Rosterman

All 60-day guys come back to the 40-man in the offseason. Have to wait until spring training ends to put them back on. Why surprised to see Pat Dean? I think many of us on this board were surprised that they did add Dean to the last 40-man (and allowed Zach Jones to Rule 5). Of course, any of the guys will be able to seek work elsewhere and command a higher minor league salary somewhere. The Twins could also bring any of them back (including Beresford especially) to be minor league depth at Rochester. But looking at Schafer's earlier addition, as well as Beresford (which was a nice gesture) makes you wonder WHY they also didn't take a chance to look at Adam Walker in September. Walker steadily did his job, advancing each season in the minors. He was already on the 40-man. And now he will be competing for the Twins with basically the same skill set as Daniel Palka. You can never have too many of the same player these days (i.e. Park, Vargas and add in the Sano/Plouffe/Mauer mess). And I would've argued the continued use of Albers and Dean with their wonderful 2016 showings and not getting a view of Mr. Wheeler, the ace at Rochester. But the Twins probably won't 40-man Mr. Wheeler anyways. So, we move on. But maybe the Twins could've/should've looked some more at players THEY MIGHT be adding to the 40-man (glad they did get a look at Wimmers, who might not stay and might stay safe, although he could walk as a minor league free agent...as well as Pat Light, kinda in the same boat. Both given an opportunity to show their stuff. Still some outside promise - much more than, say, Dean or Albers or even Boshers -- but they have to be on the roster cut bubble). Suzuki is gone, so three spots. The Twins need at least five more. At least.

We have to wait to see the direction the new front office will be going. Otherwise, as it MAY be a total rebuilding team, closer by committee is the answer. You either have to look at someone being the closer of the future or not at this point. Perk can still close. Kintzler can close (both should be 8th inning set-up guys at first). But closers tend to be made, rather than come up thru a system. Sadly, our closer of the future might just be...dare I say...Jose Berrios! Look at the record of similar guys! Right now, the Twins NEED to see what they have developing in folks like Zack Jones, Nick Burdi, Jake Reed, Tom Hildenberger and others. they NEED A PLAN. They will need to establish roles for guys over the next 3-5 seasons if they build from within AND THEN supplement any weaknesses with outside help. But until the team is winning and a bonafide closer needs to pitch, say, two out of three days somewhat consistently (like winning streaks), you can try to mix and match a little.

I would consider putting more stock in Goodrum, too. Especially since he could just walk. Too bad they couldn't move Escobar when he was...hotter. The Tale of the Twins. I guess could take a gamble that no one will gamble on Wheeler at this point. Of course, that means you can always fallback on Albers or Dean.

I had some faith that the Twins starting rotation would take us towards the 7th inning after a pretty solid spring training and that the offense was there as long as starters could keep the damage to around 4 runs per start. But some things happened. Injuries. First off, Perkins. We hoped Jepsen was the guy to step in, but the Twins went too long with him, and Fien also imploded. We also had Sano as the right fielder. We had a couple of guys names Quentin and Wheeler fighting for a job with the Twins in spring training that we let go because we had Sano/Buxton/Rasario with Arcia as the backup and Santana in the mix. What a mess that turned out to be with Rosario and Buxton going up and down and Sano not doing his best, combined with a longball no-hit DH that was being given every chance to shine. Carlos and Ryan went nowhere after their releases and the front office signed David Murphy as a possible. Now the Twins hoped another Murphy would be a solid shared catcher with Suzuki. But he also imploded. I personally felt that a guy named John Hicks should've opened the season as a Twin with Murphy going to the Red Wings to play regular, as it looked like Suzuki would hold down his share of innings. But Hicks went to the minors and the front office did a shuffle that backfired bigtime, about to advance Murphy and they removed Hicks but then Murphy quit. Happily, it meant we had more of Kepler, but we lost a possible replacement catcher who we had gotten for a song. At some point, the Twins cut bait with Arcia. Sure, we also signed Robbie Grossman, Rosario came back stronger, we had to move Buxton up and down because he is a top prospect. We had to give playing time to Park. Arcia became the odd man out. That he ran thru a few teams after his trade (for $$$ only, I believe) means word is still out. But we started to see signs of no one knowing what they had in player personal and what to do with them. Yes, a team can get temporary results from folks like Grossman, or Kintzler, Boshers, Schafer, Centeno and the like. Even Park, the 29-year-old rookie. Time will tell if Park was a better sign and keep than the half-decade younger Arcia. We were still coming off a year in which the Twins won 83 games and were competitive, but they won only 83 games and the wild card was weak. Admit it. Yet they did little to really improve, just created logjams and blockage with the keeping of Plouffe, the misplaying of Sano, the signing of Park, and the waste of Arcia, and then Vargas. Happily Nunez was an all-star delight and the Twins moved on and got a good look at Polanco, and he delivered. But a shattered rotation (in which none could win ten games) and you best starters were giving up too few runs or too many. You had a different lineup everyday. You have a franchise player who is still good in the grand scheme of things, but fallen so far down from greatness only able to play positions others in your mess of DH/1B/OF/3B guys in the majors and the minors could probably fill the shoes of equally for a fraction of the cost, not that you would've spent the saved $20 million in any other fashion - this is the Twins front office where four Tommy Milones are better than one Greinke. A bullpen in which no pitcher seemed to get three outs in a game, but would appear in every other game. But we did have that new bar/food dwelling in center field. Players who shine in the minors and struggle in the majors. But the coaching staff is bigger than ever, ever, ever. And, again, the prospects shine as they rise thru the minors and them implode bigtime. The team still went out and played each and every game. But they made errors, struck out in record numbers, and had so set role or lineup position. Sigh.

Yes, I would bring him back as a bench coach or hitting coach. He ahs paid his dues in the minor leagues.

The tough part is that they can't be much of a change in ticket pricing, yet you need to put as many fans as possible into the stadium. Boils down to the 15,000 fans paying x-amount of tickets...is that better than getting 25,000 fans paying a lesser x-amount into the stands (and feeling it is affordable) and spending money on food, jerseys and such. The fewer people that come, the fewer people look at the ads. And then you have radio and television. If people tune out because of overall bad play, you take a hit there. Then you have naming rights people getting uncomfortable. But it will all start with the season ticket package, and then figuring out ways to get fans to purchase single game tickets. I'm not sure how backward they can go on ticket prices. But you don't sell food without attendees. And even if you sell season tickets, you end up taking a hit if there are extensive no-shows.

The only reason to add Goodrum is because he becomes a minor league free agent. If another team grabs most any of the other Rule 5 eligibles that didn't play beyond AA ball (Granite is the exception), no one really put up big enough numbers to warrant keeping on a team's roster spot. So Wheeler and Palka are givens, as is Garver. The Twins have more to worry about in the minor league portion of the draft. If the players can't go to the higher end minor league rosters, they might get snatched, which is where you end up losing guys who have excelled at A/A+ ball, or may be on a comeback but disabled (Bard, Thorpe, for example). The risk of adding anyone as a longer term minor league guy is that you pretty much have to keep them on the 40-man, or risk losing them outright to a team, who usually then has a better option keeping the player in their organization. And you are also tying up a 40-man spot for years (see Polanco and Kepler, for examples...and the current crop that didn't make it this year and probably won't next like Landa. Happily, the Class of 2011 hasn't produced all that well for the Twins (Michaels, Harrison and the ilk) so the Twins have caught one here. And a player like Turner, who might start at AAA (or Garcia, for example) just aren't major league ready, and you can almost assume they aren't the go-to guy you want to have in the wings at AAA ball -- yet!

Is he still Mr. Minnesota Twins or not, that is the question. What are the plans after his contract expires? Does he really want to play? Does he want to stay with Minnesota in some capacity? Is he front office or field staff possible? Will he remain an ambassador for the Twins? Or does he desire a ring? Would he be happy being pawned off somewhere else for his alst two years? Will he continue playing with anyone that calls come 2019? It is a sunk cost. He costs the money if you play him or not, if you release him or disable him. If there is a trading partner, yous till eat some of the contract. Yes, it would be nice if he could catch again (but he can't). If he could play third if the need arose. If he could even play in the outfield (didn't Kepler play some first base once, not that we need more first basemen). Yes, the scheme of things the Twins have to decide soon on the first base/DH position, who they have or want to play there. Is Plouffe a possibility...but he only ahs one year left before free agency? Is Sano a future guy there, but then who plays third? Is Vargas a fulltimer, or Park for that matter? The Twins have a couple of prospects who might shuffle into the mix come the end of 2018, but doubtful if they would be ready to start fulltime. And then you have DH which has many of the names above as well as Walker and Palka.

Clearing out names: Free Agent: Suzuki Arbiration: Plouffe, Milone, Santiago...possibly Kintzler or Pressley. Let them try and stay: Grossman, Centeno, Schafer, Albers, Boshers, Dean, Beresford. NOT On the Bubble: Gibson, Tonkin. Either Way: Duffey, Light, O'Rourke, Light Decision time: Walker, Park, Vargas (or Palka). How many do you need of the same guy. Granted, you need to keep a couple around in case you need roster space for a free agent. But, seriously, how many of the above names would be immediately added to another team's 40-man roster. Seriously? Mpst would get an invite to spring training. Many will find a home in another organization but still toil in the background of major league baseball. So, 11 of the above could go. Another 11 wouldn't be missed and wouldn't bring back anything in return. Speaks wonders of the Twins current 43-man roster. And I didn't even include Danny Santana or Escobar in the discussion.

The pain about arbitration is that it is a series of stats and years of service that works into the price of the player. Similar to when the Twins let David Ortiz walk rather than pay him his supposed arbitration salary for the year. A team can cut a player 20% at most, but arbitration is never about cuts, it's about a compriomise. The Twins might be able to pull off a $13-15 million two-year deal with Ploufee, but that won't be paying him any less than $8. If they do cut him, then he free to sign for whatever, and chances are he won't reach $8, but at this point the Twins probably couldn't resign him until a certain date. Of course, they can arbitrate his salary and sign him and trade him. But all signs point to him being a player that should be making less (and you could Danny Valencia, for example, for less). Same could be said for Santiago. And last season, the Twins went to arbitration with Fien, whom they shouldn't have. The year before Duensing and Swarzak. Arbitration tends to work against a team, especially in the free agent walk year.

I would happily start 2017 with Vargas anywhere and have Park, Walker and Palka in the minors, ready to step up. Even though Sano at third and Mauer at first could create issues down the line. I would give him 40 solid starts at DH/1B and then make a decision. None of the mickey-mousing that they did with Arcia. Park can start in the minors. Should start in the minors. Period.

You hit all the points. No need to get super starters because they could end up wasting a year or two (as Ervin did this year). We need to see what we do have that is REAL (not Albers, not Dean) and push on those that show some promise (Stewart, Gonsalves). You have to make a decision on Dozier. Do you commit and feel he will be the cornerstone of the team past age 31, or jsut move on. And you move on with anyone that isn't a surefire lock for a position or has potential value (Plouffe and Santiago are they going to become tradechips in their walk year, doubtful). You make decisions on replaceable guys like Tonkin, Duffey, even Gibson. Maybe you turnover up to 10 positions (after adding your own prospects into the mix) by letting folks like Schafer, Centeno and Grossman and Boshers walk and replacing them with those 41st guys that other teams are cutting...if only for a year. No amount of money will make the 2017 Twins playoff contenders. It will be field staff leadership, finding a team leader, and the players that are shoiwng promise to excel combined with the hungry attitude of more future prospects that might pull off a pleasant surprise, but also build to be a more solid team by decade's end, when you do open the purse strings and buy not one, not two, but maybe three of the BEST guys you can find to fill any obvious holes you have at that time.

I doubt you could trade Plouffe. Teams would rather wait to see if you non-tender and they try to get the guy at a reduced rate. I would clearly ask myself, as general manager, what value ANY of these players have in the open market. Would that justify my possible purchase of a year of their service as a trading chip. My next question would be, who among this group will be a contributor, still, in 2018...and at what cost. Especially when dealing with Escobar (now a reserve infielder) as well as Kintzler and Pressley (bullpen arms that didn't excel)...I would consider what I could get that would be equal, yet different and serving the needs of the team. And when you throw in all the guys that are basically minor league free agents: Schafer, Grossman, Centeno, Boshers, Albers, Dean, Beresford with those that are on the bubble like Wimmers, Light, Duffey, Tonkin and O'Rourke...and throw-in Park and Danny Santana...it may be time to just clean house, period. Tell me the TRUE VALUE of any of the above players, to the Twins or in the marketplace as a whole. Do they give us a fighting chance to compete? Will they get better in 2017 and make us want to keep them around for 2018 or longer? Plus not bring back Santiago would make the Nolasco trade even out. We would get $8 million combined with some other savings that a new front office might be able to spend more wisely. The pain is that the next batch of guys in the minors aren't redy to open the season, or possibly even shine in September 2017 callups yet. So the Twins will be filling the roster with inbetweeners again. You don't want to invest heavily in any starters, otherwise their good work (see Ervin Santana) is basically wasted. The future is still with the guys on the cusp, and they will still need a season or two to figure things out. And by some date in the future, everyone will pull together and hopefully you have enough money and fans-in-the-stands to keep your own potential free agents to go with those guys that you draft and produce thru the system to become Twins.

The whole Walker thing is a mess. You HAD a chance to bring him up in September and just see what you have in relation to major (or expanded roster) pitching. Now, you have to keep him AND Palka. Basically two similar players with no place to play and neither with a good chance of opening the season as a fourth outfielder even. Then you have the mess in the bullpen. Pretty much NO ONE is a keeper, except for expectations (great expectations). The young guys on the 40-man too far down in the system but you now have to continue to keep them even though none of them will probably even get a cup of coffee in 2017. Go figure. Chargolis has potential to burn. But ALL the other relief specialists, including your closer Kintzler, are basically replacable with more of the same. Pressly, Tonkin, O'Rourke, sadly ALL can go, joiningg Dean and Alebrs and Boshers and even Wimmers. If you need the space. Be interesting to see if arbitration is offered to Plouffe and Santiago. Neitehr deserving at this point. Byung-Ho Park can be offered around, but no takers unless he returns to Asia, I assume. Too bad we are stuck with Joe Mauer. I would rather see Vargas at this moment, and Walker/Palka at DH. Heck, I might even stomach a $10 million contract to Plouffe if we didn't have Mauer on staff. The Twins front office ahs some jaor decisions to make. 2017 STILL won't look pretty, as we are still stuck with Hughes and Perkins. Gibson is not going anywheres. Duffey is considered a rotation guy (why?). Did I miss Wheeler being added to the 40-man? From the list at the top, I see 18 names that DON'T have to stay there!

The big thing the front office is now working on is hiring a general manager, and the host of candidates being considered for the Diamondbacks job is probably similar to those the Twins are also looking at. That is one BIOG decision for the new Pres. of Baseball Operations, and the the two of them can start looking at other departments and the field staff, which I hope they do without consulting St. Peter and Pohlad, except for looking at deals of Mauer someplace. But look for the Twins to be pretty slow moving on player releases and such until they gather and meet before the Winter Meetings and the new powers-that-be have had an influence in such areas as player development and scouting. Pretty much the field staff and minor league coaching staff have to be hold.

Like!~

I think I figured out your Top 1`0: Luke Westphal Brian Olson Joe Maloney Blair Lakso Nick Greenwood Jason Adam Todd Van Steusel Jairo Rodriguez Jason Wheeler Miles Nordgren

Molitor is a great player and all, a Hall-of-Famer who is known more for his work as a Brewer and even a Blue Jay, as with the Twins. He is a hometown guy, but although he gives a nice official presence, he is far from Mr. Warmth (of course, same can be said for Tom Kelly). I really don't how to react to the opportunity Molitor took playing basically Rochester Red Wings lineups the final weeks. But so many names on the disabled list (Rosario, Santana , Hughes, Perkins, Plouffe) and a roster still bloated with guys that have no business being given playing time (Schafer, Grossman, Boshers, sadly Centeno) or purely overworked (Dozier, Pressly, Tonkin) or not doing what they should be doing (Kintzler). There seemed to be a total lack of what this team could possible strive towards doing well. You had your home run leader batting leadoff. You have your future leadoff man batting ninth, until the last game of the season. You have a mess with your potential third baseman. You have Duffey starting games and barely lasting a long relief stint, but not being tried in long relief. You jave guys in the minors who you needed to look at badly - Wheeler, Walker, maybe even Reed. Instead you have, again, Schafer, Boshers, and that comedy duo of Dean and Albers. I think it goes back to before 2015 when Molitor was hired, than a coaching staff was put together, and names were interviewed and approved more by committee than the manager who, suffice to say, hasn't developed chronies like Rock Anderson or Dick Such. Maybe it is the thrown together coaching staff that also adds to the confusion. Ultimately, what is the Twins Way anymore, except great views and good food at the most beautiful stadium in the league. That they seem to do right. But, sadly, Molitor isn;t that same marketing kick that Torii Hunter was for the 2015 team in selling tickets or putting fans in the stands. Not sure he is even better than "come see the new guys" or "free beers with every strikeout by a batter". But 100+ losses, few managers should be given an encore. If anything, you do find someone from outside who knows what they are doing, or totally go with that guy from the system who has worked with the players (assuming the new operations and GM don't clean house of prospects).

In my quest to be an actor I have PAID to be an intern in a summer theatre (in other words, had to have money to live somewhere else for a summer). I have labored for 15 weeks and got a minimal salary, but room and board. I have been paid weekly short-term wages, with room and board, but still had to pay rent and such while away. I have worked 30-week jobs in parts of the country with no guarantee of further employment or even being able to get my hours back at a part-time job that I hold "at home" that allows me to pursue a career. All in pursuit of THAT career, which was also grounded with education and college tuition/loans. Once you reach the pinnacle, you may be set (except you aren't in the world of acting unless you pull down a real highly paid gig). It becomes a life of constant travel, or hoping to get your 28 weeks that qualifies you for benefits not out of your own pocket, or a part-time job teaching others for such a career at the high school or collegiate level. Or maybe putting on a character costume and shooting T-shirts into the stands at baseball games or being a P.A. guy, which still only covers your basic nut and such. And when you do perform as a real actor with a real theater company, it isn't always easy to hold down another job. You rehearse during the day, you perform at night or have matinees. Those are the set hours your life revolves around (even at the expense of commercial work which doesn't revolve around live theatre schedules). But, yes, the longer one is involved in professional minor league baseball, the easier it should be to spend time to increase your skillset and advance towards the goal, which out of 7,500 players is less than 2,000 a year that get into a major league game, and every year you get older and the competition stays younger. What I picture the hardest is uprooting from one minor league club to another, or even the bounce back between majors and minors. You don't want to stay in Chattanooga all summer, but what happens when you go back to Ft. Myers, only to get a call to Rochester. Of course, if your life is 24-hours a day baseball, you have a good bed, the clubs make sure you have at least one decent meal...it can be living the dream.

And, thus, the spirit in the clubhouse HAD to be down. Some would say a Torii Hunter presence was needed. Others will say coaches weren't doing their pregame jobs with the players. Many will criticize the manager for poor lineup construction and not knowing his own players. You have to admit that the offense has so much potential if they can get beyond the strikeout, youth, and enjoy the game more. Pitching put the team behind, which is a tragedy, with Santana being the only one to truly shutdown the opposition on a continued basis. The bullpen was all over the place with no surefire closer (of course, few REAL closing opportunities). You never knew what you'd get from a bullpen pitcher.

Murphy will be given every opportunity to start. Garver should also start, albeit at AAA Rochester. So the Twins still need a backup catcher. But doubt that they NEED to keep Centeno on the 40-man (barring who else they rid themselves of). Centeno COULD be resigned to a minor league contract. If Murphy flounder, or is just okay, then Garver could come up and share duties. And Turner better be at AAA in 2017, too. Fast track some of these guys a bit more. DOn't hold them back and fill the roster with AAAA wannabees.

Well, I would hope he meets with one and all and asks them what their plans are for their departments and how they expect to improve/change/handle matters. Everyone is on notice to come on-board a shared direction, which should be set sooner rather than later. But overall, the organization needs direction above and beyond "being competitive" which got them Target Field. The resources are there, or the Twins (like Trump) have squandered millions with little to show. No more lip service, magic mirrors. All or nothing.We have seen nothing. It is easy to produce NOTHING. The Fans don't need us to win-it-all next year. There are so many promising resources that will come together in the next couple of years that there is hope! Old ideas of "The Twins Way!" need to be changed. Maybe you can keep the "old-timers" around as a consulting board who can share the knowledge of what is currently in the system and all, but over the course of three years, with players alone, the Twins will have at least 60% if not more turnover in both majors and minors, so need directions are totally on tap!

I liked Molitor commenting about the status of the coaching staff (under review) and acting like he will be part of the decision-making solution. Sadly, maybe he will. But I would think the new powers-that-be should have full decision-making process and get ahead of the whole mess as soon-as-possible, rather than wean people in and out of the organization. If the organization will still have another doomed year, let it be rapid rather than long-lasting. Time for the Twins to become MORE than a family business. It is time to become a sports entertainment business!

Well, if he doesn't show improvement next season, we always have Granite and English in the wings. Not quite as initial high hopes, but could adequately toil in centerfield while we trade Buxton for a catcher.

He now has the power to hire a general manager. And with the GM should be able to pick his field staff. Will be interesting to see where all the lifelongs in the Twins front office end up