Rosterman

It shall be all about the money. Is BUNDY worth $11 million? I would think not. He was a good bargain pitcher for half THAT amount. COnsidering the trouble the Twins were having in drawing interest from free agents. Glad we didn't get stuck with...Pineda. Is PAGAN worth $5-6 million? At this point, I would rather reinvest in Fulmer, if he is interested. Pagan is arbitration, so you have to pay him. If the Twins release him, I don't see him getting that, or even a multi-year deal, as a free agent. You can always carry a pitcher as a reclaim project, but the Twins had three that they couldn't trust in the end that promised better stats than they gave us. Two are gone (Duffey and Smith). Both of those pitched, I feel, better than Pagan, yet I don't miss either. As said, would reinvest the money in another. The Twins also have to take a hard look at DOBNAK shortly. He got bombed in his first AAA offering. Quite frankly, the Twins could run him thru waievrs and outright him to AAA St. Paul this season. Doubtful that anyone will absord his long-term contract. He would still be a abckup possibility going into 2023, but not eating a 40-man spot. I ee no reason to add him to the Twins roster for a run towards the post-season, especially with Peacock and Moran pitching better at St. Paul. It is all going to boil down to money. URSHELA has been a good player for the Twins this season. But can you take the $8-9 million you might have to pay him and put it elsewhere. Does he bring anything special to the table. Of course, that hunges on who plays first base (Arraez or Miranda). But the real question is the $35m of CORREA, that is one nice hunk of change. The Twins can afford another year of that dollar, and Correa may wish to build up his worth (is the shortstop market better for 2024 for him than next season...considering). When would Lewis be abck? Is Palacios are worthy write-in for much of a season? Should Lewis be groomed for shortstop or elsewhere, considering the Twins have Lee, Martin, DeAndrade on their top prospects list, too. Who knows if they will finally give up on Javier? And SANCHEZ is going to free up a hunk of change. Happily he is a free agent. Do the Twins attempt to bring him back, or will he be able to still demand $10m or so. PAGAN and BUNDY will both probably be gone. I'm not sure I would gamble that PAGAN would comeback strong to even be a tradechip if the Twins have a rough 2023. Lopez is the closer going fourth. Duran could be the future closer if the Twins don't try to make him a starter (would you?).

Holding the Giants to one hit until the end. But not able to do anything. first and third with no outs and first and third with no run. Anytime you get a runner to third in the extra inning, expect a walk. But not necessary to load the bases,

He is a great situational guy. He should be that second lefty in the bullpen now, instead of giving innings to Pagan and Megill. But he malso had options and was the go-to guy when you needed someone short-term, which worked against him as you ate up his up-and-down opportunities. Expect him to be added when the rosters expand. Peacock should also get a look, but at the expense of whom? The Twins will supposedly make room for Dobnak, Winder and possibly Ober. Heaven help us if we need to find a roster spot for Madea, too. Doubt if any would be the starter we need, although imagine any could replace Archer or Bundy, if the Twins want to go that route. The Twins have to evaluate their pitching staff hard, depending on where they are in the standings next week. Replace arms that are tiring, perhaps. Jettison players that have no future with the Twins and are on the 40-man. Every starter has to be evaluated at their potential to give the Twins a win in their last seven appearances. The Twins will carry nine arms in the bullpen...can they get their job done!

Some base stealers in the system. But recently signed Billy Hamilton will tell you that you can't steal a base if you don't get a hit or walk in the majors. Henriquez is still a keeper. We forget that he (like Balazovic) is still young. Have to keep them on the roster for another season. But I would try Henriquez out of the bullpen (or, do we send him to the Arizona Fall Leagu - can we - as a starter?).

I would play Celestino or Gordon in centerfield and I would go ahead and bring up Matt Wallner, adding him to the 40-man early. He can't be any worse than Cave of Beckham at this point. Also, Palacios. A backup shortstop now that could also be a stopgap if Correa opts out.

It all depends how much monye you really think you need. Yes, that alst contract pretty much keeps you in one palce for the rest of your career. He will easily be able to get 4 or even 5 uears whenever he decides to leave the Twins, with option years. But will he crack $300m? He had to be mnuch much better in 2022. He has to outdo all expectations in 2023.

Considering the alck of free-agent talent that will come and play in Minnesota, the Twins can afford Correa for another season. Also, Lewis won't be ready right away. Be interesting to see how Austin Martin progresses next season and if Brooks Lee is for real.

You get a guy that could be palced out there for 6 or even 7 innings, even if pounded, and he has to leave early because of a dugout screw-up. Twins 2022!

Beckham when he needed to advance Gordon looked awful at the plate. Why didn't Gordon steal during Beckham's at bat? Gray headed thru the order the third time. But, hey, a starter IS expected to give up runs in a game. The Twins rotation looks AWFUL against Hosuton.

You can only manufacture runs if there are guys on base. Pitchers do give up home runs. The Twins bullpenm still has numerous weaknesses.

Farm systems across the baord have improved and gotten better as each team saw players eliminated, so only the better of the best remain, with many others looking in from the prep and indy leagues hoping for a chance to move back into a system because of injury. Top 100 players? If every team has three, both leagues are well covered. Some may have an additional. But if you organization is the 10th best, or the 15th best or even the 25th best, it's like the standings in baseball...how many games separate you from the teams in front or the teams in back. I like someone mentioning the Twins having a slew of nobodies on the major league roster making noise. That's the bread and butter, how they fit into the team each season and how they produce. You can have three top shortstops in the system, but one great one will eliminate the need of the others, who will then have to battle others equally as good at other positions, perhaps. It's a ty.gh job, constructing a team every season, looking at short-term and long-term depth, dealing with injuries, and it really is a process of stepping stones to the majors as you face better and better competition along the way. Even the grizzled veteran minor league guys that make up many a high-AAA roster are deserving of play, but they are the eternal 27th roster goy, 9th bullpen arm, the starter fightng for a job while the young prospect passes them by.

You take the chance, man. He was going to first. Correa should be fast enough to be right behind Arraez. The catcher would have to be in perfect place for a perfect throw. If the pitcher HAD fielded it, he would've got the out at first and inning done. Hail Mary with two outs!

The Twins signed pitcher Jordan Brink out of the Padres system. Assigned him to FLC Twins, for now. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=brink-000jor

Correa needed to be stepping on Arraez's heels in the 10th. No need to be standing on third with two outs and a play that looked like a potential out at first that was royally flubbed by a fielding pitcher. Smeltzer wasn't great, but he did three innings with minimal damage. The type of guy you need with short starters.

Plus hitting, as a whole, has been downgraded for this season, it seems.

We will see how many innings he pitches in todfay's start of Archer. I always thought Griffin Jax was also going to do regular long relief, 2-3 innings a shot in two out of five days. But, alas, he seems to be developing into a setup man role.

For a 29-year-old, Gossett has been up and down between AAA and AA the past couple of seasons. He needs to find success at AAA. Randy Dobnak is back. Sorry, when he is eligible to return, I would designate him for assignment to keep the 40-man spot. No team would pick up his remaining contract. After this season, he would probably be a minor league free agent, but again a team would have to make him a better offer to leave the Twins. Unless, of course, he works magic ball in the next 30 days or so.

I would start discussions. I would also try and long-term Duran and Arraez while we are at it.

Arraez is such a gem to watch battin. I hope his knees hold up. And first base seems to be a good place for him. Home runs are nice. But what is nicer is someone else hitting a home run with a runner on base. Construct the lineup correctly and you can make use of Arraez's run-scoring abilities. Inetresting. I often wonder what the Twins would be like with Isiah Kiner-Falefa. I was excited when the Twins obtained him for shortstop. But glad the Twins were able to get out of the Donaldson contract and more than happy with Urshela at third base for the moment.

Not sure why Romero was considered a bullpen arm. Will he be back in 2023? Alcala would've been a multi-inning stud, much better, I would hope, than Cotton and the ilk. Coulombe was coming into his own as a left-handed alternative. Moran has taken his place, if and when he can come back to stay in the majors. I didn't know what to expect from Stashak. Will he get a third chance with the twins, or is he gone, gone, gone. But, ultimately, the Twins didn't think of Rogers as a closer. And if you are going to be a competitive team, you should have a closer, not a patchwork. Maybe they thought Pagan was hungry again for success. That Duffey would pitch his heart out entering his free agent season (and the dream of a multi-year contract). In some ways I'm glad in the use of Duran and hope he holds up. Making a rookie the closer is a hard gamble. Hoping Duran can shine for the long-term (and beyond) as a Twin...closer of the future.

When you get to the playofs, you may not need that fifth starter as much as an additional long man in the pen. Bargain bins shoping at the dollar store. If you want to compete, the Twins need to step up and give the ball to anyone better, if the opportunity arises. Sadly playing with fire and have to work Winder, Ober and Maeda into the swing of things inividually...kind of have them take the palce of each other if they aren't quite healthy. Not sure if need to continue the aRCHER EXPERIMENT FOR ANOTHER SEASON. aND NOT SURE IF aRCHER OR bUNDY INCREASED THEIR VALUE IN ANY WAY FOR 2023. We need both to be consistent right now, if that is asking too much. But it may not be enough to get to the playoffs.

I would rather see keep ands or add anotehr long man in Smeltzer or Sanchez for now. At some point Moran has to come back. Are the Twins competing or not? They finally got a guy who looks comfortable closing in Lopez. Soon they will have to decide about the worth of Bundy and Archer or the future of Ober, Winder or Maeda. Don't hang onto guys like Pagan just because he might be tradable in the off-season. Or to justify a bad trade.

We talk about how bad the pitching has been since Wes left the team for a return to collegiate coaching. But the hitting. What gives? Again, can't we get a pitcher past five innings?!?

The Twins have to be thinking hard about adding Julien to the 40-man in the off-season. Moving Steer opened a spot for him. But they also have to consider, say, Michael Helman, too.

Right now, if this was Spring Training 2023, the Twins would have 12 names, nearly half-the-roster, vying for playing time come the beginning of the season. Four rotation arms in Maeda, Ober, Paddack and Dobnak, Would the bullpen need Stashak, Coulombe, Romero and Alcala? A couple of hard decisions here. Jeffers would be back as catcher. Lewis would be an infielder of note. Aand the Twins would field a whole new outfield of Garlick, Kirilloff and Larnach!