Rosterman

Can they pitch in the American League with the extra bat in the line-up. How does the pitcher match up to playing in Target Field. Pretty much every starter with an ERA south of 4.25 will command at least three years. The big ones will command at least five (give them longer with an opt out). I have to admit that I like the Astros method, of picking up pitchers of greatness with limited contract years remaining, rather than having to sign them for 5-7 years. The Twins need a power starter. And they need a closer. Then they have to find rotation arms that can replace Perez (I think Smeltzer/Thorpe can do that), Gibson (I think Dobnak can do that), Pineda (I think Graterol/Pineda can do that). I'm not sure if Odorizzi 2020 could replace Odorizzi 2019. I would like to think so, but don't know if willing totake the extra gamble on Odorizzi 2021 and Odorizzi 2022...unless the Twins do have other arms that are going to step up for the future. I see Graterol being around for some length of time, but still question rotation/bullpen. I hope DObnak and Thorpe are mainstays thru arbitration. We know the Twins could possibly replicate the rotation/pen results from 2019. But they DO have to do better than that, as the division will be a tad tougher (Clevelland is NOT going away and the White Sox are showing signs of being better).

Twins sign Pineda (2 yars $20 million) and Dyson (2 years $10 million). Both not available for season opener!

The Twins will probably have to add 5-7 (at the msot) new guys. With all the pitchers currently on the roster, you wonder how many guys they will honestly add who MIGHT NOT play in the majors in 2019. To the list above, don't see the Twins sticking with Dyson, unless they can work out a reasonable two-year deal. Trevor Hildenberger will be gone. Ryne Harper might be, too. With Wade and Cave and anyone else, no need to keep LaMarre and Miller on the 40-man roster. Torreyes will also be jettisoned, but aybe brought back on a minor league, if he wishes to stay with the Twins. Looking at like 14 spots. And the Twins still do have to look at Gonsalves, Romero, Stewart, Wade (or Cave). What to do with Nick Gordon (replacement for Adrianza?). Also, has Adrianza maybe priced himself out of the picture for the moment?

Sign Pat Neshek? Or Sergio Romo? But not Both!

Hey, do we bring back Pat Neshek for 30-45 innings?

Yes, the Twins can EASILY spend $135 million. EVen long-terming some players on contracts still means those players could be tradable as other assets arrive from the world of prospect land (i.e. Rosario, maybe Buxton, possibly Polanco). In reality, with the lower payrolls of a couple of seasons and decent attendance, the Twins could puish closer to $150 million if not even $160 million. WInning games puts fans in the stands. Lastseason would've been dynamite if they had better weather at the beginning of the year. There really isn't a lot of piching out there. Odorizzi will land a job somewhere on a multi-year contract. Pineda would be a good solid low-end pickup for 3/4s of a season. Gibson will basically be in a tryout stage no matter where he signs. All three could come back to the Twins, although what is the cap you would spend on Jake...3 years $45 million do it? Needing just a back-up catcher. Maybe another bat> That's it for offense.

I would have grabbed a starter, even if his last name was Lynn, at the trade deadline (although I would have preferred Grienke). I would have overpaid and got Smith from the Giants as a closer. Instead of at bats to Wade/LaMarre/Miller I would have put Kiriloff in the lineup for September. 100% only players for round one of playoffs. And Odorizzi should have started Game One!

They need to open the purse strings a bit. Push towards that $160 million range. They can. If you win, people will come into the stands. Again, I will say, they missed a BIG opportunity to add a couple of solid pieces at the last trade deadline. The strengths in the minor league system will ony diminish as players can't find 40-man roster spots and become minor league free agents. I would talk with Pineda. I would also hold discussion with Odorizzi. You need to extend Berrios. Need to make a ecision on Rosario. Also, hard looks at where Buxton and Sano fit in the organization. You got another year to explore Buxton, but can you live with Sano and Gonzalez next year and not keep Cron? That's the off-season decision. Get a front line starter. Will cost a lot of money. You could've traded for one (like Grienke, although would he have come to Minnesota was the question) and not tie up funs for 5-7 years. Of course, you always have the ability to trade long-contract players. Back-up catcher. Another solid bat. At least two bullpen arms. You need to look at at least three rotation arms.

Yankees made many a grat play. Allowing a routine single to be a double, bad. Not scoring with bases loaded no outs, bad. Not batting Arraez leadoff, bad. Expecting more than a couple of outs from Romo against a powerhouse lineup, bad. Rostering players NOT 100%, bad. I shake my head at keeping prospects instead of getting a solid starter and a true closer. Hope those prospects will pan out in the future and not just become minor league free agents or Rule 5 draftees. Hey, can always use another 100 grand, right? But the team had a great year. And it was a team of fine players, meshing on the field, playing their heart out, taking series, avoiding losing streaks, setting a home run record. A rookie manager, a good stadium experience for fans in attendance. 100+ wins. Who would've thunk back in spring training!

Yes, you need pitchers. And it all starts with a strong rotation. It is a plus if your 4th and 5th starters can also throw relief innings. The Twins were pretty gutsy going into the post-season with three rookies (Dobnak, Smeltzer, Stashak) not to mention rookie Littell. The rottion arms alone were sketchy, with Berrios being totally inconsistent the second half, and the ability to get five innings a dream with Odorizzi, Gibson, Perez. Man, do miss Pineda.

We can second-guess trade deadline moves. We miss Pineda. What is with all the bases on ball. Come home and DOMINATE!

I would hope everyone is comfortable and on board for THIS game in Yankee stadium. Itwas the walks that hurt the Twins (as well as Arraez, sadly, in the field on two plays). Strike Zone too small? Pitchers can't adapt? You are playing one of the best teams ever. Even if the score was reversed, you stll have to worry about the Yankees coming back. Play to win. Don't need to save pitchers for tomorrow. There might not be much of a tomorrow if you lose.

A hanky is white. Period. But, good for the Twins. Can they print more to quelch the eBay sales and to make sure people have one?

I will be curious with the lineup. Make sure the guys who egt on base hit high in the order and can be followed by not one but 2 or 3 or 4 guys capable of getting him home (speaking of Arraex here). I'm happy with the pitching. Perez, Smeltzer or Thorpe are inetrchangable at this point. Every game starting today is the last game of the year!

Yes, I would extend him for four seasons this off-season with an option for a 5th season...and then you always have another possible option for a sixth. How much? That's the kicker. I would almost pass on Cron for 2020 and have Sano and Gonzales play first and third. And then I would move Sano to DH once Cruz hangs up his spikes. But I would still play him in the field to keep his glove fresh there. That is the worth of Sano...if he can be a fulltime DH who can also play the field at first AND third (especially in inter-league games). He is the perfect DH. Should be able to slug 40 homers a season and play there without missing a step. You do have to keep on him for his weight, his workouts, and also constantly review his swing and make him take pitches rather than just swing at those low-outside balls. Next two years in arbitratuon will bring him a minimum of $18m. So $50m and four would be a safe bet for both sides. But after the four, he suddenly starts to enter the $20 million range. If you treat him well, he could bacome Minnesota's David Ortiz, signing a comfortable set contract each year for the rest of his career.

I shuddered when Gibson came n. Of course, now, for the final FIVE games the Twins do have to use their post-season bullpen for at least four of the efforts, maybe using one game just to give work to some of the remaining guys (Stewart, Harper, Hildenberger, Romero, and let's get Alcala more than 2/3s of an inning of major league exposure). But gotta put away the division first. And be ncie to get 100 victories.

If the Twins think they can keep Sano working hard...look what happens when he does take pitches and lays off that spot the opposing team likes to pound, then there is a good chance he could become the next David Ortiz, making a comfortable living with renewable contracts staying in Minnesota. But deciding what to do with him for the next 3-5 years is more crucial. The benefit, he could move to first, which is a weak future spot for the Twins and depending on what they do with Cron, he could start there in 2020. Then slowly shift to fulltime DH. Seems the Twins always had a hardtime finding a fulltime DH before Cruz. The best may be yet to come. We'll see. Buxton, for all his goodness, is still not there. Having that extra season of cheapness, compounded even more with a weak arbitration battle in 2020 because he basically only played half-a-season, gives the Twins at least another year of decision. But they do have Kiriloff, or maybe Royce Lewis, or a number of other considerations. Again, it boils down to money for a 3-5 year extension...and if the Twins even see that need depending on rating the prospects. I still wonder what would've happened had the Twins traded him to the Mets before the deadline...something I would've seriously considered depending on other pieces. We also forget that the Twins have two more pressing pieces. Rosario and Berrios. Is Berrios the Ace? Attutude there for good or bad. Be interesting to see if the deal has sweetened even more from the pre-2019 talks. Rosario may be at his most valuable. See what happens in the playoffs. But over the years this Twins Daily board has been on the guy for non-clutch hitting, weak outfield play, always astonished when he does put up good numbers, and we wonder if it will continue. Even of late some have called him an average outfielder...like the marketplace is full of guys who hit .270 with 30 homers and 100 rbi. Well, we will find out. Like the quality season Delmon Young gave the Twins, I would almost NOT gamble on him being great and see what he could bring back in trade value this off-season. Are Raley or Rooker ready? Do we believe in Cave as a fulltime guy? Is LaMonte Wade a true prospect who could replicate something similar to Rosario? Remember, we have to find room for Larnach sometime soon, too.

So who needs to be seen in the last six games? Thorpe? Is Stewart forgotten? Harper on the bubble? Gibson and Perez ned to shine to be anywhere on the playoff roster. Can Smeltzer be an opener? I would try him as that in the Gibson start. Hope Garver is okay. And Kepler returns. Need 3 wins in six games against bad teams who have nothing to lose (see the Royals double-steal in the last game).

Bullpen for 2020: Rogers, May, Dyson, Littell, Stashak, Duffey. The Twins still need a bonifide closer, although I would be tempted to give that role to...Trevor May. The rotation is more iffy at this point. Can Dobnak and Smeltzer be a part of the mix? The Twins need two free agents for sure and could maybe add a Pineda to come in if a rookie tryout doesn't woprk.

What a ninth inning again. Two runs on five walks. Sheesh. A couple of folks have not auditioned well for jobs next year out of the pen. We have to ask about the value of Perez for the post-season. Glad to see Sano not reaching for those low outside pitches as much today. What happened to Kepler? Anyone? The Royals shortstop going down in the infield looked painful.

I love the swagger he is developing. He ahs to continue to work HARD on location. Reports will be pulled and people where see where he is msot comfortable throwing pitches, especially his 100 mph ones, and some batters can adjust accordingly. Yes, he can throw the ball by batters. I expect that he will get four more opportunities to shine. Depending on what they Twins think they need for a third rotation spot (do they keep Gibson on the roster of IL him), he does have an outsize chance.

I so want Rocco to pull a pitcher when they get into trouble, as can't afford to let a game get away. But Dobnak proved himself worthy and got out of a Big mess. Unfortunately, Rocco also wants to push his starters as far as he can and get that extra inning. So, Randy will be married next Saturday. He could start Wednesday or Thursday before going on marriage tenure. The bigger question is who will be the third Twins starter in the playoffs. Is Dobnak a viable candidate? Do we stick with Gibson or Perez? Trevor May ahs the stuff to be THE CLOSER for the Twins, or to share duties with Rogers come 2020. The guy, when he trusts his stuff, is dynamite. Like all closers, we worry about that long ball when he throws hard. But that is the name of the game. What has happened to the Twins offense. Can they NOT hit well at home? No homers against a weak KC starter, and nothing much against a weak bullpen. Few hits. Miss Arraez, who should be batting ledoff!

The question is the make-up of the team for the postseason. What three players are on the bench (Castro. Schoop, Cron as of now). Do you need Cave because of Kepler issues? Then, if you do need a bullpen game...well, you have Berrios and Odorizzi. So you have 10-11 arms in the pen - Rogers, Duffey, Littell, Romo, May. I can see the Twins keeping Smeltzer, Stashak, Graterol, Dobnak for sure. Word out on Romero, Perez, Harper. Is Thorpe deserving? What happened to Kohl Stewart. Twins have 12 games. Probably 2-3 times to highlight all those rookie starters. See how the opener works. But, yeah...facing the dreaded Yankees again! Can we Bomba Them?

It's one of those years in which the Twins MVY is the Twins Roster as a whole. Everyone has had their moments, everyone has been pretty consistent and played as a team. Even the now forgotten jettisoned bullpen arms (Magill, Parker, Morin) have been a part of the Twins getting to where they got. Talk about a TEAM EFFORT!

Y'know, I sometimes wonder why you would start your best pitcher against their best pitcher. Maybe start worst against best (or best against worst) and hope for a miracle. The Twins could also pull a first...a bullpen Playoff game! Again, who would be the guys you would keep. Would you keep Perez or Gibson. Can Perez be a bullpen guy? Do you want any of Smeltzer, Stashak or Graterol or Drobnak? Is Ryne Harper your secret weapom? Could you put Hildenberger in the opposition uniform and have him sneak out on the mound?