Game7-91

Spot on! Great call?

Flaccid portends These omens whispering Of outs on the black

So true, if Buck is back this season would like to see that lineup every day for whatever is left of season.

Liked Larnach and Kiriloff contributing defense today. Is this team better with Larnach RF, Kiriloff 1B, Sano bench/PH?

Watching Rogers and Pressly win a WS in Houston would rub a lot of salt in a deep wound.

Since the 1960's MLB has doubled the # of franchises and also increased the # of pitchers on MLB roster, from 10 to 13/14 now. Add 14 new teams, 3-4 pitchers per team, and 42-56 additional pitchers needed comparatively speaking to historical standards. Not that 1960 was the Golden Era of MLB, but just to get a sense of the changes in MLB pitching usage indicates that pitching quality is spread thin across MLB, and any one staff is a good as the weakest link in a 13-14 person chain. We have classic case of demand (for quality, and depth at all levels of the organization) exceeding supply, and the skewed economics that result. Most teams compete for mediocre talent in hopes of finding one season of performance that exceeds payroll commitments. But when performance and/or years of service reach a level of having to make long term salary commitments, the calculus changes. Pitching depth has to be protected now more than any time in the past. So, I agree with Tom, good luck finding that diamond in the rough in someone else's MiLB system. Economics drove trading Pressly, and that hurt this teams ability to compete at high level in the last 3 years. The Jake Cave trade is showing signs of working in the other direction-would we rather have Cave or Luis Gil knocking at the door? Why would teams take the risk of trading pitching except for possibly high level, proven, controllable MLB talent? I fear for the Twins and Berrios. The Twins need him more than he needs the Twins, and we all know how well the Twins do when they have to compete at a high level for in-demand free agents. I hope they sign him, but expect they wont, and I anticipate we will continue to see a cycling of mediocre pitching talent for years to come (unless a new CBA miraculously changes the underlying economics).

Excellent question.

Amen to that.

Can she pitch?

My understanding was payroll was going to settle at 130M this season, then learn its actually closer to 117...I could be wrong but recall Feb article here abt that issue. Org gets a covid pass this year. But not 2022. Not just FA's, but ownership needs willingness to commit to their own (Berrios), and take on mlb salary in trades to improve roster. If not, Twins will be nibbling around the edges of mediocrity for a long time.

Beautiful....maybe the best inva long line of excellence . Needed the laugh today-felt great, thank you!

OK, so we are now onto the great RBI vs RBI's debate, and fella's, there is only one right answer here?: R'sBI. Runs is plural, always has been, always will be. We are not talking intestinal distress here, but moving multiple runners across home plate over time. An argument may be made to move the possessive to the end, after In, but, for consistency, I prefer it remain where it rightfully belongs, proximate to the noun it so modifies, hence, R's it is. I have dutifully notified MLB of the same and expect full compliance forthrightly, in about the same time frame as the sticky stuff disappears from pitching gloves.

Agree 100%. Question is does Berrios want to stay? Extend him this off season, if he doesnt want it then look to trade him b4 ST. He should be priority 1, Buxton 1A.

And you have to ask WHO from the whole mix you expect to see on the roster in 2022, which is either a rebuilding year around a new crop of players, thus plugging in B-level free agents, of you do make a splash keeping Buxton and Berrios on the team, move Sano to DH and make Alex the 1B. Berrios contract status is the straw that stirs the roster make-up for 22 and beyond. I dont favor trading him now, but if he cant be extended, then he should go before ST. Extended or not, they will have to commit to finding front end SP's through the FA's, and hope a couple of the farm kids can fill 4-5. Berrios is not a #1, but he is the best we have for dependable, decent SP. https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2021/06/twins-havent-recently-initiated-extension-talks-with-jose-berrios.html

Fan base reacts as Dobby, Alex, and Matt enter, turning a run of the mill loss into yet another blowout...

This is getting at the gist of the universal vs. the particular in stat's. 2 runs down in the 9th may be a 93% probability generally. But in a specific game situation, it is not, for most MLB teams, insurmountable. Bringing in the new guy to get beat down in the 9th just added another layer of sheer gloss lipstick to this pig of a season. IMHO this team has grown far too accustomed to assuming the loss in late game adverse situations,, and plays accordingly, from the manager on down.

They should wear their wpa from their last game as the uni # for the next game.

It was close until the 1st inning.

If it were only trading the salary, an argument could be made, But makes no sense to trade salary and then include 15M cash. JBJ is a disaster, but taking on JBJ guarantees and trading JD's gives the Twins a positive net of appx 23M. Milwaukee can keep the kid with the TOS recovery. One for one, no cash would be the deal if its just a salary issue. If we need to rebuild pitching staff 2022, that's 23M we otherwise do not have. Maybe there is a different team where that sort of deal might make more sense than Milwaukee--Yankees? I dont believe their 3B crew is exactly lighting it up. But who then plays 3B 2022? Another FA? I'm all for trading salary, if it creates space to rebuild pitching roster, and IF Twins' ownership is serious about reinvesting the net into payroll. If not, keep JD and pay the freight.

If we are not committing to the guys the org has successfully developed (Pressly, May ) and instead look for value in mid-level FA's, the results are going to be hit and miss. Always looking for the next Wissler, never committing to the existing Pressly on the staff. It is one way to do it, but Oakland and TB do it a heck of a lot better than our Twins org does, even with the wunderkinds at the helm, there is precious little evidence to suggest this org can continually rotate talent to remain annually competitive. We are not competing for top FA's, and we have not proven we can consistently develop top level talent. Maybe the need is investing in the evaluation, selection, and development aspects if the org is ever going to get out of the cycle where we compete for a certain "window" and then have a 5-7 year rebuild. Study the A's, Ray's, Dodgers...how are they able to churn out talent, especially pitching, seemingly every year? Whatever that is, do that.....

Seeing's how the rules do not specifically disallow horses in play, the Twins can seize this out of the box moment by adapting a hybrid model: Mr Baffert trains players in the principles of Cossack and Roman riding...the OF gaps are covered even without Buxton, and guaranteed there are no 2B or SS who will be interested in completing those DP relays with a 1200 lb Arabian warhorse bearing down on the bag. This could be wildly entertaining. Good call for the Twins........

Thanks TD team, so far really liking the layout and accessibility. Unlike our hometown hero's TD can make adjustments on the fly and still win....good job fellas!?

Please let's evaluate Vargas by letting him start at 1B. Mauer is DH, 1B backup, left bat off bench. Rather see if Vargas can play everyday. This infield scares me. But please do not move Dozier without fair value. Bourjos helps every pitcher on the staff.