Article: Twins Reduce Clarity With Roster Cuts

[laloesch]

 

  On 3/30/2015 at 6:14 PM, Loosey said:

I'm not sure what the Twins are trying to prove/do here.  First off all do they really think this roster gives them the best chance to win?  Second, even if this roster does give them a better chance to win more games than other options, what good does winning 75 games do over winning 70 games with young guys?  I do not agree with TR/PM on most of these moves.  May has nothing left to prove in AAA.   Will he get hit hard in the majors?  Probably, but so will Milone and Stauffer and Pelfrey.  Why not groom the guys who will be on the roster when they are ready to compete.  It's almost as if TR is in denial about them not being a playoff team and thinks experience = better. 

 

They're not trying to prove anything IMO.  This is SYA, kinda like CYA except it's save your own bleep.  I think TR and his crew have been given the ultimatum by the Pohlads.  Start winning games put more fans in the seats so that i can make more money OR ELSE.  Just my opinion though.  

 

That said, i think they are miscalculating the guys being sent down (Sano, Rosario, May and to a lesser extent Hicks, Meyer and Buxton) would probably help this team win more games than Pelfrey, Milone, Stauffer, Robinson, Nunez and Tori Hunter.  Again, just my opinion though.

[jimmer]

 

  On 3/30/2015 at 7:07 PM, laloesch said:

They're not trying to prove anything IMO.  This is SYA, kinda like CYA except it's save your own bleep.  I think TR and his crew have been given the ultimatum by the Pohlads.  Start winning games put more fans in the seats so that i can make more money OR ELSE.  Just my opinion though.  

 

That said, i think they are miscalculating the guys being sent down (Sano, Rosario, May and to a lesser extent Hicks, Meyer and Buxton) would probably help this team win more games than Pelfrey, Milone, Stauffer, Robinson, Nunez and Tori Hunter.  Again, just my opinion though.

Pohalds just saw the value of their team jump by almost 50% in one offseason, didn't they?

[jokin]

 

  On 3/30/2015 at 6:57 PM, Dave T said:

Last year Hicks hit well in Spring training and won the CF job.  This year he sucked in Spring training.  I doubt we'll see him again.  It seems pretty clear to me; I don't know why Ted thought the Twins FO reduced clarity.  Robinson and Schafer have been the best center fielders in camp.  Why would the Twins pick anyone else?

 

As for Pelfrey, his first relief appearance was a walk-over.  It turns out he can get ready in 10 pitches.  He is the guy Ryan thought he was getting in Stauffer.  I am a lot less worried about the bullpen than I was a week ago.

 

The AL Central is a tough division, and one of the reasons is the Twins.  This is a good ball club. 

 

The only possible positive outcome for Pelfrey was in Ryan making the obvious-to-some move that many of us have been calling for from his first year with the Twins.  Not out of the woods and into the clover yet though.... the next question for Pelfrey to answer is if he can pitch effectively on back-to-back days.  A new Wade Davis isn't built in one ST appearance.

Edited March 30, 2015 by jokin

[Kwak]

Returning to the premise of the thread "...reducing clarity...", I must disagree. The roster decisions confirm that the Front Office is "putting lipstick on a pig" hoping to convince the public (hey, it appears that they have convinced at least half of TD posters!) that the Twins are a "good" ballclub worthy of their support (and money). The definition of a "good" ballclub is "flexible"--it is whatever you want it to be. 2015 is but another season where problems were "defined", some personnel changes were made, some actions taken, and a posture of "fixed" made. Sadly, "fixed" hasn't yielded a "good enough" ballclub. But, some things have been consistent: never a pronouncement that a "total rebuild" is/was needed or that management expected that the process would be 5+ years. 

Edited March 30, 2015 by Kwak

[savvyspy]

Why I ever believe anything will ever change with this team is beyond me. The core competency of this front office is punishing younger players every year until they prove they are Hall of Famers while NEVER giving them the opportunity to ever crack the lineup. Now we are going into the year with Fryer, Hermmann, Nunez and this Robinson guy while NONE of the rookies "are ready" yet. This is a 95 loss roster as it sits today. You could hope luck shines on them and they only lose 85 but there is nothing about this team that suggests they are better today than in any of the past 4 years.  

[shimrod]

Watched the first couple innings of the Monday night Boston game.....what a heaping pile of crap.

 

And why, why, game after game, do our players (aside from Vargas) look like sticks beside the opponents? Is Mauer on the John Travolta work out program? He's a corner infielder now, it's time to hit the weights and make an impact.

[jimmer]

Mauer looks like he's in good shape to me.  Then again, I have HDTV.

 

Mauer, when healthy, makes in impact.  Whether he does it the way some feel a 1B should or not is, sadly, debatable.  Bulking up doesn't necessarily mean anyone is going to make 'an impact' more than if he didn't bulking up. It's about bat speed, torque, getting the barrel of the bat on the ball, knowing what kind of batter you are, etc.

Edited March 31, 2015 by jimmer

[wagwan]

The Twins have a top ranked minor league system, lost 90+ forever  and have NO rookies on the roster....

[Rosterman]

Marketing the Twins in 2015 was going to be a problem. After four losing seasons, the one thing they couldn't announce was "Watch us Rebuild to a Brighter Future." The naysayers would pounce on the dollars (decreased as it would be go) in the pockets of the powers-that-be. And, of course, you have no idea how ALL these prospects will pan out. So, the Twins spent more money, extending the Ace, paying BIG money for an above-average starter, bringing back hometown favorite Torii Hunter. And hoping they can shuffle the cards and make the names that people are somewhat familiar with into a pot of gold. Of course Santana, Arcia, vargas and, in a lesser vein, Pinto will shine. Mauer will come beck strong. There is no way the rotation can s-u-c-k. The stat records of Milone and Santana and Nolasco says nay! The bullpen is strong, just needed tweaking from the backend. 

 

We may still see those prospects, but the Twins will be competitive in 2015, or so the line comes from the front (marketing) office. Trist us that the Twins found some diamonds-in-the-rough and everyone will pull together to win in this even division where anyone can take home the title.

 

And the Twins still have the best of futures going forwards. We just might s-u-c-k again this year, which means rebuild will happen and we will really s-u-c-k again. But hey, remember the Twins from 1992-2000?

[USAFChief]

  On 3/31/2015 at 2:02 AM, wagwan said:

The Twins have a top ranked minor league system, lost 90+ forever  and have NO rookies on the roster....

Possibly Graham.

 

Who, of course, isn't a graduate of the Twins' system.