Rosterman

Just these guys alone will be hard to protect over the next two off seasons, so some decisions have to be made truly about where they fall on the Twins depth charts. C = Murphy might be a real deal and the Twins can hold fort with Garver and Turner until someone they drafted this year comes along. Again, though, they should look strong at free agents come 2018. But until then, an area of weakness and we will have a one-year minor league signee next season as back up. 1B = We have Park and Mauer. We also have Vargas, who is tradebait. At one point thought Kepler could be the 1B guy of the future, if you decide NOT to move Sano there. 2B = Polanco has to make a move and possibly push aside Dozier. Again, as we look at vets on the current roster...do we want those guys here in 2017 or 2018 and beyond? If so, extend them, if not...trade them. SS = Ryan Walker is showing some life. But the Twins have too many bodies here. Gordon will be around for the longterm and Javier is considered hot, plus some youngster they signed this year. There is some strength to package as we go beyond Escobar, Nunez and Beresford (and Tovar). 3B = Cabbage or Blankenhorn. But we do have Sano and hope to get 2-3-4 years out of him at that corner. OF = Rosario, Santana, Grossman is now part of the game, Buxton, Walker, Michael, Palka. We probably have some strength, here. And if he Twins go after any position player as a free agent, it should be a solid outfielder with 2-3 years of control, probably before the 2018 season. Depending on who is who, do we go after power or speed, r just someone who is versatile. SP - If and when the Twins do become competitive, it would be ncie if they broke the bank on the best starter available and surround them with the prospects mentioned above. RP = Who are the Twins grooming in the system to be a closer is the question. Do they convert a starter? Will Burdi or Reed or Chargois come thru? Just don't do what theya re doing this year. We need long men. We need ground ball guys. We need a fly ball guy. We need K's. But msot of all, we need a starting staff that can get into the 7th inning. When you look at the Big Picture of most major league teams, you maybe bring up 8-12 guys a year and maybe 3-4 stick around fulltime. You add 6-8 players each year to the 40-man. Next three years = 24 new names. Who will they be in 2017, 2018, 2019? Of course, turnover could be major, but remember we are talking about prospects here, not journeymen who others have given up on who rehabs from indy ball.

Drinking game time. Everytime the Twins make a pitching change you get to chug a mug!

The joys of your first game of baseball. Shows you quickly the difference between a competing team with a major league lineup and the guys you face in AA ball (and briefly in AAA).

Considering the number of pitchers the Twins have drafted in the past 4 or so years, maybe the well will have lots of gold coins laying at the bottom. Of course, some of those were relief pitchers. And when you draft pitchers, it is because they have a couple of good pitches and maybe, maybe you see a third in development and with the right coaching, get a fourth, while maintaining their poise and velocity. I also see a lot of position changing and not just sticking with it from the Twins. Rosario was a second baseman but became an outfielder. Danny Santana was groomed as an infielder and thrown into the outfield. Sano was a third baseman and told to change positions. You want guys to be more versatile? Goes waaaaay back when they couldn't make a decision on where to play Cuddyer...second, third? Yes, make guys play a multiple of positions. Groom Plouffe to be your shortstop of the future and then suddenly discover he can't play shortstop? Go figure. Isn't that what the minors are for...to develop and reinforce playing ways and needs? If guys are striking out too much, then it is a system problem. You work with hitters from their first day to recognize the strike zone, learn to take pitches. You also work with guys like Buxton early on to develop those skills necessary for his other skills (bunting for speed, for example). You don't allow players to fallback on old ways, i.e. Dozier. That is the job of coaches, and you have more coaches than ever starting in the minors. Roving instructors give guidance. You have people sit your program. You have multiple coaches now in the majors. Looking at the Twins Report Card, you have to figure out their grades in a multitude of areas. I'll let you make up your minds what the grade is. Drafting: Player Development: Pitching Development: Free Agency (Keeping Your Own Intact): Free Agency (Playing the Marketplace): Recognizing ALL needs and finding Adequate Players: Establishing a Comptitive Skill Set: Front Office Management: On-Field Management: Organization Management: When you fill in the Grades, and think backwards, not much improvement. Oh, wait, they do get an "A" in Selling of Target Field, as well as Taking Minnesota For A Ride!

At some point, the guys doing nothing for the Twins right now have to think about future career opportunities pitching in baseball or retirement. If they choose retirement (shades of Kevin Correia), then the Twins really got taken in the contract offers. Jeez. The dollars and nonsense of baseball. You get paid Great if you are good and Good if you are bad...and sometimes it stretches out longer than anyone should imagine. Show up, try to get thru the battling order once, twice, okay...stuff not quite there today, cash the paycheck and see what happens next outing. Kinda sounds like politics!?!

You have to think that the Twins will be comfortable sticking with Santana and a revitalized Hughes into next season. Both, if the team falters and they pitch end-of-the-rotation decent, would be tradable. Kyle Gibson needs to increase his value, eitehr to sign an extension with the Twins (is THAT worthwhile, buying into one of his free agency years) or the Twins need to market him, if he helps to market himself. Duffey is not longterm, sadly. At best, he could be long relief (isn't that what Pressly is). Same with Dean, battling Taylor Rogers for a spot in 2017. I imagine Rogers will win out as he is actually being groomed. Best Bet: Send May on a rehab assignment after his DL stint and let him work up to being a starter again at Rochester and hope that you do move Nolasco and give up on Dean/Duffy by July end. No matter what May does, let him start. And hopefully Meyer will not lose another season to a dead arm. Milone in showing some value for a shortterm rental. Maybe package him to the Red Sox for a prospect. Let them see if they can get $2 million of worth out of him. Berrios is the real thing. Wheeler is doing well and should get a shot. Baxendale and Stewart could get added to the 40-man and be viable candidates for a rebuilding team. Gonsalves is in the wings. It doesn't look that bad, really. But the guys will need some good coaching, some ups and downs, and not be blocked by pitchers that are performing like rookies but getting paid as veteran superstars. If push comes to shove, EAT SALARY. You might be able to fast-trac Jorge and Jay. Sure, we have ALbers and Darnell, neither worthy of a 40-man spot and probably both gone after the season as minor free agents. Looks like Wimmers will not be a starter fer sure. We have Slegers, Eades, Hurlbut, Steele, Rosario in the wings as decision guys to keep or move. 2017? Berrios, Meyer, May, Gibson, Santana with Steward, Gonsalves, Wheeler, Jorge, Baxendale in the wings. If Hughes is a keeper, okay, more depth. If Gibson is tradable, go for it. Don't see him as a member of the rotation (my humble opinion) come 2019 at least and not sure if he can increase his value by keeping him around - of course depending on what he actually does end up doing this season. People, we are rebuilding, There is little or no need to spend money on free agents, yet. At some point, you may trade an over abundance of prospects for some quality free agent strength, temporary eat a contract or keep going with indy league comebackers (how did they get to the indy league, Terry yan -- no one gave them a job out of all the major league teams!).

Teams had a chance to grab Milone, stash him in the minors themselves. Can he come back? Of course. Might he become valuable? No more so than anyone else on the roster. He would be a free agent at season's end. Will be curious to see where Milone ends up next season.

Well, we still have the deadwood of Jepsen in our rebuilt bullpen. Wonder what will happen to him. And Pressly is the only guy available for options. Let's see Gibson shine. Dean get back to an adequate swing. And Duffey curveball batters to death. I would love to see May go on a rehab to the minors and be put back into a rotation tryout, even if it means an extended stay.Of course, who knows how long he will be on the DL. Can only hope that Hughes gets a comfortable DL rest in what is proving to be a lost season (shades of Nolasco). The Twins will need to make some 40-man changes, again, soon!

If you don't like baseball, why are you invested in the sport. Well, Carl Pohlad say money in purchasing the franchise for what he paid for it waaaaaay back. He used it to borrow against and reinvest in other products, and almost enjoyed a modest windfall if major league baseball had pulled the franchise out from under him. A sports franchise, currently, continues to go up in value, what with television, promotion and marketing, advertising and any number of other things. But the radio station alone shows the interest the family has in baseball. They have a radio station that appeals to mainly folks who probably don't listen religiously to baseball (yes, they would like that audience to do so, but what is the audience on their limited waveband). They have sacrificed Twins Talk to a loss in the major metro marketplace (remember how much time CCO and KSTP gave the sport when they ahd the team...compared to now, where baseball talk is just an after thought, it seems). It is a bottom line. Right now, the team is still drawing decently, and maybe they budgeted for a 20,000-a-game average and everything will work out (but do they think what happens if 10,000 of those stay home and don't buy beer, brats and merchandise). They create a false advertising base. They just hope that a fluke might happen again, like last season, where the team performed better (at least in the division) then anyone thought. But the franchise continues to pay for itself, probably increases in value. In the short-term, they have almost paid off their own investment in Target Field, and just have to figure out how the clause works that a split of sale profits have to be split with the state, or something along that line. And we can only hope that someone locally will see an interest in the team and purchase it and enjoy going to the games and keepa hand in operations and go forwards...although like the players they have "for sale" I doubt that the Pohlad's would take a bargain basement price for the team. There are team's in the realm of baseball that are being run by owners with a lot less capital than the Pohlad Family, which actually do operate on a tighter budget, and have been losing teams for years and years, but with the right folks in charge of the product have become winners (Pittsburgh, Kansas City), future promise (Baltimore, Houston), and continue to have ups-and-downs unrecognized by their limited fan base (Oakland). But look to the innocence of a kid to get the real answer to what is the problem with this franchise!

He can still be that inexpensive veteran presence for another season, if you desire. But what is he actually worth? What the Twins don't need are players that need to be added to a 40-man option, or players that are out-of-options, or players that are on the cusp of being a minor league free agent. They can still find some quality people because every team has that 3rd or 4th prospect at every position that more than likely will not make the big leagues and will probably be advanced over by some new draftee. Or you go after solid mid-level guys a team drafted a year or two before. When evaluating EACH AND EVERY player on the Twins roster, you have to ask what they will contribute (or block) in 2017. Where do they fit into the team in 2018. Are they worth keeping into 2019. How would that player's value change between now and then. Is Nunez a placeholder? Will he continue to be a bench bat in 2018 or 2019...if so, tie him up with a contract now. But is he worth it in that long haul. Come 2018, 0r 2019, and even beyond...the Twins will be arbitration heavy, but still have massive amounts of money to spend on free agents (hopefully a top flight one) or even similar players like Nunez...same age as Nunez is now, blocked at the major league level or didn't quite make-the-grade a team hoped would happen. The Twins will also have a system full of unusable prospects, since you can only field 25 and protect 40 guys...if you draft correctly, then your numbers start backing up and YOU have to make hard decisions about how badly you want to keep Vielma, Walekr, Gordon, Javier and whomever else you have that can be a shortstop. And it is that fine line. Move for the sake of moving...not just holding out for something better. Sadly, the Twins aren't exactly in a prime seat to demand the best return...because even the best the Twins have to offer can be found once, twice, maybe three times around the leagues = look at the Mets and their picks for first base and third base. It is all an elaborate game with people pieces. You paid x-amount for a draft pick. How long is the leash? You trade a quality centerfield guy for a pitching prospect...how long is the leash. You overpay for a mid-level free agent. Can you write-it off and move on. You have a first baseman or catcher being pushed by a prospect that is unproven, when do you make the change. At some point, a player usually declines after a great moment. Or they walk, Or they truly become more expensive and you receive nothing in exchange (Nathan, Cuddyer, Kubel). Too often the Twins have made mistakes (WIllingham, Young recent examples) or holding onto what they considered a bargain a bit too long and received...nothing of value (always felt Oliveros would be a hard-throwing setup guy, but....) Right now, it would be tragic to trade away your gems (Abad, Grossman, Nunez). But the reality is, how much worse can the team be than they are right now. And if you give the youth the opportunity to play (and still fail), would it be much worse than filling the field with names that will never amount to much in Twins history?

Nowadays, for rookies, you can still command an off-season program, having them play winter ball or not. But with the wonderful facilities in FLorida and the ability for players to come early and workout, let alone workout on their own during the season, everyone SHOULD be in prime shape these days. It's not like they need an off-season job. We all complained about the Twins not going after free-agents and having loads of money to spend, then we complain when they do it. Albeit they got mid-level starters, overpaid for them. But it was the best they could do...if they wanted to spend money. They could've gone worse (and probably less years). But no one was standing in line outside Target Field or waiting for Ryan to call unless he would blow them out-of-the-market with an offer. And often, those offers meants a year more than they would've gotten elsewhere. Something isn't right in the system. They aren't drafting right, they aren't preparing the players (maybe the constant logjam of AAAA guys at both the top levels...let the young guys...the future of your team...play). I guess you can say that you want your minor league teams to be competitive to keep them happy, but they are places to develop players. That is the given. If the players are drafted and coached and seasoned, they should shine. From Waldrop and Rainville to Michael and Harrison...the Twins have had their fair share of spending a lot of bucks and not seeing much in the way of results. They signed a Ben Revere first round. They signed pitcher/outfielder Hicks. Hey, maybe it all started when they passed on the pitcher and signed Mauer...good local public relations, but at what cost. Of course, the pitcher than didn't want to sign with Minnesota didn't too well. But now you could flip them easily after a season. Something is broken. Yet fans keep coming, the dogs and beer are sold, we make shirts for guys that don't really deserve them ever and send the guy to the minors. i could understand if this is an indy team where the fun is going to the game (with prices accordingly paid). But these are pros. 25 of the 600 TOP guys in the sport, who beat out the 3500 who still have dreams, who have gone beyond the 50,000 that play their hearts out in college and high school to get a small check and some diamond-time in an instructional league, and maybe another year of minor league ball. Yes, every game someone must make 24-37 outs. Every year, some team has more losses than wins (and vice versa). Two teams...one loses, one wins. I was almost heartfelt at the beginning when the Twins had dynamite pitching and the team was coming up short one...tiny...run...so...often. We wuz robbed. In a division that looked totally equal coming out of spring training, the Twins tanked. There is always hope that the future will bring more wins. Maybe at the expense of more losses. But we are getting more loses with same-old-same-old and also with the plugs and the 26th and 41st guys from various organizations. So, wait until the draft to make changes. Maybe hold on until All-Star break. We can still jettison players for something thru the end of July...if better and cheaper product isn't available elsewhere. But at some point, the field staff higher ups and sent packing, contracts are released, a general manager resigns, and we hope there is someone, anyone out there who will find the Twins a challenge and will be given the financial means and power to remake a team that still has promise in the pipeline. But keep miking those fans at the concession booth. Maybe get paid toilets! No free parking. Watch the between innings stuff go stale and you can't find enough people to do the mascot run.

Greenwood moved up to Rochester for some reason, considering someone may be coming down from the Twins.

Besides Ortiz, the only other name we wish we kept was Ramos. But Garza, Liriano, Dickey, Manship, Hendriks, Pelfrey, Achter, Boyer, Breslow, A.J., Revere, Hardy, Colabello, Butera, Morales, Gomez, Fuld, Valencia...peobably can live without msot of them. Would Solarte be battling Sano for 3B (or meant for us not to get Park)? Moylan has been around too much. Pearce was an interesting signing for AAA that developed good...better him than Doumit at one time, I would've thought. Of course Lohse and Nathan are battling back. Beimel is out there. Morneau! Anyone want a go with Morneau!

Anyone know where May has been Five days and no pitching. Maybe he will get a chance tonight being last man standing...unless the Twins choose Phil Hughes to close out this game. Jepsen. One out one hit. Need we keep him? Does he have any any value?

If we think things are bad in Minnesota, what is happening in New York City. First off, Aaron Hicks is playing his usual way in the outfield for the Yankees. Now the Yankees added Chris Parmelee to the roster when their first baseman went down. Chris Parmelee. Of course, we don't have a spot for Chris at first or in our outfield, not for quite a spell. Now the pinstripes promote Anthony Swarzak, who probably threw a home-run ball or two towards Mr. Byung-Ho Park in 2015, to their bullpen. The former Twins team just keeps getting better and better as the summer rolls in. Presley, Achter, Robinson, Rivera, Duensing getting called up at times. Yet how many of these names from our seasons past would we really want on the current roster. Well, I guess we can't be choosy. The Yankees want two of them!

Right now, there is not alot of panic as the team is drawing an average of 24,400 fans (still not great). They are pretty much guaranteed sales of 18,000+ -- not that all the people will show up at any game. But unlike last year, where the Twins called the price on most available tickets as the team surged and they were able to market them as contenders up to the last weekend, it might a long, hot summer when even the stubhub tickets won't sell at any price. That is where push comes to shove. If extra people don't walk-up for the games. If the stands are 5,000 people light and all the concessions and food folks are left standing around with excess foodstuffs for the no-show crowds. I'm not sure what the marketing minds are doing behind-the-scenes, and this is the area the Twins president should excel in, since he isn't involved in on-the-field operations per say. If they can't figure out some way to get people excited about coming to Target Field to see somekind of baseball (forget the food, drinks, TC Bear and sunsets), then we do need a total shake-up of this across-the-board system failure that is called the front office.

Someday we will have players tell us their real stories about what it is like to be a professional...from that first call-up to cashing that first big dream check to making millions and getting a longterm contract and how that details with the way they play their careers. We have to remember that this is a sport with superstars, but even the middle-of-the-team guys can earn untold millions to play a game in which they can be easily replaced if they don't keep changing and playing hard. It's always a gamble. Plus you always have the question: Am I being rewarded for what I have done, or being paid for what I will do. It is a sport where you get more pay if you put butts in the sets, show greatness in an area or two. But unlike the old days of servitude, where you got an increase because of service time and age, or maybe a decrease because you didn't do what you did the previous year...the incentive in modern times is to play for that big contract, get it, and then...what goes thru your mind. How many players ramp it up a bit in a contract year? Even arbitration means you have to play at or above your previous seasons to get a bigger payday. You will still get an increase more than likely. And the old old incentive from those pre-divisional days where teams finish in the standings meant anotehr bonus to a player, sometimes that bonus was more than their yearly salary compared to the pocket change and tax problem it is now. The Twins have two guys - Plouffe and Dozier. Both are capable of putting up solid numbers before their careers end. Right now, one is expensive...actually both are expensive...for what they bring to the team. In Dozier's case, maybe a trip to AAA would be beneficial and a 2-4 week look at Polanco as a regular at second base would let the Twins truly see what they have in this young man. He is, as we know, out of options next year and will be on the roster as a backup, if nothing more. If Dozier fixes what he needs to fix, we might suddenly have two options...the vet or the rookie, two tradeable assets, and force another decision. Or maybe trade Dozier to a team like the Cardinals for Wong (who the Twins had drafted but didn't sign). A lot of times a change of place can benefit a player AND a team. AND, ON SIDE NOTE: why is Dozier in the top-of-the-order if he has to work on stuff. Put him in the 9th spot until he figures it out. Right after Suzuki and Plouffe.

Berrios coming off a bad outing with a stellar outing. He will have those. He learns. He hopefully remembers. And he also remembers what major lead travel and meal money is like. Come back once we get rid of the fodder we call a rotation (4-19 - sheesh!).

He was supposed to inherit the shortstop position after Jeter. But he wasn't doing something right (like hitting as he is today) combined with his fielding faults, which can be overlooked if you are in a non-competitive situation, or if he is, indeed, a super-sub. Sometimes, he seems to be more than just a bench guy. He thrives when he plays. Yet, unless you are a last place team, you probably would avoid playing him on a regular basis...if you have a prospect to replace an injured guy. Not that he can't fill a role shortterm. Or maybe he is coming into his own. But not sure if would want him at any position on a regular basis, and his bat only fits depending on what positions around can contribute. You can find more powerful guys to play third (Sano). It used to be that someone hitting .250 with a dozen homers would be a great shortstop. Not anymore, or not anymore depending on the stats of the guy, also, at second. At somepoint, he becomes a luxury for a non-competitive team who might wish to utilize a Danny Santana instead, or make Escobar the fulltime utility guy if you do have a replacement shortstop, or play a Beresford off the bench or even a Doug Bernier. Nunez is making the most of his opportunity and he should find a nice two-year contract if the Twins cut him loose. And, maybe after he appears as a Twin in the All-Star game, someone will offer us a worthwhile prospect or two (low level to be sure) and he will be in the pennant push. Applaud the guy the Yankees gave up on, that we all wanted non-tendered in the fall. Good work, and that inside-the-parker smile is the highlight of this season!

Maybe Gibson needs one more rehab start. Have to see what Pat Dean does in the next couple of days and what kind of decision the team makes on Phil Hughes.

For a guy who changes pitchers on a whim, this year has been a disaster for ANYONE establishing their role with the team. How many different lineups have we had so far this season. How many pitching changes within an inning? If you, as a manager, are running the game...the Twins should be doing everything possible to get runners on base (consistent bunting, over-bunting if it will get a .230 hitter on base). Working with players to pull the ball, sacrifice, hit-and-run...not just swing. The pressure of a stolen base, or taking that extra base. The team is LOSING. They have nothing to lose by playing hardball, by being more aggressive. Pitchers challenge the hitter. And this quote: "I know where I need to get to. Stuff-wise, the velocity is coming. I feel great as far as stuff. Now it's about putting it together. I'm going to keep going out there and keep battling. What else are you going to do?" -- Jepsen, who suffered his fifth loss and saw his ERA rise to 6.26 We are a third of the way thru the season and he knows where he needs to go!?! The velocity is coming?!? Maybe it went already. Spring training is to get this stuff under control. Everytime you show up to work you are expected to do the best job possible with the tools that you have developed...be it him, me, you in our daily grind. Yes, lief and work is a daily grind. You do have good days and abd days. You tell yourself many a time that you stayed up too late or did too much of something and maybe the next day is far from perfect...but if you get called on not doing your job...and it keeps happening, you lose your job (and all of us schmucks just get unemployed rather than what-we-would've-made-if-still-working-at-the-job-for-rest-of-year-pay). I would really LIKE to know what is going thru Molitor's mind.

An out-of-touch owner, who is standing in a box somewhere and smiling as the Twins continue to draw halfway decent crowds as summer begins. That's it, the bottom line, the belief that the Target Field experience outweighs what is on the field as long as attendance is north of 20,000. Yet the Twins have a roster filled with Grossman and Nunez, who have lit up the diamond and created a need to play everyday, because they actually do come to play everday and produce. But the Twins are sitting on a herd of batters who need prodding or off-loading: Plouffe and Dozier are no longer top-of-the-order requirements. Mauer is hogging first base and doesn't produce enough (in the last month) to be roster fixture or a DH. Suzuki has no one pushing him, yet Centeno is doing his darndest to be a major league guy. Better than nothing Murphy at the moment, I guess. The next couple of weeks will tell us if Buxton is ready and Kepler, too. If they play. Sano re-enters the picture soon, but SHOULD be at third at the moment. The outfield is already too crowded with Grossman/Buxton/Kepler and Arcia in the wings. We also have Danny Santana who should be an infielder but will be a guy without a home who also was producing far better than, say, a Dozier or a Plouffe. The Twins need to make changes in the bullpen. They have one arm too many. Jepsen is a disaster as the clower. May is overused than not used and is a short relief guy or a middle relief guy. Make up a mind, here. Tonkin, Kintzler, Boshers are all fodder but prodicng better than most expected and will stay as long as they pitch. Pressley has options and will be the first to go, unless the wish to bounce Rogers back-and-forth again. Abad has his situational spot locked up. There is not spot for Chargolis yet? The starting staff is a disaster. Duffey is down-to-earth and reminds us of the back-of-the-rotation guys that show up every year. Dean gets another start to prove he stays. The expensive guys have produced a 4-16 record one-third of the way thru the season. Add in Kyle Gibson and you have a 4-19 record and the ugliest whip and era that you have ever seen from the starting rotation. All of these guys could basically go and be replaced by minor league guys making mistakes in the majors and get equal results...but may be the future of the Twins rather than the salary clog the rotation seems to have become and the free agency downer that the front office will refer to in years-to-come when NOT throwing out big contracts. What the front office doesn't realize is that only SOME players deserve a big contract. You don't overpay because that is the only way someone will come to the team, and you don't need to overpay for year-to-year replaceable guys just to tell the fan base that you are spending money. You spend money wisely on players that WILL produce, offer your team value, or just throw the money at your own players THAT YOU WISH TO KEEP because they have produced for you in the past and deserve a better payday and it won't kill you to part ways before the contract expires (shades of Joe Mauer at this point). We have to totally forget the illusion that there is a "Twins Way" of doing things. Now, it is just the name of a street. We have to forget that it is okay to just be competitive. In this game, you either try and go for the gold, or you lose. You get x-amount of years to say "rebuild" but if a winning team falters, it better be totally because of the talent on the field fighting injury or...just not being good enough against ALL the other teams. As we look at the Central Division, ALL the teams have made efforts in the off-season to improve themselves. It looked to be the tightest division in baseball, and appears to be so (except for the Twins) with just a series win here or there deciding the division outcome. The teams that do care will start making some decisions (like the White Sox on Shields) to hopefully pull in front. That is the way of baseball...not JUST looking at the waiver wire and grabbing guys fighting back from Indy ball. There is a reason longterm minor league guys aren't major league stars. They have the ability to shine, but the system does catch up to them. Getting more than two years out of many is a dream (just go back and look at ALL those names the Twins have had for a season or two). Shane Robinson, Jordan Schafer, Doug Bernier, Chris Colabello, Sam Fuld, Darin Mastroianni, Pedro Florimon, Clete Thomas, Alex Presley, Wilkin Ramirez, Sean Burroughs, Erik Komatsu, Jason Repko, Rene Rivera, Eric Fryer, Steve Holm, Orlando Hudson, Matt Fox, James Hoey, Chuck James, Matt Capps, Ron Mahay, Brian Fuentes, Jon Rauch, Phil Dumatrait, Lester Oliveros, Eric Hacker, Luis Perdomo, Jeff Gray, Matt Maloney, Jason Marquis, Shairon Martis, Josh Roenicke, Andrew Albers, PJ Walters, Dam Decuno, Jared Burton, Kris Johnson, Logan Darnell, Yohan Pino, Kevin Correia, Aaron Thompson, Neal Cotts, AJ Achter, Blaine Boyer, Caleb Thielbar, Anthony Slama and Dusty Hughes. Many of these guys even put up decent short-term numbers with the Twins. But where did they go after that and where are they now. An awful lot of fodder, and the teams of this decade have shown the results of being a "good team to sign with as a minor league free agent because you may get another shot at the majors." The Twins seem to avoid saying the word "rebuild." They like "advancing forward" or "still contending" or "solid play" of "just some bad luck" or "unpredictable injuries" or the all-time forever favorite "total system failure." I don't think the system, as in farm system, is a failure. There is so much talent brewing and about to come to the top. But I am totally afraid on how it is being handled or will be handled once it reaches. The cream blown off, the cream mixed in with the sledge at the bottom, everything jettisoned down some drain because the system is not working with the true potential of the future? 4 wins against Seattle almost gave up hope. But is was nothing. The players are still wavering their stats a little bit up then a lot down. They come to the park and play, but for what...themselves and a future contract (you'd think they would do that for sure)? Just going thru the motions? Not knowing what is happening on the field (how many different lineups in the first almost 50 games). And if we have such a loser attitude going...let those overpaid average starters stay in the game and take a pounding...at least let the players work on their fielding since they aren't doing anything at the plate. The Twins big questions are: selling off players for something, anything, to restock the lower levels of the system. Jettisoning contracts and eating the remainder and calling it a 2016 budget line...not that they will need to spend any money on free agents in 2017 and probably 2018. Getting a staff who will welcome and work hard with the rookies, the sophomores, the future of the team...doing a bit up-and-down, but running with these guys and nurturing their continued development at the major league level. And having a front office that is keeping pace with modern baseball, realizing that the most important part of the Twins Brand IS the players on the field, not the Field itself, or the fan experience when the game isn't happening (i see more fun and excitement in indy ball than most of the in-between innings stuff we get on the scoreboard and field now -- plus the players modeling shirts...give me a break). It's sheer torture with the pregame jousting and umpteen throwings of first pitches and ballkid and dugout buddy (although it is fun to see the smiles on the faces of the kids...but everything is sponsored by something...yucch). I don't know how an out-of-touch ownership will change a front office built on marketing and branding and an in-house family of people who like baseball, but do they actually know and do baseball. Or a field staff that doesn't seem to mesh with the players, possibly even themselves, or the system as a whole. Or a team that is madeup now of a sorry sight of 13 system players (4 current prospects if you can call them that), two guys from trades, 7 minor league free agents and 6 many horrible free agents. You figure out the names. Half of them DON'T deserve to be with the Twins next season...so why are they here in this dismal season of 2016?!? I tire, I keep watching. I cheer. I spend my $40-50 a head to go to the game. Sigh..

Well, when Sano is ready to come off the disabled list, send him to AAA Rochester for 7-10 games, partly for the heck of it, and mainly to play THIRD BASE every single game. Buy yourself 10 more days of a looksee at Kepler and Buxton (and Grossman) and maybe Arcia. Sano is NOT the future outfielder for the Twins. He is the future third baseman, possibly a first base guy down the line, and settling into a David Ortiz role eventually. The Twins have more than enough guys to play and back-up the outfield. Sadly, Plouffe is jsut a rental for a team and will only bring back a low-level prospect. He's too expensive to be packaged with another expensive contract. In that case, a team will stay in-house or grab someone similar to Nunez. In trading Nunez, the Twins don't solve the Sano issue, and possibly weaken themselves right now at shortstop. Like trading away Mientkieweicz and Pierzynski, you do it to bring in the new guy who will give you x-amount of years at x-value, and the potential is there to outshine your current roster holder. But I do say send Sano down for a rehab at Rochester to play third base, rather than just throw him into the spot. And if you still must keep Trevor, sadly, make him the super reserve (ala Cuddyer in the past) and have him play the outfield and first to increase his value to others as a tradechip.

It is all about money. And in the scheme of things, if you eat a contract, you can write the whole thing off your books in one year - although I think MLB still carries it on the team's line each year until the contract expires. Crawford. Great when he came out of the chute with the Rays, who also had a guy named Delmon Young. In my opinion, always felt that Delmon was shadowing Crawford and thought that he, Delmon, also deserved equal play and pay. Maybe if young ada produced (or listened) a tad more, he would've struck the big payday rather than playing okay ball the last few years before becoming, essentially, unwantable by any team (such a waste - Delmon had a lot of natural talent that could've become superstar if he listened/worked harder to be a baseball player rather than a Young Brother). Of course, Crawford will get picked up by someone. Maybe the St. Paul Saints is keeping a roster spot for him open!?!

Okay, Santana and Sano come back. One of the moves means a pitcher goes, probably Pressley because he has options (or Rogers). Everyone else is pretty much stuck. Unless the Twins cut loose Jepsen. Sano then complicates the matter. He plays right, Kepler goes down. Because we still have Arcia, Grossman and Santana as extra outfielders. Unless you quickly move Plouffe. Some player will have to go. I suppose you could send Santana back to the minors. Or make a hard decision on Arcia. I would truly like to see Park at first base and Mauer DH, although my wife says that may destroy Mauer. See if Park improves with time on the field, rather than riding the bench most innings. Of course, someone could make an offer on Nunez (shades of Luis Castillo when the clubhouse erupted). Hopefully, if someone does (like the Mets) the Twins can include a Nolasco or Hughes contract in the deal, too, to sweeten the prospects pot and make more roster openings.