Rosterman

Meyer's fate is all in the hands of Meyer. He will be out of options at some point, so the Twins WILL have to keep him. Right now, he got a modest taste of the big leagues and knows more what he has to work on in the minors. He will get a couple more opportunities to build and have a strong September call-up. And, if nothing else, he does well in the minors that Twins have a potential tack-on in a trade situation. Or they have a middle-of-the-order hard-throwing starter. Graham, who I was surprised wasn't starting at Rochester at first, is the long-guy the Twins need in the bullpen (along with Milone, perhaps). But his clock is ticking to Saturday when Santana returns. I jsut wonder what position player the Twins could call up that would make it worthwhile if they do finally send out Rosario (shades of Danny Santana 2015). If Plouffe is back at third, I would just as soon see an outfield of Sano Santana Arcia - no matter how bad that sounds defensively -- than having any of those guys being bench jockeys right now. There is some momentum in their bats and I want to see them run with it for 20 or so games, if Molitor can figure out the perfect lineup that DOESN'T have Dozier batting second, perhaps. I actually would love to see one of the no-names catching at Rochester get a call-up. But aside from moving Perkins to the 60-day, which they must sooner or later, there is no one to get rid of on the 40-man not named Pat Dean. How did the Twins get in this mess! CASEY FIEN WATCH!

So Wheeler may be increasing his stock in the organization after being removed from the 40-man last year.

Gibson WAS a viable tradechip going into the season out of all the Twins starters. I would've gone for it...seeing as how he will become nothing but expensive and I don't see him worthy of that outlay...in the end. But now, he is damaged goods. Hopefully Noalsco won't implode and keep HIS trade value hot. Plouffe will be valuable to anyone in need of a third baseman. But the world knows the Twins have Sano looking for playing time and will lowball the Twins. Then, again, the Twins traded A.J. and Dougie in similar circumstances. The Twins need to run a shuffle to the minor leagues for the bullpen. They need to find a couple of roster spots. They need to avoid bringing in any veteran talent that will just be a stopgap. The opportunity is there for ANY minor league guy who can get on the 40-man to make a statement.

Let's see. I was hoping the Twins would break camp with Hicks as the backup and have Murphy work thru his issues starting regularly at AAA. That didn't happen, and for some reason the Twins felt they should waive Hicks rather than, say, Pat Dean, who is behind Rogers in the AAA lefty pecking order and if push came to shove, even behind non-roster Logan Darnell. They didn't. There is hope that throwing Murphy out there more regularly will make him a better catcher. But a catcher learning new pitchers as well as struggling with his bat, is struggling, period. You want the defense to shine. But it is cloudly behind-the-plate for Murphy. There is the hope that Murpjhy will pull togetehr and shine defensively. And the offense will come. And that the Twins will flip Suzuki so they can promote some otehr talent for the moment, or even give a prospect time if they decide to go into total rebuild mode. Of course, we could bring back the .429 hitting Drew Butera! Someone has to make outs in the lineup every game. So someone going 0-3 is no worse than having your pitcher bat in the Natiuonal League.

it's also how well you use the bullpen, proper matchups, maybe calling on someone too soon too often (like Pressly getting a week off for some reason). And I don't think roles have been perfectly defined. Who are the long relief guys. Is everyone a situational,and how often is it a necessary fact to use them this way. The bullpen has been a mess. Especially when you look at the rotation overall.

You don't keep giving a guy an extra at bat (and an out) when he is struggling as bad as Dozier. You move him down in the order until he gets his act together.

Is it for his entire life. Does he pay 10% on whateverr he earns whenever? It is kinda like a signing bonus, in a way. But still don't see it. And we are talking about $23 mill being made by the player before investors start to see dollar one on their return. And besides giving a player a nice nestegg, which is a plus, what else do they do for the player except wait in the tree branch above like a vulture!

Let's wait and see what happens between now and Tuesday.

Who do the Twins have on the 40-man roster. Pretty much Polanco, Kepler, Vargas and Walker. That's it. The genesis for a new team is in the works. They do have to find a catcher, not necessary a top-flight guy, but someone who can do more than Suzuki, and then train in Murphy, Walker and whomever. A decision has to be made about Dozier, just as a decision needed to be made about Plouffe. Is Sano at third? Do you go with speed in Polanco at second? Where DO you put Walker and Kepler in the near future. How far away is Gordon for short. You can never have too much pitching. The starters are still doing a solid job. Right now, have to figure out how to construct the roster, probably for next year and beyond. And hopefully pull out the stoppers and get a $100 million dollar starter...but not this year...probably not next year, either, with Santana and Hughes still holding down the fort.

Ron Davis memories. Arrghhhhh! Fien and Jepsen means we try and win instead tomorrow is the new rally cry, I'm not sure the solution. We deep-sixed Stauffer and his million or so early. Is Fien the second coming of stayed-around-too-long Jared Burton? Is there any reason to think anyone would give us anything for him (his last value was in 2014 and I don't think anyone was banging loudly on the door to get him then). We got Jepsen fairly cheap. DON'T let him close and see if he can re-establish some value. We can say that the NEW KIDS wouldn't be any worse than the OLD GUYS, and we can shuffle them back and forth for awhile to see if they can work stuff out. Is that the path to take? If it is - THE TWINS HAVE TO PLAY the guys they feel will contribute in 2017 and beyond, and no one else, period. Do I have any offers?

I would like to see him get at least two starting opportunities. Just to get the feel, before heading back to work some more on stuff. Maybe he won't need to do that. Maybe he will. But he can't be any worse than sending out Milone. But what is it with the Twins relief corps. Don't we have a Swarzak, a long-guy, We want ALL the bullpen arms to have 60-70 appearances this year...with maybe only 50 innings under their belt to show for it. Is this the pitching coach or manager making these situational calls.

You might say this is a pre-throwing day for Meyer. But why or why when every other pitcher goes an inning or less for the Twins, you send Meyer out there again in the 9th after a fairly rough inning THAT HE MANAGED to get himself out of. I'm sorry. You could've pitched Milone for that mop-up inning. Or start having some of the other guys get more than one or two outs. Meyer threw a comfortable amount of pitches in his 2/3rds of an inning, got to work out his nerves, got to show his stuff for comment. Instead, you elt the kid get literally clobbered again. Go figure. Yes, we lost this game BEFORE the bullpen came on the scene, but still...Fien is serving what purpose that a Graham can't, or a Rogers shouldn't. Five pitchers needed to pitch the final four innings? WHo, besides May, is supposed to be a long man...and you can even argue that.

You can only hope that he will be really strong and fresh in his first start. Good for the Twins. I hope they give all three of these guys at least 3-4 opportunities and then go from there.

If you are going to judge him as a utility guy, someone who is doing more than jsut taking up a roster space, he might have found his niche. Like Nunez (and probably Escobar in the long run) a utility guy needs to meet some minimum standards when doing matter-of-fact substitutes during the season. Where the strength comes from a utility guy is when he can be placed in a starting position shortterm and he runs with it, almost making you think he can be a fulltime player. Maybe he can, but just getting you from week one of a disabled candidate to week four should be more than enough. But many utility guys do get hampered when a player goes down and the organization feels it is better to promote a future prospect to play fulltime...which is great, you need to see what you might have and give them some at bats to work on when they return to their fulltime minor league job. A prospect SHOULD NOT be sitting on the bench, unless it is September. Every bench needs that backup catcher, hopefully a defensive genius or someone who can also throw out runners, put a ball in play. You need that extra outfielder, someone who can cover ground (and not drop the ball) as well as offer some speed on the basepaths, or the ability to get on base. Your main other spot is a jack-of-all-trades, someone who can play a variety of positions, maybe forcing another starter to temporarily move to another position if someone goes down. It is double nice if you can go to their bat in a pitch-hitting situation, more so in the national than than the american league. Of course, you would love to have a guy who is just a big bopper, and can probably play first or the outfield. More often than not that is just the DH who when he sits allows a position player to take his place. But if you can carry a Jim Thome, you have a luxury. But back to Santana. He is seeing an opportunity for the moment. He is grabbing it. The chances of him remaining in center and slim to none, the Twins have too much invested in Buxton. But he needs to show that he has value. He has a job all season with the Twins. If they send him down,. the [possibly lose him. So he knows he ahs a job for the year if adequate, longer if he tries ahrder. Good for him. He has given the team some spark. A team that has played more than half their games in one-run decisions. Go for it, Danny! You were never considered a centerfielder, but you seem to have a spark when you play out there!

It would seem that with the systems the teams have both at the major league and minor league levels, the trainers and strength/conditioning program would MAKE SURE that nothing goes into a player that even has the hint of being a substance for suspension. And if you do feel the need to push an envelope, have a good medical prescribed reason to do so, or at least a note from the trainer so they can suffer the slings-and-arrows of fan and organizational abuse, too. You know the testing is going to happen. You are a fool to think you can beat it. Will be most interesting to see what happens with the next player contract agreement. Will suspensions be longer (thus REALLY discouraging the use. Is there an advantage to having long-term contracts voided completely and the player thrown back into the marketplace. What happens to alcohol abuse, behavior beyond the norm off the field. How much can MLB regulate, or are you truly at the mercy of the corporation if you do want the job. Yes, keep the playing field as even as possible, I guess. And I still never figured out why people would knowing put things in their bodies that could cause longterm problems. It is bad enough that you do a job where you can develop longterm problems (and then, I see, you have to spend a lifetime taking painkillers and such). Whew!

If Park can take a walk and hit the bombs, he will be the cleanup guy for the next four years. He's showing a solid work ethic. He wants to shine. Yes, we have a logjam...and the concept of Sano/Park/Arcia in the middle of the order is better than, say, last year's whatever. If anything, the slow start to the season is a wakeup call to just how good major league baseball is and the quality of play expected by YOU if you wish to play in it. You (and your team) have no value if you play bad. Will be interesting to see if the players can rise and win some series. Most all of the games have been close, and the pitching has held the opposition to the same standards as the opposition ahs held our batters. At some point, one aspect or another gets better or worse.

Yeah, sit him when he's hot. I would argue moving him down in the batting order (Santana, Mauer, Sano, Park, Arcia, Dozier)...but he is still hot. Keeping Sano at third is important. Nunez should play short for awhile. Let's see how THAT current lineup works. If anything, Polanco can be that late inning replacement.

Nolasco has EVERYTHING to gain and a lot to lose. If he pitches like the past, then he doesn't playball anymore. He still owes us $20+ million dollars of back wins, I think. Arcia was in a numbers game. In all likelyhood, the Sano transition to outfield made him a man without a position. With Sano at third, you have to love that middle of the lineup of Sano, Arcia and Park. Whew! He can hit the ball and because of the way the Twins managed his 40-man roster time, they almost risked losing him. Any team would have latched onto the guy and found him a bench spot to develop as a bat. He is only 24, folks, with all the power in the world. It doesn't explain his AAA season, or even his report to spring training early but not produce pre-season. But it is what you do during the 162 on the field that matters most to your career and future with a team, in the end.

If the Twins keep playing as they are, losing a series instead of winning, say...then they have to look closely at the longterm needs of any of the vets, be it Fien or Jepsen or even Abad. If you are playing sub-.500 ball, you really DON'T need a named closer, as you can go days without having a save situation, which does nothing for the closer who MIGHT have to pitch back-to-back-to-back if you do have a winning situation. It does give you an opportunity to try multiple YOUNG arms out in the role. Not ALL the young arms, but the ones with the best chance of success. Now the question comes is that someone currently on the roster like May, who SHOULD be a fixture in the rotation more or less (or is he the next Rick Aguilera). Do you advance Chargolis and let him get his feet wet in major league ball, skipping AAA. Are names like Dean and Graham really in the future mix? Of course, the Twins have two weeks to run Meyer, Berrios and Duffey thru the mill...two weeks that can temper decisions made down the road. Of course, a couple of the arms you MIGHT like to see in the bullpen are still toughing it out in AA (Reed, Burdi) and even A+ (Bard).

Joe Nathan IS Available! He can't throw, but he is available.

Well, is there the possibility that Danny Santana will return as our centerfielder of the future. At least for another year? Sano looks good at third base, especially when he runs to the side of second for the shift, then back again. Only one chance in his last game at third. I just question if Plouffe IS here for another 1.5 years. He gets overly expensive next year, and then the Twins MIGHT jsut lose him. Better to trade him now and let another team worry about final year of arbitration and free agency? Or do you resign him for a longterm contract, a la Dozier.

Let's let the minor league shuttle include MORE bullpen tries. Don't know what's happening with Jepsen, but when you have to hand a closer a two-run lead, he's not a closer.

Get Buxton to work on bunting. Just get Kepler at bats. But Meyer? Grooming him as a starter again and then throwing him into relief...of course, Milone is expected to go five innings, so maybe Alex can pitch 4. And I do wish we were bringing up a catcher (instead of possibly ANOTHER aging outfielder). Having that THIRD catcher would mean that you could change catchers out in a 16-inning fiasco and not worry about that dreaded injury to a catcher...right!?

Well, not sure about this. Why not bring Taylor Rogers back if you need a bullpen arm. Of course, have to wait and see if Duffy goes on the DL in the major leagues or returns to Rochester, and then we get to see...Murphy! And here's hoping Danny Santana found his swing!

Roster overhaul time. Yet when veterans are playing bad, what do you do with them. Teams will hope that you just release them and they can then be signed for pennies on the dollars. The vets have the salary. Yes, they have to play for the next season salary or go into limbo and never play again. Right now, the Twins would get a bag-of-balls for Fien or Jepsen. Perkins is on the DL and is expensive for anyone but the Twins. Supposedly no one was knocking down doors for Plouffe last season and during the off-season, partly because he, too, will be expensive. Now he's on the disabled list. The Twins had a modest trade chip that they could still offer out during the off season but decided to stick with him, Brian Dozier. Doz has power and has been a valuable cog in the system. But sadly, his value has plummeted, too. I imagine Gibson and Milone are out of options. Gibson was a good trade chip and may redeem his value. The BIG THREE all have mighty contracts but if they keep pitching like the are, they should be flippable. Hicks was an oddity. I was thinking the Twins should've brought his hot spring bat north and let Murphy start fulltime at Rochester. The catching situation is a mess. Total destruction. We lost Pinto because of roster space. It was fun to see Ramos having good at bats for the Nationals while Matt Capps languishes in the low minors for another team. Some ways I long for a presence like A.J. Pierzynski, who might just cause some clubhouse tension and get guys to make personal moves more on the field. Regarding the prospects, we have to be salivating about the arms in the minors, both starters and the bullpen. We can be assured that there might be some rough spots for the guys in their initial year up, which means if this is truly a "lost" season, we should be doing more up-and-downs with the prospects. Speaking of downs, maybe Buxton AND Sano could use a little trip to the farm. Just to right some wrongs, have a change of pace, something. DON't worry the Twins braintrust by being Arcia 2015 at Rochester, just work on those swings and looking at the ball. I would give Danny Santana the centerfield position with Rosario and Arcia on either side (or maybe give Murphy that placeholder, since it seems the Twins badly want to pay a guy $1.1 million to come on the team and probably stink and get released). I would also use a Sano demotion as a chance to play him more at third base, and quickly make the decision of signing Plouffe longterm for three years plus an option or moving Plouffe to the outfield if Sano comes back and IS the third baseman for the near future. Vets in the bullpen throwing gopher balls aside, we have a weakness right up the center - catcher/second base/centerfield. THREE positions totally dragging down a lineup. Three positions that you can't work around in line-up construction. Three positions creating an awful lots of sktrikeouts. Speaking of strikeouts, I read somewhere about Buxton being hesitant to bunt (shades of Carlos Gomez). I somehow keep thinking that if he actually bunted the ball, putting it in play instead of striking out half-the-time, I might actually not mind those "outs" because the "corners are playing in expecting me to bunt." The FUTURE of the Twins is showing itself in the minor leagues. YES, not ALL the guys will be Stars, but they are hungry and they have to know that they will have to make the most of any chance they get. When Pat Dean is #5 on the rotation prospect list...that means you have depth to look at and try. Oh, and back to Hicks. What was someone thinking? Why? Makes me even long for the return of Eric Fryer. Or even Rene Rivera. Where's Corky Miller when you may need him. Maybe Kansas City wants to flip Drew Butera back to us.