wabene

My problem with that is starting pitching is the most valuable and hard to develop major league asset. Like the quarterback in football. I don't think you can just snap your fingers and switch a young guy from relieving to starting in May. "Just stretch him out". It's not that easy. Let Louie focus singularly on his dream of being a starter. If the results are middling and the need is there, he can always move to the pen for the stretch run. It is much easier to go from starting to the pen than vice versa. As for wasting innings in AAA, Ober got 25 starts last year even after being sent down for a while. Louie will get his chance and he will be hungry. My 2¢.

There appear to be 2 camps here so I don't think this is between you and I. I will respond to your post though. I do not see the depth you do. I'm looking for major league quality depth, this is supposed to be a contender. I do see the Twins trading for a major league starter, hopefully a top of the rotation arm, but that will be expensive. Then maybe a minor league signing bounce back candidate like De Leon, that would be your number 6. I would argue any starter that fits this mold is clearly behind Louie and this is why Louie is my number 6. You are not going to get anyone better than that to sign a minor league deal. That is exactly why a good team will have a quality young arm with options "wasting his bullets" in AAA. Let's look at our depth behind the top 5 including that trade acquisition: L. Varland has not had the injury issues of many of our starter candidates and is highly motivated to start. A bulldog. The fastball/cutter at 99-98 & 92-91 is lights out. Can he make it work at 96-95 & 90-89? If he is a #3 or better starter, forget about the pen. Duran is not starting because he couldn't hold up to a starter's work load, that's not Louie. SWR has pitched in the majors, has the pedigree and is now entering the early part of his prime (still young), so even though his results have been spotty, he has a chance. Solid depth. David Festa has the stuff to be a starter for a few innings, then he gasses out. The string bean needs to build up stamina and get stronger. He is not quite solid depth, more unproven depth. If he can't make it as a starter, he looks good in the pen to me. That's it. After this you have to reach down to AA or below? Pierson Ohl, Andrew Morris, C J Culpeper, Corey Lewis, Zebby Matthews? Maybe one of these guys jumps up and makes a couple of good starts. Maybe. Dobnak? Would be a fun story, but it's a fairytale. Raya? Not yet anyway. After that I would put Hendrick next for what's left at AAA, but after 2 good long relief outings the wheels fell off. Starter? Very iffy. I'm sure I'm missing somebody and they will add, but the depth is not what it was last year. So far anyway.

Sorry, hard disagree here. With your thinking, what is your starter depth? We had the same conflict here last year with Ober and as mentioned he ended up making 25 starts. As I've said before to those who will complain when a major league caliber starter is waiting in St Paul, this is a good thing. It is a sign that you have a competitive ballclub. If your front office has a young major league caliber starter waiting their turn in AAA every year, they are doing a commendable job. The opposite would be malpractice, scrambling to ramp up Varland or turning to a lesser pitcher when the inevitable injuries happen.

This is the truth.

and breaking the streak and winning a playoff series. That was a good season, man. Sure winning it all would be great, but if that is all you can accept, you will forever be disappointed. Arby and JM already said much of what I was going to say about that trade. Gray was exactly what we needed and he delivered. The win loss record is irrelevant. The Twins should be commended not only for the very smart deal, but for putting in place a pitching program that got more out of Sonny than anybody else had. People say he's glad to leave here. Hardly, I'm sure he's got 70 million reasons why he appreciates the Twins. Sonny is not a fool. This is exactly the kind of deal a team like the Twins needs to close the gap with those that have all the advantages.

The only guy I see moving Julien off of second is Lee and that won't be right away. I love Polo, always been one of my favs. Now is the perfect time to deal him because that is the area we have depth and he has 2 years of control, so more value. If the perception that Jorge is healthier than he's been in years, then even more value. Julien can be one of the best second baseman in the league, average or better in the field with the best bat. Even with Polo gone if Kirilloff, Lewis, Correa, Julien, Lee and even Miranda are all healthy and productive (a big if), you have a surplus.

I agree, this should be a baseline in judging his season. Success then would be tied to his performance, the value he provides the team, not the number of games played.

Couple of Buxton myths and they are both tied together: That mentally Buxton is not suited to DH. That he takes a while to get his timing back when he comes back from injury. Yes last year he was not good at the plate when returning, but in other years he would come off the list, without going on a rehab stint, and just smoke the ball. In both cases the only problem is he can't hit when he doesn't have his legs under him. He can DH to give him a reprieve from fielding duties, but he can't when his knee is weak and painful. If Buxton isn't 100% or close to it, sit him. The same is true with Polo, if one or more of his ankles aren't right, he can't follow through properly on his swing to drive the ball.

I think the simple point to make here is talent wins out. Want less strikeouts? Get better hitters. You want pitchers to pitch deeper into games? Get better pitchers.

This is a great sentence Here we are right back to Moneyball, KISS OBP is everything, lol, love it.

Without the Sonny Gray trade the Twins don't break the streak and they don't win a playoff series. It is the Ying to the Mahle trade Yang, grasshopper.

Great thread. It is true that Miranda was thought to have more upside than Steer. Steer was perceived much like Schobel or Keachall as maybe lower floor (edit: I meant ceiling) utility type. It now appears that Steer may have the more complete bat, but you never know a healthy Miranda may surprise us. CES looked like a dangerous man to me with a bat in his hands. That one hurt at the time for me. Looking at upside, or all-star potential for our current crop of young position players that will be available this year in descending order I would go Lewis Very close behind would be Julien who I think has a chance to be the toughest, clutchest playoff out on the team. Lee, could he be a more consistent, better fielding Polanco? Kirilloff if healthy enough to really get in top shape, he can get to anywhere in the strike zone with that bat. Jeffers, he could climb this list if he builds off of last year. Wallner Martin After that you've got some wildcards. For me the top three are pretty much off-limits.

When talking trades, prices go up at the deadline along with risk. What I hope the Twins learned from the '22 deadline was the importance of self scouting.

I am prepared to die!

True yes, but to me it doesn't matter. All that matters is the final result. We had to wait last year, but the final results were pretty dang good.

Whaddya think? The over/under on the Twins first big move at 29.5 days from today....

Yeah don't trade Eddie, he's a stone cold killer.

.294 .455 .588 1.043 Monsieur Julien's playoff slash line. Monsieur Octobre, oui ou non?

While this makes some sense and the timing of the announcement was a buzz kill, they would get roasted for not being transparent. When your job requires a tough task, it is prudent not to hesitate.

It's becoming clear that no matter what Baldelli does some narratives will not die. That was a fun season and we are poised for more success. Top to bottom this organization is leaps and bounds ahead of where they were in 2016. My 2¢ Baldelli has improved as he has gained experience. Baldelli has shown he adapts well to the different strengths of his players (the safety squeezes were quite fun, eh?).

I'll believe the Vikings traded UP in the draft when I see it. Color me sceptical.