better to just jettison those old vets for something that is promising and far from major league ready, or see them sink as the team treads water in 2017. If we knew for a fact that salary saved would be spent down the line, the Twins would look great heading towards 2020. But just because you get rid of vets and save money now doesn't mean ownership will overspend when the time comes. I sure would like to know the Twins promotional Plan for 2017. "Buy a Ticket and sit in a Non-Obstructed Seat. Hang your legs over. Use the space behind you to put your food! Your chair at a great outdoors picnic is awaiting you now!"

2017 will be a tough year. The rotation needs to be figured out, as there are some old bodies there that MAY not play longterm (Hughes and Gibson, not to mention a reliable but unnecessary Santana). The bullpen is a mess, but there is too much potential on the farm to bankrupty the team with $6 million reliever contracts. The tell is where do the new guys go from here. We have Murphy that needs to prove he can be a staple for a few years, if even in a parttime role. We have to figure out the need for Vargas or Park, one but not both. Is Polanco the best for second, then who plays short until Gordon. Can Sano handle third. Is the outfield of Kepler/Buxton/Rosario the one for the future? Where does Granite and Palka and even Michaels fit into the plans. Who are the next BIG looksee rookies that couldchallenge the current crop. Polanco may strikeout less that Dozier. But the Twins will still need to replace the power of Plouffe AND Dozier if Dozier is moved. Overall, the batters have to strike out less and runners have to be advanced, especially to home. But all is kinda moot if you have a staff that is 4.50+ for the seson in the least. There is a rebuild, and the Twins have a good time to looksee at a lot of folks...especially if they can advance them faster to the upper minors rather than fill the bill with free agents.

And earlier had signed Nik Hurley.

Plus, I would bet we do get Stuart Turner back. So should be good at the minor league levels. It is up to Murphy to show if should stick in any way at the major league level;.

I imagine it would be a split contract if he needs to go to the minors. No amount reported? He can be a good pitcher. Plus, he's a lefty, so there is life in your arm, especially if you can transition to the bullpen. But as that back-of-the-rotation guy, he is worth the gamble. Especially on a one-year deal. The Braves are hoping he has a resurgence and they can flip him, no doubt, at the trade deadline, for a prospect. If you have the roster space this can be a no-brainer.

You have to look at the lineup, hope Molitor can contruct it right, and that the strikeouts do disappear. We still have too many question in the offense. Castro doesn't bring much to the table, the DH is uncertain, and we can't predict what Polanco, Sano, Rosario, Buxton and Kepler will do. We know what we want them to do. But that is where the lineup construction comes in BIG. The rotation is still a mess. Berrios CAN do better. Santana IS older. Gibson is unpredictable. Will Hughes be back? Duffey is not my idea of a strong backup plan. At some point, we throw out the rookies, but then we have to expect runs to be given up and can the offense balance that! If we aren't in games or winning games the closer is moot. Will Perk return as closer or end his career as a setup guy earlier than anyone thought. How much seasoning do the arms need in the minors before we start letting the take mups in the majors. It will be another season of rebuilding. It is any players time to grab a job and keep it. There are opportunities for players to make the jump. There is little place for any of the players to go if they fail, so we should be seeing guys overplaying, which is good or bad. I like the team. But there are so many questions in the pitching overall still. And I like all the promise of the offense, but can they work in a line-up. Like, does Dozier still need to bat leadoff. Who is the number four hitter. And what to do with Mauer!

And the Rule 5 was increased to $100,000 - which is a healthy cost to a team looking to possibly stash a player - it comes with a major league minimum salary for a season, too. So you better hope that you keep them around longer than the Twins, say, kept J.R. Graham and ended up losing a Sean Gilmartin, perhaps, in the equation. I believe there were fewer Rule 5 picks (outside of San Diego) than in the past this season. The dress-up can be a thing of the past. Pies in the face, dumping the cooler. Okay. Maybe the champagne baths for post season clinches. Okay. But the dressing of rookies brings baseball down to the level of professional wrestling, so to speak, and few actually get to partake in the full effect unless photos are distributed. Better to leave it to the players to do short-sheeting and saran-wrap around toilet bowls in the wee hours of hotel stays, U guess. The All-Star game continues to have problems. The fan voting doesn't exactly work. The need to have a representative from each team isn't necessary. But if it is going to be a showcase, than maybe it should showcase the truly best...the leaders in all offensive and pitching categories from the season before, make sure Cy/MVP/RookieYears are there for sure. Let it be the farewell tour for those stunning vets, I guess, too. It just keeps getting further and further from an actual game. Maybe the minor league All-Stars should play the actual game with the big league guys just doing hat tipping, expensive signings and such. I kinda liked the idea that the game meant a little something, like homefield advantage, in the World Series.

Sometimes you shake your head at the guys the Twins failed to sign for one reason or another. And then you also shake your head that low-end draft picks DO make the major leagues over the top guys. Of course, there's always room for role players in baseball. But given the time and trouble a team gives to a high-level pick (as well as the money) you would often expect some results at a major league level...even if it is one of these role-playing roles.