Rosterman

What happened. Go somewhere else, come back, and Buxton is a homer hitter and Albers looks to be a....keeper!

Hey, maybe we can bunch all our fifth starters into one shared game. Albers, Dean, Duffey, maybe throw Mejia in there. That's 6 or seen innings. And sure Molly and Allen can figure out a way to use five other guys in relief to finish the home game.

Meyer will be an interesting decision for the Angels next season. Does anyone know, is he out of options? Does he need to be carried on the roster? If so, sans winter ball, what is the max innings you could expect out of him next season - 100? 125? I doubt 150 at this point. Which means he needs a mix of long relief or short relief, or to be that 13th guy in the bullpen as he weans into becoming a starter. Now he may have one more option year left, which would be good. But as in the Twins case, you basically have to 40-man him again for a season in the minors, and you suddenly have people who are passing him by in the pecking order and could possibly be in the Twins rotation come 2018 equally as well as Alex Meyer. The trade was a wash of sorts. You hopefully got a better pitcher than Nolasco in Santiago, and even if you don't offer him arbitration, you save $8 million then in salary, although not sure what the Twins will spend it on except to make up for lost revenue in this last month of the season, perhaps. But, yeah, at this point didn't see Meyer fitting into the 2017 roster. And looking ahead to 2018, unless he blew people away in the minors in 2017, he wouldn't be there then, either.

I'm thinking State Fair, mini donuts, cheap T-shirts and jerseys at the Twins booth, the Giant Slide, and glad we have Andrew Albers holding down a position in the Twins rotation as we strive to play .500 ball for the remainder of the month to escape 100 losses!

I think someone has to explain what kind of player do the Twins want him to be. A fine defense guy in the outfield showing speed for coverage and great arm. Do we want him batting leadoff, drawing walks, mixing up between full swings and chops and bunts (and is he capable of that). If so, how do they get him to that point in major league coaching, as the playing field up here is totally different than it is in the minors. Do you want him to develop power, take the Carlos Gomez route? Is there tension between the organization and Buxton on how they see the skill set. If so, why? How did it happen at the major league level, yet he is so comfortable with his family in the minors (probably Chad Allen hitting coach). We know Buxton will be a fine outfielder. But when the time comes, is he a $50 or $100 million player for the Twins. Kepler is learning well. He will have his slumps and has to work on them, knowing how to change up his at bats. He is still riding a high, especially on the home run front. But he is showing that he an intelligent hitter who will work on his craft when called upon. But imagine the joy he is showing out there on the field, chasing balls, putting ball in play, playing the fun game of baseball. He isn't perfect ye.....but you want to pencil him into the daily lineup.

Whoaaaaaa! Did they all go the State Fair and indulge in grease or something? Still, only the 4th inning. If Buxton keeps hitting, how we they get Schafer into the lineup? Wait, the game IS still young. We might see Boshers tonight!

Well, part of your broadcasters job is to try and spin the game in favor of the organization. You do want people to come out and support the game. That said, making a star from the the other team the player of the game afterwards is not what I tune into the game to watch. It's the press, or the press that have "columnist" credentials that can be a bit bitter and take a bite out of things. Often it is just to get readership to the thing you write (as a columnist, you are a personality now). For for the beat guys, and in some ways even the staff broadcasters, taking subjects like "Plouffe and his future with the team, pros and cons" would be a nice article for the nite, or"Schafer the journeyman and what it means to the Twins future" or "Meyer is doing good for the Angels, reflections by coaches in the minors on how he got there." Even here in Twins Daily land, we want tohe Twins to succeed, we want people to not forget about them (which can happen as the frustrations grow) and we often pepper our downright damnation with a bit of fluff and searching for that one good spot (Dozier showed up at the Stadium swinging a bat...something will happen).

Yes, you let him go or sign him long term. Maybe we will have to wait to see the plans of any new powers-that-be. The reality is that Plouffe will be back on an arbitration-settled salary that could easily reach $10. No negotiations. Do you sign him for two years and close to $20? Do you let him walk? Maybe that decision needed to be made already. If you had let him (and Suzuki) walk, then you could resign them on the off-season for less than current pay, possibly. If you don't offer arbitration to Plouffe, you can't sign him until May 15 (or am I wrong on that). Of course, we still have a logjam. I can live with another season of Plouffe at third if need be, if Sano is the fulltime DH. But where does that leave Vargas and Park. Do we see them in the Twins plans for the future? Do they have anymore value in the trade market than many other Twins? It is pretty sad when you keep players around with no trade value/interest to other teams. Of course, any player is tradeable. Like Suzuki. I'm surprised the Twins weren't able to move him with a prospect (like they did Nolasco) for another prospect. Again, we have to wait for the new GM. I imagine close looks will happen on Plouffe and Santiago. They probably will even do the same on Milone, not making decisions until the last minute. Part of the reasoning might just be that they have the money to spend (and it doesn't carry over from year-to-year) so one-year arbitration victory deals won't kill their pocketbook, considering who might be available for their needs on the free-agent marketplace. But, hey, giving say $18 million to Plouffe and Santiago could buy you a pretty nice pitcher, even on a one-year deal!

They have a tough inter-division schedule in September and ALL the teams are hungry, the least being the White Sox who want to show they are far better than the Twins. In the end, I doubt that the Twins could play a lineup full of non-rookies that would be more devastating to their divisional foes than jsut playing a lot of the youth. Especially Twins pitching being what Twins pitching is. At least, I hope, they give Ervin a solid line-up the last 4-5 times he goes on the mound!

Let's see. Johan Santana for Carlos Gomez, Deolis Guerra, Philip Humber and Kevin Mulvey. Or spend $120 million.

I like it - "roster clogger." Yes, Suzuki is gone, pfuttttt! We need to see more of Murphy and give Garver reps, although he is long for the Fall League now. Regarding Centeno, chances are you can resign him as a minor league free agent. There is the slim possibility someone else will give him a 40-man roster spot, but doubtful. You can have a roster clogger on your team. The Twins have a few, sadly. Plouffe is the man without a position. Again, if he is of importance to your team, you sign him longterm. He is GUARANTEED to get paid more as a Twin next season no matter what you do. If you had cut him loose, you could resign him, possibly for less, if another team picking him up also cut him loose. Add in other roster cloggers like Joe Mauer, Byung-Ho Park, who both demand a playing space, and you see the mess the Twins have become (not to mention ALL those fringe bodies that we added this year that can be added ANY year). Kintzler is an interesting case. What kind of closer do you need on a team that has only 60 wins. That's a guy who is lucky to pitch every third day. Except we really don't have someone else right now. Tonkin is overworked and needs to shut down. Pressly should've been given the opportunity of Kintzler. I guess we could try Wimmers, bring in Boshers. Is Chargolis closer material? In any case, with an addition or three, situations should be carefully chosen for all relief pitchers based on conversation with them, the needs of the team in the future, and putting them into situations to see how they do. "Roster Cloggers." Like that! Means you have too much of the same!

Okay, now you are knocking Kepler and Rosario. Maybe time to move Kepler to first base and Rosario to his old position of second base. Jeez. Yes, defense is killing this team. If nothing else is a big adjustment in major league baseball, it is playing in a big stadium full of more screaming fans than you have every played in front of consistently with lights and outcrops and different turfs and people who do hit the ball hard consistently. And, again, that is what you have coaches working with infielders and coaches working with outfielders, going over plots, doing rills and the like. It is a full 8-hour day with 3-4 hours of work getting ready for each and every game. And Schafer is the answer because he knows how to catch the ball a couple more times than.....

At least not proposing trades that will never happen. Thank goodness. Because we are slowly seeing that not everyone eyes the Twins as being a topflight organization for trading their prospects to for a vet. Sad, but true. When you do start throwing out organizational names and scenarios, the Twins do have players. We just need to see what they can do, which should be the highlight of this December and a cause for the faithful to come to Target Field and cheer rather than just drink and party. The new front office powers will have to figure out the direction the team should go...even get the players that they want (case in point, is Buxton the top of the order ball-in-play, bunt and run guy, or will they let him swing away and become the home run hitter he might want to be...or you talk and say you can do both and your body and mind will change in the coming five years). A field staff and a system staff have to come together towards realistic common goals. Upper manageent ahs to be trusting and know that any money thrown out to players may not give you the return you expect. That is the way professional sports work.

Arrrrrrrgh! Can't we see what we got in Walker, in Palka, in Granite.....even would take a look at Michael and Harrison, who are on the bubble of being keepers or totally cutloose - although I guess we can keep them in the system for still one more year. But Logan Schafer!?! Go and watch a Saints game, Paul, if you want to see that! And maybe next year you will be able to be a season ticket holder!

A team will need to need a second baseman, yes. So you best bet is trading him midseason when he still has a year on his contract. Otherwise, he becomes a product someone can eventually buy after he plays out his time with the Twins. You might have to pull a Beane and NOT get perceived value for the guy. Remember, it is always about WILL YOU PAY THEM IN THE FUTURE or WHAT CAN YOU GET FOR THEM TODAY, because that other team is also asking WHAT CAN THEY PAY THIS GUY IN THE FUTURE. Any other team will view Dozier's current contract as a good solid one FOR TWO SEASONS. Beyond that, they judge if he is worth it or not, same as the Twins will/are (and the same issue that keeps Plouffe on the Twins team, in the lineup, and possibly in next year's plans).

I would rather see smoke given to Baxendale than the guys they are calling up and putting on the 40-man. At some point, the Twins have to forget about who they promote and when do they really have to add them to the roster. Which seems strange because the 40-man currently contains at least three (maybe Walker the fourth) who WON'T be on the Twins opening day roster next year and will probably need a full season of seasoning before getting a shot at the Twins, three of them not expected to even get halftime notice until 2018. Go figure!

Her, the Twins bumped Tanner English all the way up to Rochester for the last five games!

With the call-up of Buxton, the Twins now have 13 offensive players, that means 13 guys that are capable of putting the ball in play and getting a hit, NOT people you don't want to ever see again. As a matter of fact, tonight's lineup looks pretty much like the starting lineup will be in 2017 (minus the catcher, who will change) but I still don't like the order. Dozier leading off. Plouffe batting third. Polanco batting FIFTH! Of course, we were hoping Suxuki would be left-behind in Cleveland, but instead they called up journeyman minor league catcher Adam Moore who would give Drew Butera a battle for most years on a major league roster but fewest at bats and lowest batting average. He's cheaper than the million Suzuki would've cost, can probably catch behind the plate, and the Indians sure don't want to give the Twins any kind of PTBNL that could haunt them in years to come, I guess. The joy is Ervin Santana has 13 total victories as a Twins hurler and now will seek his 7th win this season, tying his mark from last season. Who knows, he might get to 10. If Ervin can get us thru seven innings, we can bring out Pressly and Kintzler and save the game, since both have been off for a couple of days and faced 13 batters between them in their last joint appearance. The real story will be how the Twin Cities roads and light rail handle the flurry of Thursday Night sporting activities that hit the town, amidst the Minnesota State Fair that has Billy Bob Thornton in the bandshell and Alabama in the grandstand. What will be the total amount of people on-the-town tonight! Myself, am sitting here hoping the Twins stop the streak, as my fantasy team only ahs their stats happening on this lite baseball activity day!

This is where the new President of Baseball Operations and his/her General Manager have to make a hard decision. What is the future lineup of the Twins. Like decisions that had.have to be made on Trevor Plouffe...is Brian Dozier in the long-range plans. Where will he be in 2019? Will he still be a Twin, then tear up his contract NOW and extend him. If he won't, then you have this winter and next summer to trade him. It's not about him becoming better and having career years elsewhere, It is what you feel you want or can pay for his talent. You look at Polanco. If he is the real thing, he can still play shortstop for much of a season if you delay your Dozier move. But come 2018, will Gordon be the shortstop and Polanco at second? But that also changes the look of the team. You are giving up some solid offense (and speed) for defense and speed and putting balls in play and moving runners around. Where on the Twins field do you find/put a similar 25-30 homerun guy. Of course, after 2018 you can put him at first base, which is where most teams like such a guy. But at that point you will have only one more year of Park or Vargas will start getting expensive and we really don't know if he is a choice or not. You could find comfort in putting Sano there. But that is still two years off, and then you have third base where you also want some punch. Even abck to the Gardy losing year, I have always shaken my head at the acak of a consistent lineup construction, of building a #1-9 lineup that compliments each other, plays consistently, and also having a bench that is more than a token catcher, a guy who can adequately field a bunch of positions, and a lame 4th outfielder. You have to look at Dozier as beyond 2018. If you keep him, you extend him, and then what to do with the depth you have at these positions. Like Ervin Santana, who also has an off-season and mid-season of trade value, you have to ask if him doing the same as he is doing this year is worth $13 million to a team that might still have growing spurts, or is it better to rid yourself of the expense (--NOTE: that is the toughie, just because you save money in 2017 doesn't mean the 55% Twins will ever overspend in anotehr season --) and get more players to try and fill holes. Right now, I look at the 2018 Twins as being Garver, Mauer, Polanco, Gordon, Sano, Kepler, Buxton, Rosario. Looks pretty good. I see Walker or Palka on the bench with perhaps Turrner. I'm not sure who the other bodies in the system will be for the bench. I sadly don't see a need for Park and Vargas at this point, although one of their bats would be nice, unless we get a slugger to play third and permanently move Sano. I kinda like that offense look, with perhaps Palka or Walker giving you that punch with the bat you lose from moving Dozier. In some ways, Mauer is the weak link going into 2017 where we have too many DH/!B/BENCH options, but maybe not. Yet he probably becomes a problem going out from 2018. But back to the point. Like Plouffe now. If we wanted to keep Plouffe, we sign him to a long-term contract. He is not worth third year arbitration and a free agent walk and the fact that we blew any opportunity to get something for him last mid-season and off-season, and he was injured during this deadline, is the killer (same could happen to Dozier). I like Plouffe. I would almost rather have him in the lineup next year and in 2018 than...Joe....and Joe IS still a great and quality player lost in the mess of the Minnesota Twins. But it is gambles that you take as a general manager. You sign guys, you move them when they have the most worth and who cares if they have a breakout season because you were never going to pay them more down the line. I mean, Torii Hunter. We could've kept Torii for $90 million but decided that he wasn't ultimately worth it at that time. We could've extended Johann Santana for $120 million and probably could've, but didn't feel it was keeping in the direction of the team. Even going back to Corey Koskie days (would he have concussed in Minnesota?). Or investing in Willigham instead of Cuddyer. All decisions that are hard, sometimes painful, but looked at with a longer-term plan. In the case of Cuddyer AND Willingham AND even Delmon Young, the Twins needed to trade these guys at their highest worth and didn't. That's on the front office. Feeling David Ortiz was not worth the arbitration salary he would demand and sticking with the cheaper and more versatile (sic) Matt LeCroy is on the front office. It's the direction gamble every baseball team takes. Players no longer work for a team anymore, it seems. They work for Major League Baseball, kinda like fantasy leagues where you can add or drop a player on a whim depending on your budget, money in your coffers and what is available. At some point, you can't afford to drop someone (heck, the Yankees have cut A-Rod and the Rangers Hamilton). Some guys you can't afford, but maybe you can trade for them for a moment. The best players do try to choose a winner that will also give them a payday. Many players are glad to get the multi-year secure salary that pays be they good or okay. Some are forced to overperform to scheme to get a bigger payday, and some just flat out go bad and struggle but still, because of the skill level and they still are better than most, get a decent payday way beyond their worth. Dozier and Santana are NOW veteran presences on the team. They are skilled players. they are both commanding more money that the majority of the roster combined. They both should be good in 2017. Still pulling their weight in 2018. Maybe even solid in 2019 and 2020. But can they be replaced by your system now or in the future? Can you get someone ALMOST as good for equal or less pay at a younger age that will POSSIBLY be as good or better? Do you jsut keep them around because Target Field NOW gives you the luxury of keeping your free agents, and having management that feels they don't HAVE to play if they aren't contributing? Exciting times in Twins land. All starts with whom they hire and who the whom hires and how the talent in the organization is ultimately evaluated and composed into a working team.

Hey, Santiago also pitched a good game, too. Like Rocky...lots of stinkers before. Let's see what happens on the NEXT outing!

With Beane, it is all about getting future pieces to replace soon to be expensive pieces. It's a gamble he takes and often does well. Knowing when you part with someone who may become a superstar to building your team for consistent play. Which is strange why he still stays in a marketplace with tighter purse strings. Would be curious to see if he would shine in a major major market, although his style (like Ryan's) may be passe now. He tries to put a competitive team on the field every year (which the Twins do) and although he pays lip service to winning, if it happens it is because of a factor of prospects hitting correctly at the same time, or someone obtained having the year of their life, and the team functioning as a whole. I do wonder about being a part of the A's clubhouse where it seems you might be traded on...a whim, so to speak. In some ways, the Twins were the closest to a Beane team. It seemed, on the whole, we were happy to be competitive and in the hunt. We can complain all we want about being bridesmaids and keep and kep bringing up we have two world championships to some teams not having any. We have a streak of winning seasons and playoff attempts. Some players shine and move on when they want to try and be superstars, others are content to play the game well (or the Twins Way). The killer is four of the last five seasons, now. Joe Mauer and the Twins brings abck memories of, say, Ernie Banks and the Cubs. And even that personality glimmer is fading. Our minor league teams do seem to be competitive against other minor league teams. Players do excel. But there is sometihng here not right. We have (had) a strong rotation...maybe no Jack Morris or Bert Blyleven, but guys who should know their stuff and give us innings. We have a decent offense, but do we have too much of something (strikeouts) and not enough of something else (moving runners, ball in play, walks). That's on the current field staff, not the minors. And that's on upper management for going after and getting players that don't give the field staff a way to truly play baseball. Just go back and cringe at how bad Guardado, Hawkins, Perkins and others were when they first came up. Look at Morneau at age 22, then again at age 24 where we wondered. Youth needs to play, to experience, be tweaked, and at some point ALL the guys come together for one brief magic season, and if you play your players right you might get a decent run, especially if you have lots of great drafts (looks at the Braves and their nice run after some bad seasons). Can anyone share the magic they saw from our field staff last season, what went right to put the team a tad above .500 play that isn't happening this year? I didn't expect the total falldown of this season after last season, but I didn't expect us to be at the total top (or I saw a division that was pretty equal, maybe ten games separating top from bottom). But what derailled from 2015 in 2016.

This is my favorite from the story on the Twins site: "Buxton, 22, gives the Twins another outfielder, as Robbie Grossman has been bothered by a sore oblique. He's expected to see time in center with Logan Schafer, who was called up on Monday." Let's make sure Schafer gets time in the outfield. Who knows, he might become the next....

And, on a final note, wouldn't it be nice to leave Suzuki behind in Cleveland for a player-to-be-named later so we can get Mr. Murphy going up here in Minnesota, especially since they did add a third catcher to the Red Wings roster! (Are we going to get a PTBN now from Tampa Bay, or just a gift card).

Granite may be tapped to play winter ball somewhere else. The AFL isn't the only place players go to play more.

Hey, Chattanooga Guy! Time to do a game recap with all those crazy observations about us posters who are now your new friends!