nicksaviking

And sucking in RF at Target Field proves to be more of an annoyance and less of an actual problem.

The flexibility is fine by me. But if we're talking about Buxton, Jenkins and E-Rod in the OF, I don't really want to platoon any of them. Days off, sure, platoons I want to severely decrease.

I truly don't care where he plays. But if he's one of the team's best hitters, then he needs to be in the lineup every day.

I think WAR positional adjustments are deeply flawed. But I can both provide an example of this flaw and a solution to the Keaschall defense problem in one swoop: Here is 39-year-old Torii Hunter magically improving his dWAR. Why? Because he started playing in Target Field's petite RF. Play Keaschall there if we're that worried about his defense.

Are we at all interested in Trey Benson? I'm not quite sure on the mechanics, but sounds like you'd have to roster him until Week 1 when you could put him on the IR/PUP? Not quiet sure, but if no one claims him AZ can put him on the PUP. Zavier Scott is already 27-years-old, so if he's still on the table to make the roster, I'd rather take a flyer on a higher upside guy like Benson. If Benson isn't healthy week 1, there will surely be RBs from other teams that will be cut that are as good or better than Scott anyway. And, obviously Benson is a RB, so it goes without saying that his floor is 'never plays in the NFL ever again'.

Sounds rough. Least us middle class folk can do is offer to cover the entirety of his tax obligations. Can we build him a new stadium at least? Wouldn't hurt for the Dodgers to have two of them.

Buxton plays body cast guy and Larnach plays his full time nurse. Jenkins and E-Rod up to get a taste of a playoff race before it fades away completely, and they both get a chance to get acclimated in hopes that the learning curve won't be so large next year on a team should aim NOT to be under .500 for 90% of the season.

And the case has already been resolved? This happened yesterday, he has already pleaded no contest and everything is over and done with?!?! This is literally the name of the task force that set up the sting: Mahoning Valley Human Trafficking Task Force And yes, a Google search for this task force shows an article from last December, they do target people seeking minors. Though from this, most who were arrested were not. https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Media/News-Releases/December-2025/Mahoning-Valley-Human-Trafficking-Task-Force-Arres But with this research I do feel better about any insidious details being covered up. If you're a law enforcement officer working on this specific type of task force, I think it's unlikely EVERYONE would keep their mouths shut. They surely feel just as strongly about getting rid of predators as the rest of us do or else they'd be doing other cop jobs. But still, even if he had a reason to be in Cleveland; at trailer park? And not a more above-board and less risky high-end escort in a hotel room? Doesn't add up.

Second best is probably Sonny Gray (37) or Shota Imanaga (33). Maybe Casey Mize or Michael King? But I don't know that I trust Mize's track record and I definitely don't like King's alarming drop in strikeouts. Then guys like Gausman, Ray, Peralta? I'm not sure I'd rather have many of these guys as opposed to the internal options. Which is why I might be more inclined to see if they can do another trade instead. I had been thinking Corbin Burnes would be in this free agent class, but the guy still hasn't thrown this year so I have a hard time seeing him not taking his 36M player option.

So the 49ers owner John York was arrested in a Cleveland trailer park for prostitution. I can't imagine any reason a billionaire from San Francisco would go to a Cleveland trailer park unless it was to meet with someone underage. Speculation I know, but I haven't seen it speculated in print yet and I'm already building myself up to be furious if this is found to be accurate and people are helping him cover it up.

This is why I'm annoyed with KOC specifically trying to distance himself from the McCarthy pick. Almost all of them have busted, and McCarthy was the 5th QB taken that draft! Sure, the casual fans will think this pick was some special unicorn the Vikings failed to develop, but anybody who knows anything about football knew this was a high risk gamble going in, yet just about every one of us accepted that and agreed that it was a gamble they needed to take. Running from this looks cowardly and foolish considering the odds likely were never more than 50/50 that this would work out. KOC may be the wrong guy for the job, but I would like to see him with another legit rookie QB. Maybe next time one that has more experience and maturity. I don't think failing on McCarthy is any different than failing on the other recent top QBs that lacked experience, like Richardson and Lance. I think McCarthy is still too young and too stubborn to show real growth. Unnecessarily throwing as hard as he possibly can to a wide open WR should prove this. Missing was unintentional, throwing as hard as he can was not. When showing off how strong you are is your top priority, you look like you're still a frat boy. To have a chance in this league, he's going to need to get humbled, broken down and re-assembled just like Mayfield, Darnold and Geno Smith did. As for Brosmer, I'm not putting much weight on an UDFA QB. I don't specifically remember what Brosmer was doing last year to look good, but he's got a weak and inaccurate arm and is slow as molasses. Those seem to be fairly un-fixable issues.

Welcome! It looks like Jay has quietly put up some really good numbers!

True, but in all sports I tend to think the athletes capable of coming up big in the post season tend to be the guys who wouldn't be rattled easily. And no critique of any player in particular because I'd crumble like a sand castle if I was under the bright lights.

Call him up. Can his superhuman abilities include a significant healing factor? Like next time he violently crashes into a wall, instead of hitting the IL he just pops back up and flashes his adamantium claws?

That would be great to sign Skubal. But if there's a floor for the Twins, there will also be a floor for teams like the Brewers and Rays (and barf White Sox), who will have just as much, or even more money to spend AND have the optics of being a legit contender.

Swap back in Ryan and Lopez over Bubic and Mize and use the prospects and payroll to make another Lopez/Gray/Maeda/Odorizzi trade and you’ve got one of the best rotations in the league. Im going to be disappointed if this team gets rid of the top two arms and replaces them with more mid to back end starters.

The inconsistency is a symptom of the poor on base skills, it's not the other way around. When guys who can draw walks go cold with the bat, it's much less noticeable. When guys who can't get on base go cold with the bat, they're basically un-playable. Like similar fan favorite Michael A Taylor, he's going to be frustratingly unpredictable.

I didn’t care how they got down to two catchers. But as someone who isn’t a huge Caratini guy, I was hoping they’d dangle him on the wire just to see what happened.

Dropping the stupid sinker was always the hack to getting better results from Pittsburgh pitchers. Hadn’t noticed if this was an Orioles trend. Splitters work pretty similarly, in that a subpar infield probably wants to see neither. In any case, good decision. I didn’t want him, but I’d be more than happy to eat my previous critiques.

So this just means we’re going back to the good ol’ days of calling balls and strikes. Vet Aaron Nola, who is clearly cooked, but still has the league-wide rep of being a control artist, gets two inches on both sides of the plate, and young pup Bradley who’s looking good but playing in a flyover market losses a half inch on each side and and two inches on the bottom. Netfix getting Greg Maddox to call this game?

Funny that the state of Indiana will have two NFL teams and Illinois zero. Even though it's the same metro, Chicago will be eyed for an expansion or relocation team.

My point is, if the depth is bad, it doesn't need to be ON the roster. It can be on other team's rosters. This was all just today. If you're running out pitchers with a 5.00+ ERA, the current depth isn't worth sacrificing the better roster management.

But this is where I think front offices run into a fallacy about depth. Because the team thinks the rotation NEEDS to keep Matthews, or Festa last year or the numerous bad vets like or Matt Schumacher or J.A. Happ or Dallas Keuchel because there just aren't enough arms in the system without them. But you don't need this kind of depth in the system because the production (or lack thereof) these guys are providing is no different than picking up Carlos Carrasco or Martin Perez or Joe Blow off of the waiver wire to be sacrificial inning eaters.

"But there is a growing argument that his best opportunity to help the Twins down the stretch might come in the bullpen." I don't think it's a growing argument; it's fully matured and aged well beyond adulthood. Matthews should have been in the pen no later than when pitchers and catchers reported this past spring. If Matthews as a one inning pitcher had jumped his velocity from 96 MPH to 99 MPH on his four seamer, while working in his slider and curveball and dropping his ineffective changeup and sinker, the bullpen might not have looked so dreadful the first half of the year.

Could be, but I hope not for KOC's sake. I liked Nix much better than Penix, who I really disliked as he was a complete statue who couldn't even throw on bootlegs and was surprisingly inaccurate despite some of his passing numbers. I eventually got talked back off of Nix too though. And you know, I think everyone was right, in so far as he has turned out to be a good QB, but like many suggested, he was already at his ceiling.