Rosterman

You trust Duffey to get out of the inning in a tie-game when he has walked, basically, the bases loaded with one out? What was he doing pitching in this inning anyways? You are playing to win, Rocco. Pull him! He didn't have it! You can't trust Bundy to go one more inning with a lead? After Archer, today, ALL Twins starters MUST be required to pitch at least five innings. Period. Sink or swim. Otherwise, why are they a rotation arm? Forgive me...they can go to 100 pitches at least. I starter gets in the groove during their game. They NEED to adjust and make pitches and control their game. There is no reason from hereon out ALL Twins starters can't strive to pitch past the fifth inning. Make Duran the closer. CLOSER! Two more outings for Smith at best. I loved that he got a ground ball earlier in the year. Now, nothing. Do we need to see Hamilton and Pinto from AAA? Schulfer and Sisk, too.

I would go after Snell and the top catching prospect from San Diego. Maybe give up Kepler and...Balazovic. The Twins will let Sano get at bats for msot of August. Can they afford 15-20 games with the Big Guy? We will see. Be interesting to see what happens with the bullpen. Rotate in a couple of folks from St. Paul. Does Hamilton deserve another chance? At what point do you look at Schulfer and Sisk and see if they are valuable additions. Do you bring in Strotman just...because? I sure wish he had some value. Wladimir Pinto is putting up some good numbers (and we have yet to see Yennier Cano since his recall). Who goes (just cut) from the current relief core? Smith? Cotton? Megill? Duffey? At what point is enough enough?

At worst, Miranda and Kirilloff will be our next Polanco and Kepler in terms of signings. Which is not a bad thing. Be interesting to see what happens with Luis Arraez. But, right now, Joe Ryan and Jhon Duran are untouchable.

Yep, usually these are college-age guys who should be at AA. But the joy is that few players are drafted in AA. So you can egt another season out of them before someone notices.

Roster crunch? Twins have 48 on the roster right now. Bundy, Cotton, Coulombe, Duffey, Megill, Romero, Smith, Stashak, Strotman, Thielbar, Sanchez, Hamilton, Godoy, Sano, Correa, Contreras, Garlick could all be jettisoned, if need be. And, once well, the Twins MUST remove Donbak from the 40-man. Before he can just become a free agent. No team will pick up his contract as is. Give him most of next season in the minors if nmeed be as a non-40 man guy. Smeltzer, with his next call up, will determine his place in the organization. Unfortunately, even with their dismal 2022 seasons, the Twins will be forced to keep Balazovic, Sands, Henriquez on the 40-man for another season with hopes they can turn it around, or be (Henriquez) processed into dynamite relief work. Not sure what to do with Enlow. But fear a team would grab him, then waiver him themselves. Balazovic, for example, would become a minor league free agent if the Twins put him on waivers and no one claimed him. Is there still enough promise to give it another season? Wood-Richardson, Canterino and Varland would pretty much have to be elevated to AAA ball if another team would be interested in claiming them. Too many "ifs" drafting a rotation arm from AA. Speakng of AAA ball, Sisk and Schulfer need consideration for adding to the 40-man. Wallner would basically replace Garlick, who you could resign to a minor league contract...again. Jair Camargo and Wander Javier are two players that will be minor league free agents. Considering the lack of catching, is Camargo a better prospect add than keeping, say, Hamilton? Chris Williams will also be Rule 5 eligible. Sadly arms like Bryan Sammons and Jordan Gore havep itched themselves out of the organization. But the Twins have to give consideration to Kody Fundeburk, along with Varland, Woods-Richardson and Canterino. Would Julien be grabbed? Steer. Helman. Don't forget Palacios...as the Twins will be looking for a short-term shortstop replacement for 2023 until Lewis is ready. Looking at ALL the names listed above - well, you can only have so many guys on the 40-man who can't break spring camp, let alone stay in the minors all year (i.e. 2022 we saw Henriquez, Balazovic, Enlow, Strotman - all questionable for when they could reach the majors in 2023). And IF you look at any of the above names basically being replaced by a major league roster player, or another prospect that the trading team throws in that the Twins will also have to protect (see Henriquez), well, if you don't have room for them in major league plans for 2023, let alone even 2024...fair game in the trading amrket...as you will have another 5-10 names to consider next season, not to mention ALL the guys the Twins like to sign for AAA/AA rosters from other discards. Go and trade wildly. If you are playing for today, the players you look at to be on the roster tomorrow will quickly be repalced by other names.

Rather than Kansas City worried about releasing a good piece to the Twins in a trade, more worried about what Minnesota gives Kansas City to be better in the future.

I'm looking forward to Sano and Sanchez batting back-to-back!

Sano could also have a breakout second half here and get his option picked up for next season. Miranda would be a choice for demotion, to play everyday. Since he won't be getting time in a rotating DH spot. And just put in the time in St. Paul because if Sano is a bust, you will be back. Of course, Urshela is a trade chip. I would also put Kepler in that potential category. Whioh would solve the roster problem if you are getting back a top flight bullpen arm (and prospect) for either, or if they ae part of a rotation trade. Then you just have to figureout who goes from the pitching staff. If Kepler is healthy (and Buxton) I sadly see Celestino going down to the minors. I can also see Miranda going, as he will be the man NOT getting any at bats, which is sad, because he is hot and, in reality, would rather see him as the sub than Gordon at this point, who has cooled. Once again, Sano creates issues. Soon he will begone! Unless he really starts to crush the ball. Then he becomes a roster problem again! Urshela to Oakland in a package for Montas. Kepler to San Diego for a young catcher and maybe the Twins take Blake Snell's salary?

I felt the Twins should've figured out a way to grab this guy when they were trading with the Padres. LUIS CAMPUSANO https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=campus002lui

I like when Cleveland and Chicago play each other and the Twins win! I can live with this lineup, and I love our top two starters. Let's take the next two-game series, too.

Well, looks like we may have to constantly worry about the health of Winder. Ober would be great to trade but, again, when will he pitch again. When you trade for an arm to go into your rotation, he rpetty much has to repalce someone. Someone sent back to the minors, or traded themselves (or released). And you can honestly think of whom you have on staff or the system that you can probably live without the next season that could be coming up on free agent, Rule 5, whatever in the minors. Or even someone like Smeltzer, who ahs shown flashes of brilliant, but do you see him pitching fully in 2024 or beyond, but enough smoke-and-mirrors that you will take a chance on moving him rather than keeping him.

Balazovic. DO you drop him down to Wichita and hope he continues his struggles, so you could remove him from the 40-man. But then the question also arises, does he become a minor league free agent after this season. He first pitched in 2016 in short-season ball. Would a team grab him and keep him on their 40-man going into next season while pplaying minor league ball. This was the season Balazovic needed to show he should get a chance to pitch in the majors. Can the Twins afford to keep him on the 40-man for another season?

Both are truly deserving. Yes, Kaat can be absed on longevity, but also like Bert, his career was spent on teams that gave him as many losses as wins in games. So many players are often overlooked because of the teams that they played on. I'm not sure if we will ever know the true age of Tony Oliva, but talk about a wonderful player during his career, a great ambassador for the sport, and a true talent. Some would say he was a fringe choice for the Hall of Fame, which can only speak about the wuality of play in abseball when a guy like Tony would be considered on the fringe. Kudos to both, who had their careers with Twins!

Bailey Ober. Jovani Moran. Miguel Sano.

I also hope Cano can come back and be a force in the bullpen. Add back in Alcala at some point, who knows. BUT WITH YOUNGSTERS WHO SHINE, YOU HAVE TO HOPE THEY KEEP WORKING TO STAY THAT WAY.

Michael Feliz has been signed out of Boston and assigned to the Saints. https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/felizmi01.shtml

I'm also seeing waaaay too many short starts in the minors. Yes, we are in the process or re-stretching out pitchers after a season lost and whatever last year was called. If you are a starting pitcher, you used to be setup for endurnace, as well as the ability to use ALL of your pitches in a variety of ways so you can get thru the order multiple times and hit that 100-110 pitch mark which seems to be the ultiamte high bar these days, no matter how good you are pitching. That is the key to being a rotation arm. And, unless you have a truly elite bullpen, basically eight closers with a couple of those guys HAPPY to throw multiple innings, a game starts to be reduced to cannon fodder.

No!

Dyson is back and pitching well in…Mexico. Room just became available! Could they replace two people currently pitching? At little or no cost?

You can't short the early years. Al Worthington was a bullpen stud. Camilo Pascual and Jim Kaat. But also remember Dave Goltz. If Morrisd gets in, then you also have to consider Mudcat Grant or Dean Chance. Earl Battey was wonderful behind-the-plate. A.J. did his job. Dougie Mientkiewicz was a hitter.

The Twins would be in the hunt if once top prospects Balazovic and Sands were pitching better. Both would spell quality return in the past in a trade. Now you have to think about the strength of their future with the Twins. Cano would be a good throw-in. But it is too soon to gamble on the top arms at AA ball, sadly - Canterino, Varland, even Enlow. Celestino could have some worth. People throwout Steer, which is a nice name...but redundant of what most teams have in their organization. If the Twins wanted to part with Miranda right now, they could and not suffer much. Sano, again, is the elephant in the room. No trade value as of today. A contract that needs to play if the Twins want to see value. And then you still are faced with signing him or letting him walk. Are the Twins ready to move on from the Big Man. Of course, the Twins could trade Bundy or Duffey or Thielbar or before last week Joe Smith. But be lucky to get a low level prospect in return. The joy would be if they were actually replaced by better pitchers traded for from other organizations. Padres need an outfielder. jake Cave anyone?

Dyson should've been a stuf, but...well, we all know the story. He is still out there, having a decent season in Mexico. How about a second chance, Twins?

THAT WOULD PUT A LOT OF CURRENT tWINS ON THE UNEMPLOYMENT LINE!

Everyone they would like to trade, no one would probably want. And those that people want, the Twins would be better off keeping.

He is owed a hunk of change and we know the front office hates to give anyone away. But remember, if a player is on the waiver wire in August, he goes. No pulling back. No trade worked out. So the Twins will run him out as long as they can afford to do so, at the expense of Celestino, Garlick or Miranda. And, whew, what happens if he produces, slams like 20 homers in the last two months at DH and hits .250 or above. Do the Twins (ahem) grab his...option for 2023 and go forward from there?