Rosario, Vargas, Arcia, Santana

[stringer bell]

If Casey Fien feels okay, he will be in uniform tomorrow.  That could be the end of the road for Stauffer or Duensing, or mean an option for Tonkin or Pressly.  It still doesn't deal with the logjam between left field, shortstop, and DH.  Arcia is rehabbing and so far Vargas is raking at AAA.  Who should be with the Twins and who should be in the minors? 

[Homer Hanky]

Wondering if trading Escobar would free up time for Palanco to be the regular SS and Santana could turn into the utility guy. 

 

Which then frees up a trade of Nunez... 

 

Which then allows you to have Varges as the DH 

 

Thots? 

 

[DocBauer]

Not to sound unfair but, why is Stauffer here? He's been awful since ST and the start of the season, and comes up almost immediately after a couple milb innings? I honestly thought he should have to work and prove his way back.

 

However....the team does appear to have one too many relievers right now. As a result, I would suppose Stauffer will get more rope, and Tonkin or Pressly will go down now. And the other in a week or so for a position player. I'm not so sure a couple guys shouldn't go down and bring Oliveros up. But that's a question and 40 man discussion for a different day.

[SwainZag]

Fien up Stauffer DFA'd.  Tonkin down and Vargas back up.  Arcia sees time in AAA beyond his rehab.  Just my guesses.

[Danchat]

Here's my hypothetical schedule:

 

Activate Fien, DFA Stauffer.

When Arcia is ready, activate him and option Eddie Rosario. 

When Vargas is ready to come up (probably 2 weeks or so), option Tonkin.

When Schafer is ready, I'd probably just DFA him. Not sure if the Twins will do this, but he shouldn't be with the major league team.

 

Also, as Homer Hanky points out, Jorge Polanco is ready for a promotion to the big leagues. He's a better prospect than Santana and I'd rather see him at SS now. But then where does Santana play? 

 

At least these are the good types of problems to have.

[stringer bell]

I'd like to see Rosario stay.  He's a far better defender with an excellent OF arm and he can hit, although he needs to be more selective.  That would push Arcia vs. Vargas for DH at-bats.  I also wouldn't be totally opposed to seeing Santana spend a month or so in Rochester, it seemed to help Hicks and so far Vargas has responded well.

[gil4]

 

Jorge Polanco is ready for a promotion to the big leagues. He's a better prospect than Santana and I'd rather see him at SS now. But then where does Santana play? 

Rochester

[Danchat]

 

Rochester

I was referring to what position, not what team. I think he can still hit well enough to stay in the majors, but a trip to AAA wouldn't hurt.

[beckmt]

My best guess is Tonkin back to Rochester. 

[twinsnorth49]

I'm with Stringer, I'd like to see Rosario stay, he's been a plus in the field and he's shown he can have a good bat. It also has the added bonus of keeping Arcia further away from playing in the outfield.

 

Stauffer optioned to make way for Fien, Santana down when Arcia is ready and send either Tonkin or Pressley back to bring up Vargas. If Polanco keeps up his play or Santana goes down and lights it up either of them can make Nunez expendable.

[curt1965]

Not to sound unfair but, why is Stauffer here? He's been awful since ST and the start of the season, and comes up almost immediately after a couple milb innings? I honestly thought he should have to work and prove his way back.

However....the team does appear to have one too many relievers right now. As a result, I would suppose Stauffer will get more rope, and Tonkin or Pressly will go down now. And the other in a week or so for a position player. I'm not so sure a couple guys shouldn't go down and bring Oliveros up. But that's a question and 40 man discussion for a different day.

I agree with Doc with regard to Stauffler, but that is not the way the Twins roll, for some reason. I would guess that Presley or Tonkin will head to Rochester.

I agree, also, with the 13 member pitching staff thought . Molly has always said he prefers 7 guys in the pen, so I completely don't understand what's going on there. Off the top of my head, I don't think either Stauffler or Graham has pitched in the last week or so. They need another hitter to keep this streak alive!

[John Kelsey]

Fien back, Stauffer DFA'd

 

Vargas up, Santana down to Rochester

 

End result- Rosario in left, Escobar at short, Vargas at DH, Arcia stays in Rochester until he earns his way up. 

[gunnarthor]

For a bit, I'd like to see Arcia DH, let Rosario stay in left a bit longer, send down Santana and let Escobar start at short. 

 

 

[hotshot031]

Fien up, Shauffer down would be the best thing, but they dont always do the best thing (sending a hot-hitter in Vargas down???? Giving you Nunez and escobar to DH/Pinch hit????). They will probably send Tonkin down and keep TS up (Vomit). Vargas needs to be back quickly because they need a better hitter/PH than Escobar/Nunez. My guess is Arcia is up, they go back to 12 pitchers, and before Vargas. I'd think they might send D Santana down soon if Vargas continues to rake. On Monday, if Vargas hits a couple more homers during the weekend and continues to hit for a great average, I'd be pretty surprised if Santana continued to struggle if Vargas wasnt swapped by monday. One can only hope.....

[blairpaul715]

What i want to happen and what will are completely two different things.....................In the immediate future, I think Fien comes up, Tonkin goes, Pressly soon to follow with Arcia or Vargas up............I would like to see Stauffer be DFA'd but i would be super surprised(but happy) if that happened..............I dont think Schafer sees Minnesota again , unless an injury to Hicks before we would DFA him. With how we are playing, I dont want to see too many changes that could disrupt the good feel that might be in the locker room right now.

[h2oface]

This pitching staff needs an outfield that can play the positions. Rosario and Hicks have been the ticket. Please keep Escobar out of the outfield. He looked like Delmon Young the other night in the rain delayed game. Get it back to 7 in the bullpen. There is not room on this team for both Vargas and Arcia. My vote goes for switch-hitting Vargas. Arcia should never play the outfield with this pitching staff that does not miss bats. Try to trade Arcia, Meyer, and Santana to Colorado for Tulo. Or Polanco or Gordon instead of Santana, Colorado's choice. Escobar is a super valuable utility man for the infield for the Twins. I would like to see Stauffer culled for Fien (DFA him and see what happens - he cannot just be "sent down")....... right now. He is not a Twin, anyway, in my head. Arcia can rake in Rochester, and increase his trade value and show he is healthy. Tonkin back down and Vargas back up, and let him switch hit as DH. Buxton's arrival should get rid of both Robinson and Schafer.

[diehardtwinsfan]

I think it's time for Stauffer to go.  It's practically June at this point and he's not producing.  Fein for Tonkin for sure.  Don't mind the idea of Arcia DHing for now.  I'm not against optioning him as well and telling him to go work on his defense and bring Vargas back to DH. 

[twinssouth]

Arcia needs to stay down, he's brutal in the outfield. Saw him in Tampa in LF totally miss a simple fly ball. All of us saw the balls trajectory under the dome roof, yet he blew it. Must have been busy eating a Snicker bar or something. Twins are winning with better outfield defense, why change it up.

[Platoon]

I just think they will send Tonkin back, at least for awhile. Stauffer will get one more chance here. It's the TW. (Twins Way). I am a big fan of Arcia, but even I think he has to catch a higher % of fly balls to play with this pitching staff. He might benefit from an extended stay in Rochester, both for fielding, and attitude. Trading him would be a mistake. When the light goes on for him, he will be an elite power bat. If he can get his fielding to just average, he can play a corner. Almost every team has a weak fielding, big hitting corner OF. There are lots of options here, as long as ill conceived loyalty to fill in veterans like Nunez, Shafer, Robinson, Stauffer, and Duensing don't cloud your judgement.

[eLee612]

Wondering if trading Escobar would free up time for Palanco to be the regular SS and Santana could turn into the utility guy.

 

Rochester

 

They can move Polanco anywhere they want, provided that it's:

1) up

2) within the Twins organization, and

3) after June 23rd

 

So selfish. I'm headed back to Chattanooga for one last trip in a few weeks... please don't shuffle my favorite AA team before I get there! I do really like Esco as an all-around though, so maybe there is a different card we can trade in...

 

 

... Buxton's arrival should get rid of both Robinson and Schafer.

 

That would be SPLENDID!!

[dbminn]

Next Moves:

• Stauffer DFA'd / Fien to the bullpen.
• Tonkin or Pressley to AAA / Vargas to DH.
• Extended AAA for Arcia.
• Santana stays with Twins for now.
• Shafer DFA'd when healthy.

As long as the Twins are a contender:

• Robinson stays until Buxton proves he's major-league ready. Better to have a very good veteran defender as your outfield reserve.
• Nunez stays as pinch hitter, second utility man. Nunez can hit and he fills a role not suited to a prospect.
• Polanco to Twins if Santana continues to struggle at the end of June.

 

 

 

 

[Lakeside]

 

Here's my hypothetical schedule:

 

Activate Fien, DFA Stauffer.

When Arcia is ready, activate him and option Eddie Rosario. 

When Vargas is ready to come up (probably 2 weeks or so), option Tonkin.

When Schafer is ready, I'd probably just DFA him. Not sure if the Twins will do this, but he shouldn't be with the major league team.

 

Also, as Homer Hanky points out, Jorge Polanco is ready for a promotion to the big leagues. He's a better prospect than Santana and I'd rather see him at SS now. But then where does Santana play? 

 

At least these are the good types of problems to have.

 

I see Fien for Stauffer.  Stauffer, at least to this point, has not produced.

 

I don't see Arcia for Rosario.  If we want to see Arcia's LH bat in the line-up,I'm guessing that Robinson will be optioned.  I like him, but he has cooled down.  An outfield nucleus of Rosario, Hunter, Hicks, and Arcia give us options with two predominately god LH bats and two fair righthanded bats (Hicks is a.250 hitter with a .350 BP as a righthander).  It alocan e us solid defense when Rosario, Hicks, an Hunter are in the line-up.

 

Duensing -- I agree that Duensing probably should go  .but who to replace im with?  It's apparent that Molitor likes two LH in the bullpen in addition to the closer.  Maybe Logan Darnell. . .many times when a lefty is brought in you want a strikeout. . .I think he is a better optin for that than Thielbar.

 

Vargas--Where does he fit in on this team?  If he is not going to hit 2bs and HRs do we have room for him.  It's evident that Molitor and Glynn like to stretch the basepaths and put pressure on outfielders.  I've coached baseball for years and many times a guy like Vargas just doesn't fit in because they can slow you down from your strategy on the basepaths.  He has to hit for XBs to be in the line-up.

 

Polanco--I love Polanco and what e could give this team.  If Santana goes South we have an adequate replacement in Polanco.  Both are capable of being in the MLB line-up at this time.

 

Lots of good problems to have. . . fun fora change!!

 

[Lakeside]

 

Here's my hypothetical schedule:

 

Activate Fien, DFA Stauffer.

When Arcia is ready, activate him and option Eddie Rosario. 

When Vargas is ready to come up (probably 2 weeks or so), option Tonkin.

When Schafer is ready, I'd probably just DFA him. Not sure if the Twins will do this, but he shouldn't be with the major league team.

 

Also, as Homer Hanky points out, Jorge Polanco is ready for a promotion to the big leagues. He's a better prospect than Santana and I'd rather see him at SS now. But then where does Santana play? 

 

At least these are the good types of problems to have.

 

I see Fien for Stauffer.  Stauffer, at least to this point, has not produced.

 

I don't see Arcia for Rosario.  If we want to see Arcia's LH bat in the line-up,I'm guessing that Robinson will be optioned.  I like him, but he has cooled down.  An outfield nucleus of Rosario, Hunter, Hicks, and Arcia give us options with two predominately god LH bats and two fair righthanded bats (Hicks is a.250 hitter with a .350 BP as a righthander).  It alocan e us solid defense when Rosario, Hicks, an Hunter are in the line-up.

 

Duensing -- I agree that Duensing probably should go  .but who to replace im with?  It's apparent that Molitor likes two LH in the bullpen in addition to the closer.  Maybe Logan Darnell. . .many times when a lefty is brought in you want a strikeout. . .I think he is a better optin for that than Thielbar.

 

Vargas--Where does he fit in on this team?  If he is not going to hit 2bs and HRs do we have room for him.  It's evident that Molitor and Glynn like to stretch the basepaths and put pressure on outfielders.  I've coached baseball for years and many times a guy like Vargas just doesn't fit in because they can slow you down from your strategy on the basepaths.  He has to hit for XBs to be in the line-up.

 

Polanco--I love Polanco and what e could give this team.  If Santana goes South we have an adequate replacement in Polanco.  Both are capable of being in the MLB line-up at this time.

 

Lots of good problems to have. . . fun fora change!!

 

[Brock Beauchamp]

Polanco's bat looks ready but as recently as the end of last season, some scouts still referred to his defense as a work in progress. He's a guy whose promotion and readiness level needs to be evaluated beyond the box score. I think it's likely he spends some time in Rochester before coming to Minnesota unless the Twins are sold on his defensive abilities.

 

Why are people so down on Arcia? The guy is 24 years old and has a career OPS+ of 103 in over a season's worth of PAs. Given how the Twins are trucking right now and how Rosario is starting to look relatively competent, I'd strongly consider bringing Oswaldo back to Minnesota and putting him at DH every day. The Twins are trying to win ballgames in 2015 and Oswaldo at DH gives them a better chance of doing that every night.

[USAFChief]

Next Moves:

 

• Stauffer DFA'd / Fien to the bullpen.
• Tonkin or Pressley to AAA / Vargas to DH.
• Extended AAA for Arcia.
• Santana stays with Twins for now.
• Shafer DFA'd when healthy.

As long as the Twins are a contender:

• Robinson stays until Buxton proves he's major-league ready. Better to have a very good veteran defender as your outfield reserve.
• Nunez stays as pinch hitter, second utility man. Nunez can hit and he fills a role not suited to a prospect.
• Polanco to Twins if Santana continues to struggle at the end of June.

I would agree with all of this, except I'll be surprised if Staufer is DFA'd any time soon.

 

Be glad to be surprised, though, if it happens.

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

Without being able to read his mind - what does everyone think that Molitor wants?

 

My guess is that based on this year's performances (including Spring Training), Molitor may have moved Rosario up his depth chart. Arcia would have been on top in Left Field before they started playing, but I wonder now if the manager may now prefer Eddie in Left Field.

 

There's no question that Arcia has more power potential, but playing him at DH when he's hitting / seeing the ball so poorly seems wrong, no matter how bad his defense is. My personal preference is to play the guy that is most likely to keep the offense humming along in the DH spot.

 

Vargas looked ok in the few at bats he was given before being demoted, I felt that he was sent down too rashly. But I'm biased, I think Vargas is my favorite Twins player.

 

Santana on the other hand - my unscientific eye test in seeing him (in 4 games this year spread out across the whole season)  is that he's been lost at sea at the plate. His defense has been ok, but I think Escobar is better suited to be the Twins everyday SS if they are looking to stay in first place in June. I agree with the others that suggest Santana might benefit from some time in AAA, especially if he can play every day. I think regardless of which level the Twins place Santana, he should be getting regular playing time, as that will be the best for his development.

 

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

 

Polanco's bat looks ready but as recently as the end of last season, some scouts still referred to his defense as a work in progress. He's a guy whose promotion and readiness level needs to be evaluated beyond the box score. I think it's likely he spends some time in Rochester before coming to Minnesota unless the Twins are sold on his defensive abilities.

 

Why are people so down on Arcia? The guy is 24 years old and has a career OPS+ of 103 in over a season's worth of PAs. Given how the Twins are trucking right now and how Rosario is starting to look relatively competent, I'd strongly consider bringing Oswaldo back to Minnesota and putting him at DH every day. The Twins are trying to win ballgames in 2015 and Oswaldo at DH gives them a better chance of doing that every night.

 

I like Arcia a lot, but there's something about the way he's been taking his at bats this season that has rubbed me the wrong way. Arcia is exactly the bat the Twins need, a lefty masher. Vargas can also do that, but he's a switch hitter, so there are (in theory) better match ups for the Twins that way. If Arcia can show that he can take some of the bad pitches, and punish opposing pitchers for their mistakes, I'd love to see him batting 5th or 6th. Same thing with Vargas - the two of them plus Sano will be a very formidable middle of the lineup in years to come.

 

If the situation were that Hunter was not hitting right now, I think the Twins would be in more trouble - Arcia and Vargas have time to fix their issues, and can do so in AAA or in limited playing time with the big league club. I've been pleasantly surprised by how well Hunter has hit early on. Before the season started, I wanted to see Arcia in RF, Rosario in LF and Hunter as the DH, splitting time with Vargas and Mauer. Hunter has earned his spot this year; so far, Arcia hasn't.

 

I hope Arcia can show the Twins he's ready to come back and hit like he's capable of hitting.

[Craig Arko]

I also prefer Vargas at the moment as the DH, and Escobar as the regular SS. I have no doubt that Arcia will be back up, and then things will get a little crowded.

 

I think Santana may ultimately be the odd man out, with Escobar starting now and Polanco knocking on the door.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

I like Arcia a lot, but there's something about the way he's been taking his at bats this season that has rubbed me the wrong way. Arcia is exactly the bat the Twins need, a lefty masher. Vargas can also do that, but he's a switch hitter, so there are (in theory) better match ups for the Twins that way. If Arcia can show that he can take some of the bad pitches, and punish opposing pitchers for their mistakes, I'd love to see him batting 5th or 6th. Same thing with Vargas - the two of them plus Sano will be a very formidable middle of the lineup in years to come.

I agree that Arcia has been frustrating but if you send him to AAA, he's going to do exactly what he always does to AAA pitching: absolutely destroy it.

 

If he's going to correct his problems, he's going to need to do it in Minnesota under Bruno's tutelage. It's not as if he's posting an 80 OPS+. In 65 PAs this season, he has a 99 OPS+. Yeah, you want more than that out of a DH but it's just 65 PAs from a guy who has destroyed MiLB pitching multiple times. Let him work out his issues - which are minor - at the major league level.

[HitInAPinch]

 

 

Also, as Homer Hanky points out, Jorge Polanco is ready for a promotion to the big leagues. He's a better prospect than Santana and I'd rather see him at SS now. But then where does Santana play? 

 

Danny Santana plays CF, where he was successful last year.

Eduardo Escobar is the starting SS, where he was successful last year.