Rosterman

Good point. Yes, if anything, he seemed to be groomed for the future Twins job. In the scheme of things, how many people in the Twins organization have moved onto other General Manager or even front office jobs? Krivsky? Gebhard? Is that it? 50+ years!

Money-wise, two things spring to mind. In the scheme of things, WHY do you still want the same worthless players collecting a salary next year. Especially if there is a smidgen of an opportunity to move them and shed all or some salary, and still get a possible viable player option back in return. Even with waiver-August, if another team will absorb a contract, is it better to part company with said player for less than nothing, or to keep that salary (and possible position_ tied up next season. You should have a pretty good idea of what a player will do for your team (Nolasco, Santana, even Mauer) next season. Now you just decide if you want to pay for that, and if keeping said player will continue to make you a better team in the longrun. The problem with shredding payroll today, and not spending it next year too, is that monies seem not to carry over (like would the Twins go from, say, a $70 million payroll in 2017 to a $180 million payroll in 2019, because they saved money for two years or so.) Somehow, it doesn't work that way. And if us fans force the front office to spend by complaining about the lining-of-the-pockets of ownership, then we get what we deserve, i.e. $178 million spent on a rotation of Nolasco, Hughes, Pelfrey, Santana who are solid vets, but didn't really bring anything to the team except our sense that ownership was willing to spend money on free agents. Anthony IS auditioning for the job. But then someone has to take his place, too. A General Manager is not the guy who does everything anymore. It is a multiple person job. You have to have a strong overall presence and manage people well. You might also be reporting to a president of baseball operations. What are the different titles that Pohlad is seeing in this media guides: President of On-Field Operation, General Manager, Director of Player Personnel, Minor League Coordinator, Assistant General Manager in charge of contracts, Assistant General Manager of player development, Assistant General Manager in charge of assistant general managers. You look for someone who has a vision (that might agree with ownership) and can manage the different pieces to pull it all together. The actual field manager has gone from a coaching staff of four to upwards of 7 and 8, all doing certain duties that the manager pulls together into one big picture. Minor league staffs have increased from an average of three guys to numerous roving instructors, the people who oversee the entire coaching direction of the team in the minors, and even trainers and strength-and-conditioning coaches at the minor league levels. So many teams do have former players helping out (from Oliva making the rounds, to Carew working on bunts/base-running, to Hrbek showing how to lift a runner off the base, to Tom Kelly and even Gardy making the rounds of the teams and offering advice, via the fieldstaff, to players.) But back to money. What happens in the next days will tell us alot about the Twins. Are they afraid of eating salary? Do they hope to squeeze every dollar paid, and to be paid, out of their current players. What kind of return are they happy with if they do trade. Who advances and to where? Who gets a looksee in September. Who sits and who plays. So many of us will be sad if the Twins hold and the roster is still full of Nolasco, Santana, Plouffe, Suzuki next year. If payroll stays the same. If prospects are shoved aside by players making monies that management feels justified in putting on the field. Already, we go into 2017 knowing we will have Hughes and Perkins on payroll but not necessarily starting the season on the field. We have Joe Mauer not producing and blocking players who MIGHT put up equal numbers at a fraction of the cost. We have players like Suzuki having another career moment. We have solid players eating up salary and questionable if we can do better keeping them or letting them go elsewhere (Dozier, Plouffe). I'm not sure how much a new vision will be taken by management from an outside candidate, how long it would take them to bring in their own structure and work with the ownership to absorb all those longtime employees that can't find work elsewhere, and the whole question of the field staff...and then going forwards with x-amount of dollars ("55% of revenue is what you get to spend" - "Okay JP, then rest assured that people will only come to see what that revenue will buy for the field...you have to be flexible and take some hits and try some things.")T he Twins also need to work harder than ever in the community. They will be fighting the Vikings and their new stadium. They are being blown out of St. Paul by the Saints. They need to figure out a way to get better media presence instead of a game broadcast shoved between music for a new hip audience that is still on the rail about coming to Twins games. they have to keep the dwindling fan base happy. They have to think ways to get the television audience cutting their cable ties back into the fold. TC Bear is great for the kids and that guy works harder than anyone in the organization, but the organization has to work so hard to bring, what Dave St. Peter likes to focus on, the Twins Brand back to the forefront. Twins Brand. That is the real Total System Failure that shows it goes beyond Terry Ryan and all across the front office and the field staff and the minor league staff. The Brand has suffered bigtime. There is no trust in the future. There is the attempt to squeeze every penny possible out of current assets. There is the fear to gamble in a business that is a gamble, but ultimately increases in value no matter what happens, for some odd reason. Unfortunately, what we are seeing is a waiting and watching game that won't put people into the seats in greater numbers for the rest of the season and might make next season one of the worst ever for attendance at Target Field and also see a dip in on-field excitement if we going into total rebuild years after it should've been done in the first place.

Starting pitches must now throw a minimum of 150 pitches in a game before being relieved. A relief pitcher can no longer work more than one out of four games. Players must run faster. No batting gloves allowed on the field. Let's make it a two-strike strikeout and a three-ball walk.

Why do the Minnesota Twins players get all those hits during batting practice, but once the game starts, they seem to fall into an admiration society of watching the other teams cue off Twins pitching and mutter "I wish I could do that." Do they all want to be traded to other teams so they can face the Twins pitching staff? Plus I hear some commenting "another half billion and we could've had a canopy on Target Field."

The Twins need to add and look a Garver by at least this September. There is no reason to keep Centeno on the 40-man once the season ends. The question is spending on Ramos, who may be having a career year (and remember, this is catcher we are talking about...who says he can "catch" for 3-4 more seasons). The Nationals should be seeking trades themselves while exploring a cheaper backstop. If you can firm up the lineup, then you can decide if youc an live with a catcher capable of throwing out runners and calling pitches. Losing John H\icks was a paid and part of the system failure. I had thought that he should've come straight to the majors out of spring training with Murphy starting the year at Rochester. That we lost him in such an inane non-player move is a big bad mark against the front office. That, combined with the Arcia decision, shows system failure fer sure. Not that he would be a starter, but maybe between him and Murphy we wouldn't be having this discussion or this total system failure behind-the-plate worry. Of course, Drew Butera might be available. But I would give Garver a chance to show his stuff, play him in the AZFL and winter ball, and have him come to spring training to see if he can be at least a part-time starter. And I wouldn't give up on Turner yet, but move him to Rochester, too, and let him experience some of those AAAA pitchers and runners.

But where did we go wrong from there?

Mauer was THAT draft choice, St. Paul kid, great hitter. better football player, plus he was a catcher. Somehow, he became the hometown fave, the FACE of the franchise. When he came off a great season and it was time to sign that BIG contract (not that he hadn't already pocketed some dough), the powers-that-be cringed at what would happen if Joe would be allowed to walk. And they still cringe when they thought of him in a Red Sox or any other uniform. (Are we cringing that Morneau was a Pirate, a Rockie or...White Sox). If the Twins kept any player...it had to be JOE MAUER. But wait, have we ever had a face of the franchise? Okay, Harmon Killebrew, but Griffith allowed him to walk to Kansas City. Kirby Puckett. Yes. Others? Santana took his $120m needs elsewhere. Knoblauch demanded a trade. Hunter signed for $90m. Mike Cuddyer refused a hometown discount. Nathan grabbed the first free agent offer made to him. The Twins traded Zolio, Bert, Kaat, Pascual. Even Hrbek retired, albeit not gracefully. It's not like the Twins are the Yankees, the need to have someone, anyone follow someone or another and make mini-dynasties (Jeter) or not (Mattingly). Can the Twins live with Mauer out of the picture? Seems now they should, as he is an adequate first baseman (shades of Dougie M). But would anyone take on his contract? Is there a better park he could play in that might keep what was a Hall of Fame career as a catcher going? Unless, of course, baseball would treat a franchise player the same way as, say, football. Above and beyond the salary needs of the team, as what that player is paid is part salary and part branding. But to the Pohlads, it still comes out of the same purse. You can't build a mid-market (or small market) franchise around one player. You can't even build a franchise around a rotating group of players (i.e. Oakland). But we embraced Joe as a multi-million longterm player (eh, catcher) just as we did buy into the Pohlads opening their purse and Ryan able to spend money on free agent pitchers (albeit Nolasco, Pelfrey, Hughes, Santana, Schaffer) and thought it was better to spend than allow them to keep and spend on their own desires and needs.

Yes, you need a director of baseball operations. A Super GM and a solid secondary GM. You can still have all your assistants, scouting direction, player personenl, etc. etc. etc. But someone has to look at the overall on-field product, not just adding a bar in the centerfield area. You also have to have a plan. Go beyond "The Twins Way" popularized how far back by Tom Kelly and Co? you have to go beyond being competitive in your division, or actually do look at your division and the moves they make. Or you rebuild until you are ready to go head-to-head, and not just the division, but the whole of major league baseball as you do play teams in the other league now. You continue to craft a team that plays in your stadium and plays well together. Maybe the whole mistake can fall on the shoulders of one guy: Dare I say Joe Mauer? Hometown kid. Amazing hitter. Outstanding catcher. The Face of a Franchise. The guy who makes us remember fondly of Killebrew, Puckett. But how many faces do you have/need in a franchise? We have had many and they were all tradable...from Bert and Frankie to Aggie and Pascual. We have Gagne and Carew. Gary Gaetta, and the walking Hunter. Battey and Allison. All solid players. None a franchise king, but they did their turns with worthiness. Does it all boil down to us giving joltin' Joe that super contract, and not realizing that there would be concussion issues (probably not...no one cared about performance enhancing rugs for years). We allowed the franchise to be built around him, and his Kemp's ads and brother Billy's car dealership and the goodness of the Mauer family and the ties to Cretin-Derham Hall and St. Paul. Great stuff, great story. But it is something they can't get out from under, even when we sympathize with the eyesight but cringe at the singles, a year with more K's than walks, no more talk of the "super batting machine for teaching hitters." When he came up for contract, the powers-that-be cringed that they had to keep him at any price...something the Twins didn't do with Killebrew or Carew, passed on with Kaat and Blyleven, parted ways with Viola and Santana...all loved and adored and the face of the franchise for a moment, and then instantly "okay, a member of another team." My wife cringes that Justin Morneau is now a White Sox. It didn't phase her too much when he was a Pirate or a Rockie, for some reason. She misses him, but he wasn't contributing, was an albatross hat we all liked, but there really was no place in the inn for his glove and bat. We parted company. Did people stop coming to games because we traded Zoilo, we dumped Aggie on the Red Sox (but shrewdly got him back). Shane Mack and Jack Jones moved on. Hunter took $90m. Santana demanded $120m. Knoblauch was applauded for leaving. No one really cried when Hrbek hung up his spikes. Smalley and Gladden still stir nice thoughts, but left for longer careers. Like the notorious franchise of franchises, the Yankees. Do people care when the Mantle era ends, or the JoeD? Maybe in New York they do, and try hard to make those franchise players "gods" of sorts. Happily, Minnesota is not New York. We don't need a franchise god. We don't need to elevate someone above the pinnacle of baseball's finest. Heck, Griffith couldn't keep Killebrew as a a lifer with Harmon ending his career as a Royal. Maybe we don't need Joe around anymore. If the Twins suffer or eat a loss, then let Joe go somewhere, anywhere. Be content that he had many fine seasons in Minnesota and is a Hall-of-Fame catcher who might not get in the Hall of Fame because he couldn't go beyond the backstop in the end.

He is another player that the Twins were hoping to create more value around. Yet they throw him in the outfield, instead of making him an infielder, not that botching shortstop would increase his value. They should actually pass him thru waivers (which will happen in August) and see what interest there is in the guy. Rosario and Grossman (and even Kepler) can adequately handle centerfield if you need to sit Buxton. Eventually we need at bats for Walker and Palka, both who show more longterm promise. As a utility infielder, that can play short and outfield, you don't need him. Another pin the Molly doll. The total system failure was not just the GM, but the guy who does the lineup each game and calls the shots from the dugout (and somehow can't get Buxton to bunt, too).

Do you really EAT salaries. If so, we must look at the horrible salaries we have eaten in the past: 2016: Fien $2 mill, Jepsen $5, possibly Milone $4.5 2015: Stauffer $3, Pelfrey $5.5, Duensing $3,7 2014: Kubel $2, Pelfrey $5.5, Schaffer $1, Correia $5.5, Burton $3.2, Willingham $7 2013: Doumit $3, Carroll $3.7, Pelfrey $4 2012: Blackburn $4.7, Capps $4.2, Casila $1.3 Yes, nothing like the potential Nolasco $12, Hughes $9. Perkins $6.5, Santana $13, Suzuki $6 partial But somehow Terry did manage to blow at least $10-12 million every year (lots of lame major league minimums that never paid off, and those that did...well...nothing like minor league free agents...but that means you have roster holes to fill. And we sadly know that the salaries won't come off this year if you eat next year. Like Molly will be on payroll for 2017 (so why not play him rather than let him tour the U.S. like Gardy did on the Pohlad dime). Your hope is to get out of THESE committments in a way that also gives you a bit of return. Get rid of $6 mill of Nolasco next year, you have $6 to spend on someone else, if you wish. The flipside is you have the guy playing in the minors (shades of Nick Blackburn) or pitching (and losing) in the majors and driving down your seat sell-thru. You always seem to eat salary. The Yankees were successful because they could eat free agent contracts, or afford to have a Nathan or a Perkins or a Hughes on the disabled list ALL season and not affect their spending or their needs. Next thing you know, the Twins front office will be worrying about all those unsold hot dogs on those September nites when attendance is announced as 17,000 but there are really only 8,000 fans in the stands. You can't always squeeze every dime out of a player. Sometimes you just admit the player and team didn't fit and move on. Figure out why and not do it intentionally again. Or spend money for the sake of spending money on paper to quiet the fan base, but not really having a plan and how all the pieces will fit together. You always take a chance. How much are you overpaying, say, Joe Mauer this and last year, and possibly the next two years and IS his playing time and place hurting the team. Like Toshi, do you admit a mistake and get out of it. What was the reasoning for bidding on Park...to say that you did, and you got bit in the pants when no one else did for some obvious reasons? you walk in the season with x-amount to spend, you spend it and hope you get a return. You will always get a return as major league sports franchises have a tendency to always increase in value, even if you lose (and get a nice write-off against other profits). But sometimes in life you do sell at cost, or even a loss, to rid yourself of time-consuming inventory, or to re-generate some funds to purchase different property.

As the 40-man spots become available (and we have two empties right now) I see no reason for adding in anyuone who would be considered for the 40-man roster early. I would rather see these guys get the call,rather than continue to have guys like Burnett or Ramirez take up space. It is a good time to get an advance look at possible placeholders and potential starters. It should be used as such. Sadly, buys like Kintzler, Grossman, Boshers, Ramirez and the ilk can be refound again (did we keep Boyer a second season). Grossman is intriguing, but do you keep him and not Rosario or Santana, for example, and as we see, wqe have Palka and Walker in the wings. Heck, maybe we should tradeoff anotehr centerfielder early (Buxton). I would love to see Hildenberger come up in September, as wellas Reed or Jones. I doubt Burdi is ready. But Bard may be in need for a decision. Wimmers has shown that he should get a shot...a dozen innings. Again, anyone added to the 40-man during the season can be dropped anytime during the off-season. If they are added in December, you need to keep them on the 40-man thru spring training. And, anyone removed from the 40-man must also go thru waivers. I imagine teams are salivating looking at the Twins rosters for Rule 5 draftee possibilities, or minor league Rule 5 draftees. If the front office is doing anything else of importance, they should be recognizing those prospects that are expendable and packaging them with the salary they team wishes to shed to get back some possible prospects that add depth to their system (catching, always pitching, power, speed) that don't need protection for at least another season or even two.

We will find out if the Twins do have a plan. Maybe they aren't doing a total retool, ala Atlanta Braves. But the number of possible prospects is mind-boggling. What has to be decided is the direction the franchise wishes to take. Looking at the players the Twins overpaid, they are probably seeing that no one is knocking down the door to get players from them. Why trade when the Twins might release. Why get someone expensive when someone equally as good is available at a lower price. Why get someone that is being pushed aside by a Twins prospect. Every single season a team makes a signing mistake. A player gets injured and their career downslides. You are forced to cover a bad contract. The Twins have been hit hard...Ryan getting the blame for spending Pohlad's money in free agency (as we all wanted him to do rather than let them keep it) on a half-dozen failed starters. On the flipside, he didn't keep "our" free agents, with the money Target Field was sending our way...which to me reads that a player shouldn't expect a home town discount anymore. We lost Nathan, Cuddyer, whatever. I do admire when Ryan picks up those minor league free agents. Problem is, the AAA (and AA) roster is full of more of these guys than necessary, and if you find space for them in the majors, then you have something wrong when the worst of another team's players can find space on your roster. Sure, a percentage will shine...because they like playing in the majors and want to play in the majors. But that doesn't necessarily create a winning team. Right now, we will cry if the Twins trade away the contracts. But we will be getting salary relief. And 2015 was a box-office success for the Twins, this year we have yet to see what the doldrums of August and definitely September will do to the Twins coffers. But any money saved...what happens to it. Will they overspend down the road, still harp at that magic 55% nuber (although you can be assured that they won't be at 55% the next couple of seasons). We hear words from Pohlad that he never prevented Ryan from signing a player, but why did Ryan feel handcuffed to make his money go further with many middle-line players. The team may be a glorious grab for a general manager who wants to do something. but will he get carte blanc with the prospects, no payroll constraints. Does he really have to keep the same field staff next season. Will management look and listen when a guy talks about building towards 2018 and 2019...who is that "remain competitive within the division" mindset still there for 2017 and just as long as butts show up for the seats, the powers-that-be remain happy. And, sad to say, the Twins have to address the Joe Mauer issue. Is he still the face of the franchise? Is he blocking us from playing equally as good players (and cheaper) at first or DH. Is this the field playing salary cog that the Twins have to live with for a couple more years, and then make a decision again to keep him around for another 4-5 years in case he does remain a Hall of Famer or All-Star. Who will be the next great players on the Minnesota Twins? Can they afford to keep them? Will they continue to look towards solid team players who play "The Twins Way" (hummm...Tom Kelly in the GM decisionmaking process). Or will they gamble, take REAL chances. The flurry of past signing endeavors add up to quite a few failures that could've ben one Big success, if played correctly. Two weeks. We find out if the Twins overvalue their players or not. The month of August, we see if anyone cares to pick up salaries, or if the Twins eat a lot of crow.

The reality of baseball is that there is changeover. Yes, there are only so many jobs, but if you are a solid baseball person, you will find another job. To work your entire career in one organization is a blessing (and a curse). The Twins have long kept guys around a lot longer than the new world of baseball. Partly because they have really only had two owners in their half-century. And they also thought they were developing front office talent. Yet MacPhail came from outside. And they did allow a couple of guys to walk away from heir own system: Krvinsky and Gebhard are two.

I can only imagine the circling of the wagons in the front office and figuring out what to do for the rest of the season. Do they trade or keep? How do they market the team if it is a team of prospects? How do they fight the media overkill the Vikings and US Bank Stadium will grab in the city and the media. IF THE TEAM continues to play as it has, the September seats will be pretty darn bare with lots of unsold hotdogs and beers. And forget not having a jersey that anyone cares about...at the moment. They have to seriously question who ahs the right idea about where the franchise is going in the front office and hope the new general manager will be able to work with some of them. They have to put faith and trust into the farm system and reevaluate the talent from the GCL to the few prospects on the AAA roster. They need to find a field staff that will work towards the future, which means deep-six ALL the current field staff. They need to get the young guys out in the community as much as possible, be it to hospitals, public events, their own stores for their own fans. And they have to have the players show a love of playing the game at Target Field in Minneapolis. If players don't want to be here, why would the fans want to be here. And if, in the next two weeks, we get rid of most of the vet presence, I would like to see the field staff changed and some of the minor league staff promoted, at least to keep working magic with the youngsters, if we consider their magic working in the minors. And, at last, I would consider any August waiver claim of a player or a big contract. If someone wants Mauer, maybe it is time to cut the ties that bind. Then figure out WHO you want to spend money on the next two years and go after them bigtime with an eye on the prize in 2018 (at the earliest) or 2019 as a given. Blow the other teams out of the marketplace. Spend that money Pohlad says Terry wouldn't ask him about. Or it is going to be a very tough season ticket sell in 2017. The New Twins, we will need to get to know them, see them play, feel their hopes and dreams, go along for the ride.

With the start out of the gate after the All-Star break, the Twins not going anywhere - you fire the manager, hitting coach and pitching coach. Sorry, you do. You make Gene Glynn at least interim manager as he has some experience with the "prospects." You bring up a couple of minor league coaches for the moment (Rassmussen, again, maybe Chad Allen temporary) and shuffle Singleton or someone into the vacant minor league spots. But with the rotation, bullpen, rotating lineups, misuse of players, not recognizing injuries...no one is safe for sure next season. Unless the Twins would play much better than .500 ball the rest of the season, you DON'T keep the field staff.

It's a tough call. You would think that if Escobar pushed himself really hard, he could put up almost similar numbers (i.e. home runs and stolen bases) as Nunez. This is a career year for Nunez, he knows it, he isn't letting up, and I wonder if he is secretly hoping for a trade (to be on a winner) and looking for a nice paycheck or multi-year contract. At best, for the Twins, he COULD be the regular shortstop again next season (with Escobar or Santana or Polanco as the backup - which means we should be looking at Escobar as tradebait then). The plus is that he does show some punch. He could also play third base in a pinch if Sano would go down for any length of time (compared to, say, Escobar). That is assuming that something also happens to Plouffe. But beyond 2017, is there a place for him with the Twins (too expensive). So, the good side says trade when his value is the highest. Yet what is his value. Like our own Paul Molitor, does any team consider him a starter or just a glorified utility guy. Would you trade for Nunez over, say, Valencia or Plouffe or even Escobar is the scheme of things. If I was looking for a shortstop with potential (Seattle) I would look at Escobar as someone to keep around for a few years and could be considered more of a starter than a utility guy. Trading either means we can get a look at Polanco, and then worry about the logjam in the outfield - Grossman, Rosario, Buxton, Santana, Kepler and maybe a callup of Walker. Whew! We might have another centerfielder to trade!

You have to listen closely to everyone and counter as fast as possible. The stock of Twins players in is flux. You want value, but you also want to dump salary (although doubtful that any savings will carry over to higher futures. A guy could be worth even less next season. And you roadblocked a future prospect or two. You listen. You deal. You go forth. Any decision you make now reflects on the Twins in 2018 and beyond. Next year will happen. You can adjust your needs if you see fit in the free agent or minor free agent market. But by freeing up monies, you can reinvest in someone that MIGHT work as well, if not better, than what you currently overpaid for now. Sadly, we still have Perkins and Hughes on the books for next season. Of course, if anyone would claim these guys (or even Mauer) in August...I would be so tempted to let them walk and then deal with it going forth...get them back if they don't find a future home and you see promise heading into their waning years. But job number one: CHANGE IN THE FRONT OFFICE then change on the field staff and change in the minor league system. The Twins Way is NOT the way!

He is a free agent at year's end. You trade him and get something in return. If you truly want him back, you go after him in the offseason. But I would feel better if we got some return on the past investment than just seeing him walk. Face it, we aren't getting any better this year. We need more player options in the way of prospects. If we just let him walk...we have zip.

Santana. He is probably worth the most right now, today, for any team looking for pitching...and his consistency will work in his favor for another team absorbing his contract. If you decided to hang on for some team to overpay, they will (1) go elsewhere (2) don't call. In the Twins favor, it gives them payroll relief (not that unspent payroll carries from season to season). His value might not necessarily increase as you pitch for a losing team. Yes, there are few off-season free agents, which makes him even more attractable to a team that will score 4+ runs in a game adding him to the rotation if they are prepping to lose someone themselves. That we replace him in the rotation with, say, Berrios. Well, who is to say that Berrios WON'T knock off 4-5 quality starts before season's end that will make him that much more valuable as we enter next season. Milone passed thru waivers. The Twins can dangle him out there again and hope someone bites and grabs his contract and will give us a lowend prospect in return. Otherwise, look to August where any player claimed on waivers can be given to the team as salary relief. Be it Milone or Nolasco or Plouffe...the Twins should do this and move forward. Don't wait for some off-season miracle. I would also dangle Escobar and keep Nunez at this point. I would go with Sano at third and , if need be, have Nunez as the regular shortstop or backup at third. What we do with Danny Santana (infioeld or outfield) is what we keep for the rest of the year, plus advance up Polanco. We bring up Wheeler as a starter and see if he can give us better-than-Milone numbers. Who knows, he might be a sleeper. I would also strongly consider making the fifth spot (in place of Nolasco departing) as a rotating spot to have an early look at Stewart, Gonsalves, a look at Baxendale and any other starting pitcher you expect to add to the 40-man roster this offseason and who has a good chance of contributing to the team at some point in 2017. It doesn't look like May will be stretched. We can always consider Dean the guy in reserve. We can hope Meyer gets some starts and also some major league starts come September. I would seriously consider, given the Twins placement in the standings come September 1, to go with a six-man rotation and give GREAT looks to future starters as well as bring up ANY relief pitcher you have room for on the 40-man who will also be added to the 40-man (Zack Jones, for one). I honestly don't think keeping Nolasco and Santana dn their salaries into 2017 will make the Twins a better or more competitive team. I would go for the salary relief (although, again, the savings won't carry over, sadly) and see what we have in youth. If you can make a mental note in your books and pay out above your quota for $$$ in 2018...I would take those Nolasco and Santana savings and get a top-flight starter. And then, throw into the mix, the NEED for a new front office and field staff. That is job #1 at this point, too. Get someone who will rebuild with what we have in prospects and go forth from there.

Drafting is always a tough call. Sometimes, now, a player does become available that you weren't expecting. The old days, you always had to worry about signability and how much you wanted to spend (two areas the Twins seldom pushed...they looked for comfort, or so it was reported). That all changed now when draft picks are pretty much guaranteed certain salary levels. What is also changing now is the ability of teams to market draft picks earlier in trades, and - quite frankly - any team should be able to judge the tradability or keeping of a prospect by their third year in baseball, be it a depth need for their team, or they have a good idea of how that player will develop going forward to High-A and above Here is a list of all the Twins first round picks. http://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/?query_type=franch_round&team_ID=MIN&draft_round=1&draft_type=junreg& Whew! That nice 10-year stretch where the Twins drafted Ard and Belcher and Ritchie and Baumgarner and Banks and Barcelo. And later there were lower draftees like Adam Johnson and J.D. Durbin. But something always seems to be missing. You groom players (you don't win minor league championships). You teach them - in advance - to work on things they need to work on as they grow thru the system and keep facing higher levels of talent. You don't fill minor league rosters with 26th and 41st players, keeping your own players further down on the farm working and facing the same old same old. You do draft the best possible. And if you have an opportunity later, you do trades, which I applaud, from your strengths like all those outfielders you have drafted (span, Revere, Hicks) for other areas that you need improvement. But then ask "why" the guys don't develop the same way they were developing in the other team's system, and why have the players you traded not fallen apart. Do the Twins know their players? Are those minor league names we see as the top 30/40 prospects really getting the training they deserve to call themselves prospects and make the major leagues, either with the Twins or with another team in which the Twins used them as trade fodder to fulfill a greater need? Does it go back to the Todd Walker days where the Twins DON'T WANT guys with enormous talent to succeed, instead feeling great when a Denny Hocking makes the grade. Yet they did allow Mike Cuddyer to develop. We can say they had all the patience needed to get Trevor Plouffe to the majors. Us armchair general managers probably NEVER know what we talk about, or realize that everything about the gae of baseball is based on human instinct with a few more elaborate stat measurements thrown in and when you look at 150 players every season and try to figure out what needs to be done to make sure each and everyone of them plays and reaches their potential...well, it might just be mind-boggling when you discuss a sport that does showcase individual endeavors but does rely a lot of overall team chemistry and play. e

I would rather see the Twins gamble on Chargolis, Reed and Melotakis as the season progresses than, say, Burnett, Boshers and the continued Kintzler (plus Abad). I would rather go and trade the vet minor league guys and see what we drafted and their potential. I mean, the Twins really can't climb that high this season, can they? And if we continue to drag, let's do it with the future, not the scrap heap. If the future isn;t there, than we do have a true system failure starting with the scouting department, the draft, and the training these guys get in the minors.

Yes, and you hope those 2-3 seasons of riding the 40-man and doing some up-and-down, or coming off the bench before going into the field fulltime, come to a cap by age 27 and you still have a few years of control or make the plunge and able to sign them to another contract thru their first free agency year. Not everyone steps to the plate or mound and blows people away at age 21-22-23.

Come back and see the game. You shouldn't have any trouble getting a good seat this season for a decent price. And you gotta love the trash the Twins throw on the scoreboard/television between innings. Everybody clap your hands. Yes, the Stadium is a wonderful environment to watch a professional baseball game. But also recommend the Saint Stadium (which is usually sold out) if you desire better and cheaper food, the same outdoors, and a quality game on the field against more evenly matched teams.

Okay. Let's put some more thought into fixing the product on the field. That is ultimately which gets the nacho eaters and beer drinkers to the stadium, and keeps them there for the long haul! That and especially players kids will identify with to play the game. You gotta get the guys out into the community, FO, and not just on phones.

Yeah, I would've stretched him out, at least with the thought for long relief (going 3-4 innings). And kept him at Rochester thru the All-Star break...leaving Boshers in the majors. I'm not sure what the organizational discussion is, though. If he is to remain in the bullpen, make him the closer...but can he pitch 3 or so straight days. Or does he need timeoff between innings (which puts him in long relief or situationals). Or you make him a starter. He got pushed to the bullpen last season because of too many guys in the mix (notably Pelfrey and then Milone). Somehow, same this season -- with too much stock put into playing the contracts and pushing May behind Berrios and Duffy in the scheme of things. Not to mention Milone. So they kept him in the pen. I'm not seeing any plan forming, from line-up construction, to going after a perfect bullpen (long, short, ground balls, flyouts, K's), to eliminating the logjams at shortstop and DH/1B, and not realizing that you ALWAYS play your best players, You don't play players JUST BECAUSE they are making a ton of money that you mistakenly gave them.