Rosterman

Suddenly talking about Polanco, Pinto, Vargas and whomever. You have to add before the 1st, and thus drop someone from the 25-man via waivers (which is still a process) and then asisgn them to the minors and then recall them September 1. I don't see the Twins doing any of that. They have Hughes, Boyer and Hicks on the DL and if not activated before the first, they could still push someone off the roster. Which is why the contemplating of adding Boyer back before the 1st in mind-boggling. You don't need to do this. And, yes, the Twins jsut need a four-man rotation. September will be intersting to see how the "bench" is workd into the status. Can Pinto catch. Will Hunter rest more than not. Do we see Arcia and do we see him in the outfield.

It makes you wonder if longterm contracts should be suspended if a player is caught using. They get to ffinish out the season, but the option is there to continue the contract or cancel it out, and would such a thing be viable and actually work.

With HUnter and Pelfrey as free agents. You can also add the names of Kenys Vargas to the mix. Is there the need for a backup first baeman/DH/ You wonder if both him and Arcia deserve a call-up in September just to get some at bats to see if they add (ratehr than subtract) from their value. The other name you let off is Brad Boyer, who did everything expected (like Thompson) and probably more, but is he really someone that you want to waste a 40-man spot on. Like a Chris Colabello, if someone signs him away, okay, otherwise you can probably sign him to a minor league contract and an invite to spring training. When making 40-man roster decisions, and adding new guys by December who can't be removed randomly (except thru trade), you have to keep 2-3 guys around jsut in case of free-agent signings or trades. And you always like to have that dreaded Rule 5 possibility in play. And even though you might like to keep Graham and Pressley in the organization, you do have to weight their real worth to the team over any other names. Who would you add for the September drive from the minors who are not already on the 40-man. What players do we have to consider adding to the 40-man come December. Is Danny Santana worth keeping around. Do we give Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco more major league at bats to make them hungry for the big leagues, or let them sit out in playoff land in Chattanooga. At one point, I would love to have seen Oliveros back with the team for more than a couple of innings, but his recent inactivity all but eans that he ahs thrown his last ball for the Twins. Also Stephen pryor won't get a chance. Doubt Mark Hamburger will get a shot. Don't see the Twins letting Jamie Beresford get a major league (albeit temporary) 40-man spot.

Pelfrey is pitching for his next contract. He may not get the multi-year offer. If he is reasonable, you can't oputright say no (yes you can). Same with Milone. The Twins have to weigh heavily if he is worth x-amount in arbitration. Like Hunter, who WON'T get a $10 million offer for sure. And will he play for how much less. Will he play for a Thome-like contract, where he is basically a bench player with the better option that you CAN put him in the field if someone is injured, and you don't need to pinch-run for him on base. September and Arcia and Vargas will have something to say. A decision on May and Meyer as future starters is also a big "If" for the Twins. Right now, they have enough. But it is nice to have 7-9 arms...right? Left?

Suddenbly you are looking at Stewart, Rogers (if he resigns) and Gonzalves as the next guys in the wings. Possibly Pat Dean and maybe Alex Wimmers will find his grove. There is always a surpirse candidate (Baxendale). And Meyer may come back as a starter. Just don't spend money on a Tim Stauffer-like guy who MIGHT start or relieve.

He is still only 26. He proved himself last season. He was willing to take a backseat to Santana this season. He will play where/whenever they want. Does it galdly. He plays best at shortstop. He is the right age to be the stopgap, still, if you want to age Polanco another season at AAA and look at Gordon or Javier 3-4 years down-the-line. You have one more year of cheapness before he becomes too expensive to be a utility guy. If he does produce again next seaon, he will be a tradable commodity...still young, still with some control.

Pinto not on the club next season? I would rather have him as the backup/bench bat that a Fryer, or even a Herrmann, as long as the understanding that the third (emergency) catcher is Mauer and not Escobar. The Twins were blessed with Mauer. He was extraordinary behind the plate and with the bat. Most teams are happy if the catcher is a hitting stud and can keep the ball somewhat in front of them (Brian Harper comes to mind). Many teams are happy if the catcher calls a great game, throws out runners, frames pitches well, and is not a total liability (see Butera) at bat. You can live with A WEAKNESS i your lineup. Sadly, this year, the Twins have been in shambles behind-the-plate (both offensively and defense), at shortstop (same) and you can say before Sano they ahd no pop at DH, and the first abseman, with his driving in runs moments, is not the guy you want at first and batting third. Except he's making $20 million, is still an icon, and the rest of the team is batting worse than he is in this down year of batting averages. I can live with a .230 hitting catcher if he brings the defense skill set. (Anyone remember the days of Jerry ZImmerman and Phil Roof). We can bring up a new guy, or fast track him, but the bigger skills of a catcher in the minors is being a take-charge guy and calling the game, really working on pitch framing, throwing out runners. We can call-in Steinbach to help these guys out at some level. Most get some instruction from Reed and Smith when they pass thru Elizabethton. But so many guys fail at catcher because IT IS A TOUGH POSITION. You can hang around (see Fryer, remember Corky Miller, how about Eli Whiteside and Henry Blanco ... even Drew Butera). Of course, few of them egt the ction needed to be considered a viable starter. I would welcome A.J. back. I really would...if he truly wants to come back. He's not blocking anyone, unless we are stuck, again, with Suzuki. We need to let Pinto play behind-the-plate some, but doubtful that he will be the 80-90 game starter...ever. But I would welcome his bat on the bench if Sano is the DH and Vargas is another bench bat with Arcia as the 4th outfielder and probably Escobar (third catcher) as the backup guy for infielders.

Not alot of bullpen options? Well, we had Caleb and let him walk. That's probably fine, but why is Thompson still on the 40-man then. Would love to see Oliveros and his heat, or even the wildness of Stephen Pryor, both both have managed to work themselves out of a tryout by being on the DL for the second half of the season. That leaves Logan Darnell. Give the guy another chance. Michael Bowden, not impressing anyone. Mark Hamburger, well, maybe a guy gets psyched up enough that they do brilliantly for a game or two (instead of getting pysched up and just melting down). I would hate the thought of a Burde or Reed or Jones coming up and trying to impress everyone and blowing out their arm, but that's the opportunity that exists right now in the Twins organization. And service time and 40-man roster space be damned. Berrios is going to be lights out and a longtime starter, or not...so don't worry about the 40-man. He will get his shot sooner rather than later. You still have the service time option open for three seasons if they guy isn't all that great. You do have dead weight on the 40-man. Ohhhhhh, you don't want to add anyone before their time because you do have quite a few considerations coming up this November. Well, then we get stuck with Hamburger or WIlkin Ramirez of Jamie Beresford (or any number of other AAAA guys). We can still reward one or two come September if the twins are in the dregs, but we can also free up space by cutting loose anyone and everyone that WON'T be here in 2016 - Duensing, Fien, Robinson, Nunez for example. I would reward guys at the expense of those old soldiers. But I also would grab someone, maybe one of the Johnsons, and let them have a shot. Shibuya maybe. Look for those rough diamonds that are hungry in your own organization and wanting to listen to the coaches and impress the front office and fans. We will see some horrible moments (O'Rourke, but I'm not putting him on any shorter of a leash than Stauffer or Boyer) or Achter (throwing some heat).

Well, we could play Shane Robinson in centerfield and bring up Reynolda Rodriguez or Eric Farris (wait, he's on the DL) or Wilkin Ramirez (wait, he's on the DL). I vote that they bring Michael Tonkin back up!

Will the Twins change ways? Doubtful, actually...No. The organization has followed carefully defined paths. The Griffith-era, we knew what to expect. The development was often better than good, and sometimes he pulled a player out of the dregs and they shined. When we entered the Pohlad era, most of the talk centered around money. Who was getting paid, how was it being spent, what the Twins should spend (could they). The team is totally driven by spending x-amount of dollars on the field. If they spend it wrongly, we complain. If they don't spend it, we wonder who is getting rich. But it is the philosophy we often disagree with. Do we go the all-in, go-for-it, today's the day and constantly rebuild (Marlins example). We could be the Oakland A's, who also seem to stay competitive, but every year the slogan is - the New Kids in town. The Twins have thrived when groups of players come together at the same time. It happened in the sixties and early seventies. Happened at the end of the 80s. Again this century. Our biggest stumbling block seems to be the continued evaluation of hometown talent. We put too much stock in our prospects (good or bad), and we don't overpay our own free agents, but will go dumpster diving and overpay (usually on a lesser scale) mid-level, competent players. That will not change. The Twins will not bring in a general manager ever from outside the organization, that I truly believe. They run the shop like a family-run business. They try to play nice with their own free agents, but if you were a player, would you seek riches elsewhere if offered, or stay here. Players are developed. Some thrive, some have setbacks. Not many get the lease Aaron Hicks was given and look what he did this year. Will he be better next year (and where will he play). The evils of prospects is that someone is always knocking on the door. You get your chance, you get another chance, or you blow it. Nothing will change. We do all complain and moan about in-action. But the bigger question is: how do we get free agents to sign with this team. Top flight free agents will always get more from someone else. Mid-level guys may be able to garner that extra million or so or a year with the Twins. The Twins are always interested in a deal. Be a general manager is hard. You look at what you have on the field and how you can improve it. You follow the system, you look at every stat available. You try to prediict who kmght help you when. Yes I get tired of the talk of trades. Most posters always throw out names that we'd love to see move elsewhere. But how do other teams look at the Twins. Are they lining up to grab players left-and-right (no), becuase there isn't that many guys you truly want. The Twins do have some players in the minors that can, and should, be dealt. Like the Astros, we might suddenly have too many riches but not enough 40-man roster spots, or some will be pushing minor league free agency. It is tough being the general manager of a baseball team. What do you do with that 41st player. How do you choose what shortstops to keep on the roster, in the system, or do you forget about ALL of them and sign some old guy for 3-4-5 years. I might like to see the organization shaken up. Bring in a new President. Grab a solid General Manager and overpay him to turn-things-around or turn-things-upside down. Would he succeed, or still fall into the stay competitive philsophy that ALL teams want to do, and the Twins have done more often than not. But that is not going to happen. If Ryan leaves, someone internally will get the title. Someone else will be groomed. The team will keep figuring out ways to appeal to the common fan, to keep butts in the seats. They will do it economically. Remember, they have been going downhill revenue-wise the past few seasons, but winning NOW has put many dollars in the coffers that they weren't expecting, but after this road trip, it could be a dismal September with the State Fair and back-to-school. They will moan and groan that they tried. Like that little engine from children's books. Think they can (as all teams do) think they can. It takes one Big pitcher and one Big hitter to sometimes make that train go over the hump...but, again, every other team is striving to do that, too, to get one of those hallowed few playoff spaces and be the one team that goes all the way. We are what we are. We have the chance to build a team that will have a nice run, and then watch as the players move elsewhere. We win, we get lesser draft picks. We lose, we keep building the system. Maybe we can sign a free agent that can be flipped for soemthing worthwhile rather than a bag of balls or a retirement party. We complain. We talk. We blog. Hey, we could've been the Kansas City Royals. Or the Pittsburgh Pirates. Would we rather be the Colorado Rockies right now. How about those Tigers and Indians and White Sox. We have to build to fight those guys because they will be better in a year or two, too. Twins Daily. Like doing Twitter or being active on Facebook, we all feel soemthing has to be posted or said everyday to give the forum (and probably us) a life. It's the new realm of social media. Like the MInnesota Twins and their organizational philosophy we are here to stay and little will change.

Even the radio guys were questioning the non-use of May.

Yeah, you can send out O'Rourke and bring in...Thompson. Wait, let's give Logan Darnell a shot.

It is frustrating because the Twins listened to the fans and spent the money, but were forced to essentially overpay for mid-level pitchers, either in dollars or length of contract. Face it, players aren't knocking down the doors to play here, and the Big Guys assume that the Twins won't spend the dollars (see internal free agents who have moved elsewhere). At least if you end up overpaying your internal free agents, you are, in a ways, rewarding them for jobs well cone. You never know how longterm contracts will work out, but you do have to go 2-3 years at lesat for above average players these days. You can land a one-year on someone looking for a rebuild year (or pull a Pelfrey maybe). Faced with the problem of promoting prospects too soon, or waiting too long, the Twins are...well, I'm happy they are giving us pretty good ball this year for a solid team that plays together but the reality is that there really aren't a lot of players with more than a year's expeience to get overtly excited about. The money is just money. You spend it. It doesn't carry over from season to season if you don't spend it. Yes, it can prevent you from spending down-the-line, but if the player can walk and toss, you can probably flip him for a prospect or another overpaid hunk of sludge.

You have to admit that the Yankess are a tough team, period. How much has Perkins pitched since the All-Star break. No relief pitcher is perfect (well, there are a couple, but...) The game was lsot with Gibson, and Duening didn't help matters. O'Rourke almost blew it. How do you get thrown out three times stealing. And we even broke the Yankees pitcher nose.

All this talk of Robinson, come September, is what I woudl argue,too. Like last year, especially alst year when the Twins were going nowhere and Perkins was down, WHY did they give save opportunities to...Burton. If a player is not fitting into the 2016 plans come September 1, they better be looking on from the bench while the Twins look at the future, depending, of course, on where they truly are in the WIld Card hunt. You have Pelfrey for one. You have names like Duensing and Fien in the bullpen for sure. You have Nunez, who is splitting time with Escobar right now, which says a lot for Escobar. Who would you rather have as a utility guy in 2016, and please don't leave the option open for both. The Twins could pretty will bring up their entire 40-man roster, or if not, why are the guys (Darnell, Wheeler) on the roster. Yet the Twins will leave Kepler at Chattanooga for the playoffs. They won't add Berrios. They will try to let Dean or Rogers slip thru the system and make a decision on them next spring, because they no longer are blowing guys away and who cares if they get Rule 5 drafted (shades of Gilmartin). Will the Twins bring up Arcia, Pinto and Vargas. Buxton, who HAS been optioned so is not reuqired to return until after September 1, buying the Twins 3-weeks of service time, could still get swapped in for an injury (you can swap in like position players, I believe...or a position player for a position player, a pitcher for a pitcher).

Right now, they want to see how he does the second time thru an order.

It's like the Twins are so afraid of dealing out $$$'s for a big contract that goes sour, they play it safe and dole out mediuam dollars in overpaying guys that may/may not benefit the team overall. But when you look at the big pitcher, you wither take the gamble or not. Having a $20 million dollar contract sit in the workout room is not much different than having $20 worth of players underperform. And every year you are going to be paying someone for ono-productivity, it seems. It's jsut that some teams (i.e. the Old Yankees) could afford to do it and still spend more money. The otehr end to all of this is who are the players knocking on the Twins door wanting to play in Minnesota or sign a contract? Of course, if your old team is offering you 3 years at $21, why not give the Twins a call. They might give you $25. Yet the Twins seem to constantly under-balue their own free agents and not overpay them if at all possible (we offered Torii $65 million, or Santana $90) knowing full well that the players will probably get mroe elsewhere. In the world of free agency, you reward a player for what they have contributed to your team overall in the past as much as you may be rewarding them for future endeavors. ait, that's the Joe Mauer contract. But until the Twins get into a position to vastly overpay, they will keep getting second tier free agents. What was the demand for Phil Hughes, Kevin Correia, Rocky Nolasco. They swooped right in and made a deal probably a year more than any otehr team might give Santana. Happily they got half-a-year back. And it is great when you can get players cheap. But there is a eason those players ARE cheap. Or they have really abd agents. (Or, in the case of Hunter, a very good agent). And then you get into the situation where the fan base is complaining about you not spending money, so you spend the money, but then they complain that you gave it to the wrong guys, like the one standing on the corner when you turn right instead of the one the block up on the left. Ultiamtely, it is a business of wasting money. You are winning some, losing some. Some draft picks won't pan out, some well. You can squeeze a lump of coal and get a small diamond, but then you also have to be savy to sell that diamond when the market is right (i.e. Willingham, Burton,now Fien all were more valuable -- even Delmon Young). You end up being Billy beane who has a wonderful revolving door in Oakland. Who cares how you spend money ordraft if you keep changing pieces good or bad...but at some point you have ti pull off the big moment to go for the prize that only one tam gets (Billy did it last year and it didn't work, but he tried, and now he's trying a quick rebuild). But like the Twins, the A's need to also buy or keep superstar parts. Then again, look at Mauer.

What you do with slumping players, you give them three at bats a game instead of four. Move him down in the order. You also rest him,depending on where you are in the wild card race, and give Kepler (doubtful...he'll stay in Chattanooga for the playoffs) and Vargas and maybe Plouffe (so you can play Sano at third) time at first. Mauer and Hunter on the bench in September? Dream on, Joel! Wish could add Susucki to that mix, too. Come spring, Joe has to fight for playing time. He's in the mix, but the best guy starts, the better guys bat higher in the order. We got three more years of Joe. I still believe shaving the beard will make him the old Joe!

I would've gone after Pat, too. But doubt the Twins would pony up the $13 million he got for two years with a option buyout. The Twins would have hardballed for one year. I might've gone after LaTroy Hawking to really bring the band back together. I also would've 40-manned Sean Gilmartin instead of Zack Wheeler. Thinking Gilmartin might go unclaimed was a mistake, and he would've been a fine lefty out of our bullpen...if only we knew. I also would've made a concentrated effort to get A.J. in the fold, as he seemed basically fine to sign with Atlanta as a backup, comapred to the seasn below where he wanted to start (and we didn't think he would start because we had...Pinto). I am somewhat tired off too much diamond-in-the-rough trolling with finding a gem, and then not doing anuthing sooner rather than just letting them walk (Guerrer first, Burton second, Fien third, for example) if they succeed. And not cutting bait with those guys who we basically just have a free-agent contract (i.e. money, not prospects) as part of the deal. Explain Worley to me. Okay, he wasn't good. But to option him, and then sell him because there were no starts for him at Rochester. And for how much? Have we used that bags of balls up yet? My two favorite responses that seem to happen with the Twins front office: "We don't want to pay that much money!" (although they do overpay, all the time: Nolasco, Correia, Stauffer, even Santana), and "We offered two years, they wanted three, or an option year, or free checking at Marquette Banks)"

I don't see anyone knocking on the Twins door for any players not named Perkins, Plouffe at the moment. Gibson could be traded. There might be some interest in Hicks at the moment (moreso than Arcia) and THAT decision ash to be made quickly. He may be betetr than he is this year, but he may regress. Same with Rosario. If you wait a season, he maybe the next Vargas or Santana, both of home are not high on anyone's NEED list. At this point, you could probably egt mroe for Escobar or the Blue Jays Colabello. Man, if someone would make an ofer for Mauer, but who wants hima t first base. Catching he might still garner some value. But at first base with his salary? As a general manager for anotehr team, I am looking at the Twins as being in the predicament of having to move assorted players to free roster space or playing time and will wait them out and see who might be non-tendered (Milone) or removed from the 40-man (Santana, Vargas), or just made available at the end of spring training (Arcia) and offer some low-level prospect with a smidgen of talent who is already blocked in my own organization, or perhaps one of my players out-of-options. It's not that the Twins don't have some good solid players on the roster and 40-man, they just don't have many that aren't replaceable.

For 2015, would the Royals or the Ranegrs have matched the Twins contract offer to Hunter. Maybe, maybe not. Coming off his current season, Hunter still ahs some legs, but at what price and blocking who in the organization. If next season we have, say, Buxton/Rosario/Hicks in the outfield, let's say Pinto catching, maybe Polanco at shortstop...would you be happy with the following bench: Hunter, Arcia, Escobar, Suzuki? I see Kepler starting the year at AAA Rochester no matter what. You wonder if Vargas will come back, as he can play first (but then, so can Plouffe). Is Arcia traded because there is no place for him but a rotation spot/bench bat? I mean him or Hunter can be a 4th outfielder because you basically have three regulars, all who can play centerfield if you need that backup. If the price is right...say a max of $5 million, is Hunter worthwhile because he can come off the bench (can he), keep some clubhouse presence, and still be a marketing gem for the team...young/old playing the game, etc. etc. etc. Will the Twins add players via free agency (catcher, shortstop). Will they keep pushing Santana, play the 2nd-base prospect Polanco? What about Pinto, Arcia, Vargas? Do we want Walker, Kepler on the bench. What if Sano, Rosario, Hicks plunge? What if Buxton isn't ready? And then, let's talk pitching!

Basically, get him off major league salary and the timeclock, although he does make 40-man roster money. Plus, they don't have to end up optioning him around August 27th and can just bring him up after the Rochester season ends. Who goes somewhere on the Rochester roster? I do hope, come September, that we see Buxton up here with Hicks in right and Torii as an advisor to the young'uns. That we see Pinto get some time behind the plate. That Arcia is give a chance to at least pinch-hit. That Sano plays third, which means we can rest Mauer and try Plouffe at first (right now, would you rather see Plouffe at first or Joe). We still need to see someone else at shortstop and would vote Polana but Chattanooga will be in the playoffs, which means Kepler won't get a call up, either. If the Twins have an empty roster spot and need to reward a longime minorleague player, I vote for Jamie Beresford getting the temporary call. It would be nice if some of the Twins could get claimed and moved in August to clear rostr space. Right now, will the Twins contend is the question, and how solid do they want Chattanooga for the playoffs down there. I don't see Rochester making it.

Yep, 2 in the Wild Card, but the other end now.

It's never so much as fleecing the other general manager. It is moving assets that will free up payroll or positions for others, or moving prospects that are blocked in the system, about to become minor league free agents, and guys who are #26 or #41 on your charts. And you deal them for your needs, maybe more experience that comes with some payroll you can absorb, or a prospect that fills a hole in your own system and you just nveer know with prospects. It's like retail in many ways. You are there to put things out that people will buy, either as customers, or other teams will make offers for stuff that isn't working in the American Leafge but might in the National League. Of course, you are getting some stuff not working in my league in return.

You would think if you didn't have the stuff, someone would recognize it in warmups or right away. A lot of great pitches, right oevr the plate. And welcome to the Big Leagues O'Rourke and Achter.