Rosterman

You play and pitch your best in games you need to win.

So keep Wallner at AA and NOT put him on the 40-man. Play him all of 2023 at St. Paul and see if you feel the need to advance him as the heir, let's say, to Max Kepler? Or send him to AAA now and use Kepler as mid-season tradebait knowing Matt is in the wings for 2023?

Bench of Buxton, Garlick, Celestino and Miranda. Gordon over Celestino? Whatever. So, what is the skinny on Miranda being the third catcher? Shouldn't he be getting some play there somewhere?

Plus half the pitches thrown in a game may be by a relief arm/s. You don't really know who will be coming in against which batter. Are those pitches called from the dugout?

Current bullpen is overworked. Prospects and arm tryouts are wonderful, if nmot competing for a division title. And bullpen arms need to be able to also pitch consecutive days. And one of the arms should only be that mop-up guy who can go long in blowout games.

Going to be an interesting ride going forwards. Starters used to be limito 100 pitches. Some were pushed. The Twins problem is that 4/6ths of the staff haven't pitched 150 innings of late, so they need to work towards that. The good news is that with injuries and time off and short starts, the Twins shouldn't be worrying about that much anymore. You need a pitcher that can do multiple innings, go hru a lineup more than once. Right now, many managers don't want to see poitchers face a batter a third time. That was once the purpose of an opener,. so your main "weak" starter could face a lineup the third time, but starting with the weaker part of a batting order. But the key is that a starter SHOULD be able to go thru an order three times, period. Pitch at least six innings most of the time. Then you have at least one long relief guy (in the Twins case, Jax...who pitched 150+ innings last season) and another who only then needs three days before seeing more usage. But even using a relief pitcher back-to-back seems a thing of the past. And when you have NO closer, it gets real interesting. You also have that 8th arm...the mop-up guy, the pitcher on the fringe. Sadly, the Twins seem to be heding in the direction that they have three such names - all veterans at the moment - Duffey, Thielbar and Smith. Two should be gone, sooner rather than later. Happily, there are names like Moran, Cano and Megill in the wings. You also have Sisk and Schulfer getting exposure at AAA. Is it too soon to give up on, say, Hamilton. A bunch of arms were put into circulation this week, and none leaped out for pick-ups by anyone, it seems.

Factors in stealing a base. Get the right runner on base with the right pitcher on the mound. The catcher not being the best at throwing out runners. Who is batting.

Who is this Kwan guy? Ryan, when he challenges and controls the speed of the game, can shine. He will still give up the home run ball, as expected in the early days of a career. But, buy...when he wants to...he can command. Pagan. Trying to fool the big guy? Failure. Maybe Duran needed to face the better batters and Pagan face the bottom of the lineup in the 9th. Can't move a guy to third, or get him home. I think there was that problem last year, too. Rocco given a full bench, uses everyone!

No team is going to trade for Correa unless you pretty much eat the rest of his salary for this season. Unless they honestly think he is worth going after long term and trading for him will give them one-up on ree agency. Would you pay Sano $13 million for next season? Hey, you put him on waivers, another team claims him. They release him. And you sign him abck for 2023 for $3-5 million, if you still truly want him. Who plays the Twins outfield in 2023? Better yet, 2024? Celestino is good, but he isn't great. You would love to say he is heir to Buxton in center with Byron moving to a corner spot. But I don't think we signed Byron for $100 million to have him leave centerfield in the next year or two. I don't see the Twins signing Kepler to another long-term contract, but another team might..... Urshela? If you trade him this season, he still has another at a decent price for a rebuilding team. Depends how much faith you have in Miranda, getting his at bats are so important this season. Otherwise, Steer? Encarnacion-Strand? Miranda until someone other comes along? Gio and Kepler can dangle at trade time. You have replacements who look to improve for the team in 2023.

A 10-year deal...a team has to hope for topflight production the first seven years, and that major league salaries will catch up to your payouts in years 8-10 to not make it look so bad that you carrying the guy on your roster. Because of his age, Correa can also gamble on the front end. Would he roll over and take $35 million - $105 for a reworked 3-year deal with the Twins with opts outs? Is it all about money? That is the horror, stupidity, the-destruction-of-baeball-as-we-know-it. How much does a guy want and what team is willing to pay the amount when they can possibloy get same production for less and also not have the salary sitting on their books. Correa signing was a stroke of genius. The Twins ahd the money off their books, and also a good chance to still have it off next season, too. They could afford to do an outrageous one (or two) off. Especially knowing that the player needs to produce above-and-beyond potential if they want still another much bigger payday.

Leach almost fell into the Enlow category. He was available for the Rule 5. But because of injuries was still an A-baall pitcher. He will be a minor league free agent after this saeson. Enlow, because he was protected, could be grabbed by another team easily if removed from the 40-man (as would be Balazovic or Henriquez). And then the new team could decide to send them, again, thru waivers before sending to the minor leagues. Thus the world of a min or league ballplayer. Rooker, also, faced downtime in 2020. Sadly, he WAS given every oipportunity to prove himself a major elague player. As much as Miranda, Larnach and also, now, Kirilloff. He didn't succeed and then was passed over by guys like Garlick, Refsnyder and even Cave and Celestino. So much can change in the life of a minor league player. A bad season in the minors may mean no shot in the majors. A rough time in he majors, and maybe no second chance...or a minimal second chance...because tehre are always memebrs from another draft class pushing you off the depth chart. Also, I like stolen bases as much as anyone. But stealing in the lowly minors? Pitchers and catchers are getting used to each other, and also pitchers are working on different pitches. I still remember this grat base stealer in the Twins minors system. Whatever happened to him? https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=rivera003dav I shake my head all the time at the millions spent up-front in baseball drafts on players that amount to next-to-nothing, and the careers that some of the lowlies have in return.

Sergio Romo is available!

Kepler might be worth something. I sure wish we had included Sano in the Padres deal and gotten, say, Hosmer and one of their rookie catchers, as well as CASH.

Play him every game at first base.

Former Twins NICK VINCENT (Braves system) and SERGIO ROMO (Seattle majors) have been cut from the organizations. Former minor league prospect Chris Mazza has been removed from the 40-man roster of the Rays. Iam Krol was released from the Padres system.

Twins sign BRANDON BISHOP for centerfield depth in the minors. Guess they need more. They also traded DANIEL ROBERTSON, coming off the injured list, to the Phillies for CASH!

I'm wondering who the Twins pitcher will be that leds the team in wins come the end of the season. And will there be more than one pitcher from the rotation with more than, say, 10 wins. It was a game you bring in Duffey to close, with Cotton warming up to put out the fire. Are we saving Duffey for the Arizona series? Some solid arms in Seattle!

Six-man rotation doesn't work if pitchers aren't going beyond the 5th inning and your bullpen is only 7 arms. The Twins have two off days still this month (one tomorrow). Then they have four off days besides the 5-day break for the All-Star game in July. Wait! Maybe THAT would work to the favor of giving all the rehab pitchers short starts and the reduced size of a pen. What do people think?

You didn't even mention Josh WInder, who I believe will be kept in St. Paul to start regularly as long as the Twins have five arms in the rotation. The Twins are now on a run of series, as well as the All-Star break, where they actually have significant off days. It will hopefully mean that if the Twins need an emergency starter, they will be able to call upon an able-bodied and more experienced Winder, while Sands works on overall improvements in St. Paul. The Twins still have to remove two pitchers as some point. Both Megill and Moran pitched last night, so sadly one of them will be sent out for Gray. Moran's lefty arm may not save him. At some point, if team's have to cut back to 13 pitchers, then the Twins will send out Megill. The two guys with options are then available if the Twins do decide to do anything with pitchers who would have to face a waiver wire. Cotton is on the bubble. Thornburg will get a few more chances. The consensus of many of us is that Duffey should just be cut loose. Sadly, Joe Smith has also been less effective of late. So we know we have at least two arms in the wings once the Twins make roster moves, as well as a hopefully improved Yennier Cano who should put his major league experience to work in St. Paul. Austin Schulter and Evan Sisk have both been promoted to St. Paul from Wichita for good look sees. Ian Hamilton is still an arm to be reckoned with. Anyone else of interest from the myraid of minor free agent pitchers housed in St. Paul? So, when Garlick returns, will it be at the expense of a pitcher due to new requirements, or a batter. The pain of sending out Miranda is you lose your primary backup at first. Gordon is out of options. Garlick is, in some sense, that perfect 13th bench guy (26th player). He is still the fifth outfielder, though. Kirilloff needs to come back, yes. That would be at the expense of Miranda (currently on a hot streak) who could spend more time at third base (rather than first in the majors) in the minors as the heir to Gio. The Twins could also send out Larnach to have him work thru the slump in St. Paul, allow Kirilloff to play left field. And maybe bring back Larnach once a hard decision is made on, say, Garlick. It is still confusing. The published roster still sits at 41 players (is Palacios really a Twin Twin?). At some point, the Twins will make decisions on players like Cotton, Duffey, Smith and Thornburg. Any of those names departing opens a 40-man spot. The Twins also have Balazovic, Henriquez and Strotman basically in limbo. Combined with Godoy and Contreras, the Twins have five players that thru their current play, really don't have a whole heckuva a lot of value in the trade market, and would argue if any team would put them on their own 40-man. (Okay, I would gamble on Balazovic, which is also what the Twins will do even into the off-season, barring a major injury or total meltdown or the guy on the mound). Moran leaves now for Gray. Garlick replaces either Megill or Miranda. Kirilloff replaces Miranda or Megill. Jake Cave stays late after every game waiting to hear from Gardenhire if he is going back to the majors.

I sometimes wish we had included him in the Rogers deal and took Hosmer in exchange, as well as a healthy check from the Pardres for the next three years rather than a payout.

Kirilloff is making his case. Inteesting to see what the Twins do with the bullpen, with Gray coming back and eliminating an arm, and then the upcoming "down to 13 pitchers" rule. Garlick is set to come back. Which pitcher does he replace? Then if we want to add Kirilloff, does he replace Miranda, Garlick, or do we send down Larnach? How do we get Jake Cave back to Target Field? The Twins have two shortstops to also watch, Beckham at AAA and Merrell at AA. Do they fit into short-term plans as a replacement in 2023 for Correa until Lewis gets better? And, should we swap out Jeffers for another catcher? Godoy worth more looks? Hamilton a possible keeper?

What happens when Garlick comes back? Miranda goes to the minors and plays more third base? Do we swap out the slumping Larnach for the moment with Kirilloff, so we can keep the right-handed bat of Garlick around longer? Is Arraez better in the field and batting than just being a DH? Boy, can't wait for Sano to enter the mix!

There would have been a major uproar if the Twins had signed Chi Chi in the off-season and put him on the major league roster. Instead, they got his services for a minor league deal. But it was just finding the time to add him to the 40-man. Should he have been called up before Derek Rodriguez? Was he a better choice than Cole Sands and should we have given those Sands starts to him? Would you rather have Chi Chi or Bundy in the rlotation? Does that say moe about Bunday, and less about Chi Chi? Needed to see more of him, and almost wished the Twins ahd stretched him to the 5-6 innings he was capable of throwing. But in the long-term, he is our #10, at best, starter.

Have no idea how a decent lineup can so...shut down. Only two batters got hits. Even if Celestino wanted to, say, steal a base, it wouldn't have matter as no one could do anything. Was Gilbert THAT good of a pitcher? Ryan was throwing strikes, keeping HIS apce of the game for the most paart. Gald to see him back. The need for two relief pitchers was a plus. I like Moran, but wonder who the Twins are going to cut to add Gray. And who do they cut to add Garlick. Larnach is on a slump. Do we trade him out for the moment with Kirilloff?

Well, do fans of baeball rally go to minor league games to see fights? I go to see top-flight prospects in competitive play. I have lots of friends who go because of all the other antics that surround the game.