Article: State Of The Twins: Reacting Too Quickly (Stream of Consciousness)

[Seth Stohs]

(Note that this is kind of a rambling, stream of consciousness opinion article typed up following a third straight very late night loss to the Dodgers. This series has completely thrown off my sleep pattern, but I also felt the need to write right away and express several thoughts that have crept into my mind through and then after the game. I hope it's coherent and enjoyable, and I hope you'll share your thoughts on it and on what the next steps are for our favorite team.)

 

Even when the Minnesota Twins held a 5-0 or 5-2 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the middle innings of Wednesday night's game, there was no sense of confidence that the Twins would hold on. Those feelings proved accurate as the Dodgers clawed their way back and eventually won 6-5 in walk off fashion.

 

The Twins are now 5.5 games back of Cleveland in the AL Central division, and four games behind second-place Kansas City in the division and for the second wild card spot. The Twins have lost ground to both teams each of the last four days. Think about that... five days ago, there were three teams within a game-and-a-half of each other, and now the Twins are a distant third place.

 

So, what does it mean? What should the Twins and their front office do?When Twins fans thought that the team was on the cusp of acquiring lefty Jaime Garcia from Atlanta last Thursday, it signaled that the front office believed in the team enough to Buy. When the deal was actually consummated on Monday, it was again encouraging. The front office went out and made a move to make the 2017 team better. It verified that the front office believed that the team was worthy of investment and giving it an opportunity to reach a playoff spot this year. Maybe it even meant that more moves were on the way.

 

Is it strange that three days later, the tone has completely changed? Instead of thinking Buy, Buy, Buy, the thoughts of Sell, Sell, Sell enter into the mind's of Twins fans.

 

But is that the right decision? Is that fair to the 2017 Twins roster? Is that fair to the fans? Most important, is that fair to the big picture, longer term plans of the front office that have preached that they want a long-term, sustainable, championship caliber organization?

 

It's easy to jump into sell mode. But at the same time, we knew coming out of the All-Star break that series with the Astros, Yankees and Dodgers would likely tell us a lot about this team. The Twins split six games with the Astros and Yankees (1-2 vs HOU, 2-1 vs NYY), but losing two out of three to the Tigers at Target Field hurt. And, as much as getting swept in Los Angeles is frustrating, it's important to acknowledge that they are clearly the best team in baseball. And the truth is that the Twins had a chance to win two of the three games played. And that's without Byron Buxton, and Miguel Sano was unable to start the final two games.

 

That tells me that this team is not far off. They are not in the same position they were in during this offseason, coming off of a 103-loss season. No longer does it appear that the winning would start in "a few years." That timeline has been pushed forward because of the work and dedication of this year's team.

 

It is OK for Twins fans to think they can compete for a division title in 2017. It is also OK to acknowledge that looking at the 2017 pitching staff (both starters and bullpen) and say that big improvements are needed.

 

It's OK to acknowledge that several of the key members of the offense are young and have improved. It's important to know that some of them will continue to improve going forward. It's also OK to acknowledge that Jorge Polanco has taken a huge step backwards in his development the last two months, going through the hated sophomore slump. The league has caught up to him, and it is now time for the still-just-24-year-old to adjust back to the league. I believe he can and he will. At the same time, as the offense hasn't been the big problem for the team, it's OK to acknowledge that the team ranks 20th in MLB in batting average and 19th in MLB in OPS. In other words, it can still get better.

 

For right now, I think that the Twins need to take a step back so as not to rush to judgment. A day off on Thursday may be exact what they need. A trip to Oakland to take on the A's (who are 44-57) may also be good. A few more data points for the front office to take into account before Monday's trade deadline. Data points taken against a team that isn't potentially record-setting great.

 

For right now, I think that Derek Falvey and Thad Levine need to stand pat and see what happens the next three games. If they're able to make up a couple of games, cautiously buy a mid-tier reliever or two, but don't give up the farm. If they continue to fall in the standings, the level of Sell can certainly be adjusted.

 

For me, I don't see this team as needing to do a major sell. In other words, I would not trade Ervin Santana or Brian Dozier (with the oft-used caveat of "unless completely overwhelmed"). Dozier is under contract for 2018. Santana is under contract for 2018 with an option for 2019. They can be part of the continued winning.

 

I wouldn't be afraid to take and make calls on impending free agents. That includes the likes of Brandon Kintzler, who could be a sell high candidate. It also includes Matt Belisle, who probably has minimal value, but has pitched pretty well of late.

 

Hopefully Jaime Garcia will have a strong start on Friday so that if the Twins decide to deal, he could bring back a high-ceiling prospect to replace Huascar Ynoa in the system. The Twins dealt Ynoa and took on most of Garcia's remaining salary. Maybe the Twins consider eating more of Garcia's salary in return for a higher-level prospect. They could come out ahead in that deal.

 

Consider internally which arbitration-eligible players will be brought back an in future plans. See what you can get for them. This includes Kyle Gibson, Ehire Adrianza and Eduardo Escobar, among others.

 

But again, do not trade talent just to trade it. There should be a market for Ervin Santana. There could be a huge market for Taylor Rogers, if the Twins were to make him available. The Mariners gave up four minor leaguers for David Phelps. The Rockies gave up three minor leaguers for Pat Neshek, who is a free agent at the end of the season. Rogers has 4+ years of controllable time. The Twins could ask for the world for him, but they should only deal him if they get it. Listen on everyone, but be wise.

 

The final thought I have is that the team should mostly stand pat at this point. After the deadline passes, I think they can make improvements to the team by trusting their minor leagues. The bullpen has struggled, but Trevor Hildenberger and Alan Busenitz have looked pretty solid in their opportunities. Next up, let's try out guys like Jake Reed and John Curtiss, two hard-throwing relievers who need to be added to the 40-man roster anyway this November. They both have the type of stuff that could help the Twins in 2017. By bringing them up, you're not saying that you're throwing in the towel. In my opinion, it's just the opposite. They're gaining MLB experience and hopefully getting over MLB nerves while also attempting to help you win ball games.

 

Need a starter after Bartolo Colon is let go, see what Aaron Slegers can do. He's been terrific this season, and especially his last seven starts for the Red Wings, give him a shot. Felix Jorge has struggled in his return to Chattanooga after a couple of Twins starts, but Fernando Romero is on the 40-man roster and he's been dominant in AA. He could give the Twins a spark as a starter, or since he's already being limited to five innings per start, he could move to the bullpen later in the season to develop and control his innings. Stephen Gonsalves, like Slegers, isn't on the 40-man roster, so you'd hate to lose an option if you don't have to, but he might be the most ready to contribute to the Twins right now. Calling up those three isn't about throwing in the towel. It's about giving guys opportunities. Guys who, unlike Chris Heston and Adam Wilk, will be part of the future along with hopefully giving the Twins an opportunity to win. Couple these youngsters with Santana, Berrios and Mejia and look at what could be as early as 2018.

 

And, at this point, it's inexplicable to me that Mitch Garver is not in the big leagues. I get that Jason Castro is signed long-term. I understand the value that Chris Gimenez brings to a ball club. But Garver is probably better than either one of them overall as a catcher. He also can back up Joe Mauer at first base. He's played a little left field and while no one think he's going to be probably even average defensively in the outfield, his right-handed bat could platoon with someone. He also can DH against lefties and be a bat off the bench. He's shown power and plate discipline this year in AAA. It's just time. Dealing Chris Gimenez (who also is a free agent at season's end) and going with Garver isn't about throwing in the towel. It's about making the team better... now, and going forward.

 

So this long-winded meandering may move in several directions. To try to summarize my thoughts a little, check the following:

 

1.) The Twins are not completely out of it and playing Oakland before the trade deadline maybe helps. The toughest part of their schedule is complete.

2.) This team should NOT be buyers right now, unless the move is such a steal that it's a no-brainer, and ideally the player can be around beyond 2017.

3.) Even if they get to the point of Selling, don't Sell just to Sell. Remember that guys like Ervin Santana and Brian Dozier can be part of the answer on the field, not just in trades.

4.) Gauge the market for your impending free agents (Kintzler, Garcia, Gimenez, Belisle, etc.)

5.) Even if they do "Sell" on a couple of players, they should not consider that throwing in the towel. There should be enough pride with both the veterans and those young players trying to make their mark in the game to keep pushing and trying to win every game.

6.) Trust your system. Instead of going to aged wonders and hoping, call up some top talents and hope. Realize that hope also includes MLB development for young players who you likely will be relying on starting in 2018. This includes Aaron Slegers, Stephen Gonsalves, Fernando Romero, Jake Reed, John Curtiss and Mitch Garver.

 

 

So, again, these opinions are all solely mine. I don't claim or pretend they are perfect. They are typed out without making notes, after a third tough, very late-night loss to the Dodgers. I apologize for spelling and grammar. I do not apology for the passion I have for the Minnesota Twins, and the hope that they are on the right path toward that sustainable success that we'd all like to see.

 

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[HitInAPinch]

This is NOT a rambling, stream of consciousness.  You used punctuation....  ;-)

 

I think the acquisition of Garcia was simply an FO attempt to stop the bleeding in one rotation spot.  I think Garcia has an excellent chance to do just that, this year and next, if he so chooses.  A little surprised they didn't go after Neshek early for stability.  

 

Intrigued by Hildenberger and Busenitz.

 

Also intrigued by Aaron Slegers, Stephen Gonsalves.  But are they closer to a Jon Rauch / Chris Young-clone than a Randy Johnson-type?

 

I'd promote Mitch Garver before I'd ever bring up Kennys Vargas again.  Been there, done that.

 

Always gauge the market!!

 

[beckmt]

Problem with selling from areas of weakness is that Twins will need starters next year, so at least be careful with what you do.  

I would love to see them sell from the bullpen if they get the chance, They have several relievers (Curtiss, Bard, and several others to look at).  

There is also the idea of moving some spare parts, I would look at moving a SS (Polanco prefered, but also maybe Escobar) because Gordon will be here next year.

Agree Garver should be up, but he somewhat duplicates Grossman as an OF option.

Take offers on the starters, but only move them if you are belown over by them.  Relievers I would move whatever the market will bear, if you can get good prospects, but expect market to be soft as there are a lot of relievers on the market.  But this as middle infield are the Twins biggest areas of strength right now so I hope some moves will be made.

Garcia and Santiago are gone (FA) at the end of the year.  Gibson should be non tendered so Twins will need mulitple starters next year.  

mlbtraderumors has commented that they feel the Twins should flip to selling as they have some useful pieces.  My guess is the weekend in Oakland should tell.  Twins need all 3 games. Go Twins.

[yarnivek1972]

Maybe it is just anecdotal memory, but the Twins don't seem to play Oakland well, especially in Oakland. Point being, I wouldn't be looking at this series to make up ground, especially with no Ervin, no Jose.

[Platoon]

This is maybe a simplistic version of whether to buy or sell. But, the Twins should no more make their decision on buy/sell on the Oakland series, than on the Dodger series. They should make it on what they need to do to be (truly) competitive. Whether they sweep the A's or get swept their strengths and deficiencies remain in place. They have 3 shortstops, one can't field at a high level, one can't hit, and one can't currently do either. They have a ground ball closer who is starting to be abused. They have no bench bat. They have some excellent young positional talent. They have an expendable second baseman, DH (RG) and the aforementioned closer. None of this changes this weekend. Beating Oakland is the same as losing to the Dodgers. You still retain middle of the pack mediocrity. Let's use Dozier or Santana as an example. Those who say that both will help the Twins next year are to an extent correct. But unless you use them, or some other players who would also fall in that category as trade chips, it's a moot point. You cannot win with this roster, and whether it's Santana or Dozier or ???, that is the problem. And it does not change no matter the outcome in Oakland.

[mazeville]

I imagine they'll go further before deciding whether to sell. But the fact is, this team has been playing above its heads all year. So they've always been just a few games here or there between buying and selling.

 

What's more, they are now 5.5 games out of first, and four games out of the Wild Card. Both the Royals and the Indians are taking command. 

 

While I would love to see the Twins compete this year, it is just not that realistic. So it's perfectly reasonable for this team to go from buy to sell that quickly. 

[071063]

Good article.  I don't think the 3 losses to the Dodgers changes anything, except possibly making people realize the situation.  The Twins should be sellers and SMART buyers.  Sell assets that won't be here to help us win long term.  Buy only when the asset you are receiving can help you win long-term.  To me, it's pretty simple.

[Blackjack]

Seth, nice article!!! Its gets a big LIKE from me.

[jimmer]

At every point this season, I thought the Twins should be in sell mode.

[jimmer]

  On 7/27/2017 at 12:38 PM, 071063 said:

Good article. I don't think the 3 losses to the Dodgers changes anything, except possibly making people realize the situation. The Twins should be sellers and SMART buyers. Sell assets that won't be here to help us win long term. Buy only when the asset you are receiving can help you win long-term. To me, it's pretty simple.

good call.

[markos]

 

  On 7/27/2017 at 12:38 PM, 071063 said:

Good article.  I don't think the 3 losses to the Dodgers changes anything, except possibly making people realize the situation.  The Twins should be sellers and SMART buyers.  Sell assets that won't be here to help us win long term.  Buy only when the asset you are receiving can help you win long-term.  To me, it's pretty simple.

I would make only one minor addendum to your statement: Sell assets that won't be here to help us win long term and assets that are replaceable (in both ability and cost) in free agency.  Santana, Escobar and maybe Grossman fit the latter criteria. 

[mikelink45]

Good article.  Fortunately for most of us we went to sleep while the Twins played in LA.  But we know that we are not elite and the Dodgers are so that is not a surprise, i blame lack of bench for  some of our problems and I would have had both Buxton and Sano on the 10 day and Vargas and Garver on the team.  No way is Escobar my number 4 batter in the series.

 

I enjoyed your musings, but we have all been frustrated by the inability to move minor leaguers up - bullpen and the real starters - Gonsalves and Romero, Garver...Lots of litter pick ups until Garcia.  If we had closed the deal right away he might have given us a shot at LA too.

 

Polanco bothers me because I am not sure I see how they can get him out of this funk.  They mismanaged his early options and they cannot use the minor leagues.  Winter Ball is all that is left - can that bring back his promise.  We always heard he had a bat, even though his glove was weak. 

 

But I have felt that 2018 is more important all year.  I look at what we have and the best we can hope for is #2 wildcard - I would rather we put together the team that might take us to a series.

 

You have many really good points so I will not elaborate. Thanks for helping us get our frustrations bundled in to one place.

[Post-Concussive Blues]

Anyone not under guaranteed contract next year can be up for grabs since none of our impending free agents are worth a qualifying offer.

 

Dozier will help us win next year, but might be redundant if Polanco can hit again, and if we tender Escobar, with Gordon in the high minors. So, listening to offers on Dozier makes some sense. We can't really expect any of our internal options to replace his bat completely though.

 

Santana can't be replaced in terms of production and reasonable contract this free agency season. We'd really be shooting ourselves in the foot trading him away unless we got back a higher ceiling, MLB ready arm, which seems unlikely.

[Han Joelo]

I wonder if other GM's are on the phone going NOW will you trade me that Santana/Kintzler package?  I dunno, maybe the Garcia move was a hedge on that.  Probably not.

 

Regardless, Molly needs to find somebody else he trusts in the late innings.  Does Curtiss have the mettle to move up straight to the 8th or 9th inning?  

 

Not having Garver or Vargas in favor of extra relief was bone-headed for this NL series.  Does it send a subliminal message to the starting pitching staff when they do that?

[Loosey]

I agree this team is not the same team as last year.  However, based on where this team in currently sitting and where they need to be in order to make the playoffs I think they will need to end up with 86 wins.  That is 37-25 the rest of the way.  I just don't see them going 12 games over .500 in the final 62 games.  

 

That isn't to take anything away from what they have accomplished so far.  They have far exceeded most everyone's expectations and have given renewed hope for the future. If the team is not selling after this weekend, any buying in my opinion should be for young arms with control.  Even 3 team trades to do it might make sense in a way to give up a veteran to gain prospects used to gain a controllable asset.

[Twodogs]

Well I felt the same way, even though the Twins had leads in some of these games I certainly did not feel confident that they were going to win any of them. However, I know he hasn't provided a lot with the bar, more so lately than early in the season, but missing Buxton has affected the Twins in the field for sure, I know I have seen a couple of low flairs that Granite let fall for base hits that I'm 100 percent sure Buxton would have tried to make a play on and about 80 percent sure he would have made that play. Which if a couple of those plays makes a difference of a run or two then the Twin probably pull an extra win vs both the tigers and the dodgers. Also missing Sano the last couple I feel also hurt. So missing those two guys probably hurt more than we think. Also they can trade after the deadline, just have to pass them through waivers first. Guys not under contract like Gimenez or Kintzler could pass through more easily than guys under contract like Santana and Dozier, so moves can still be made after Monday. Last, even with Gonsalves and Romero and guys like that there is no guarantee that they can pitch in the MLB, god I hope they all can that would be awesome, but until they prob that they can I'd keep Santana. If you get rid of him and all those guys bomb, the twins wouldn't be too far from losing 100 again. I mean if the youngsters bomb your 3rd best pitcher would be Gibson, assuming that Santana is traded and Garcia, Colon etc all leave. That is scary

[gunnarthor]

I think you're more or less right. Listen to what's out there but Santana and Dozier don't have to be moved unless we like the return. If we want to move Santana because we think he's a pumpkin then the return is going to be pretty bad.

 

I'd bring Romero up to the pen soon. Garver to the majors as well. Probably Curtiss and any other bullpen arm I think can help going forward to see what we have. Gonsalves should finish the year at AAA.

[lukeduke1980]

Trade grossman - high obp guy who switch hits - should get something.  The same could be said for Esco but I think he's an intangibles guy who needs to be around.  I'd trade Kintzler too, for anything.  

[Darius]

I get that Seth can't write a two sentence article reflecting this if he wants to keep this gig. But: Guys, it's over. It's OK to let go.

 

This team can't pitch. At all.

 

They're not exactly murderer's row offensively, either. With Sano out of the lineup, they're flat-out bad.

 

I haven't looked it up, but I have to think the team's chances of a playoff birth have fallen down around 10% or less. I think it's closer to zero considering how Cleveland and Kansas City have elevated their game over the past couple of weeks.

 

This team needs to try and return some semblance of value from these veteran contracts that are set to expire in the next year or two. It's a huge mistake to let it ride, do nothing, and let people walk. We're not talking about Max Scherzer and Mike Trout, here. If Erv and Dozier were as good as we like to think, the team would win more games. Add the prospects you can, and sign some guys in the offseason.

[Otto von Ballpark]

  On 7/27/2017 at 7:31 AM, Seth Stohs said:

There could be a huge market for Taylor Rogers, if the Twins were to make him available.

How many relievers have been dealt with a 18.9% K rate? League average is 21.6%, for relievers it is 23.3%. Rogers had a nice run this year, and he could be useful in the future too, but I can't imagine many teams that would be excited to add him for their pennant race right now, especially with how he has looked the last week. Kintzler too, really (14.6% K rate).

[Otto von Ballpark]

FWIW, we are now as close to the second to last record in the AL (Oakland) as we are to first place in our division (5.5 games).

[bighat]

 

  On 7/27/2017 at 11:23 AM, Platoon said:

They have 3 shortstops, one can't field at a high level, one can't hit, and one can't currently do either.

 

Adrianza's batting like .280 or something.  At this point he's looking like a fine choice for the everyday SS role.  I feel bad for Polanco, he was so good at the start of the season.  I admittedly thought he was the long-term answer and even thought he had a better future than guys like Kepler or perhaps even Buxton had he kept things up.  Don't know what happened to him but it's been hard to watch.  Escobar is a great utility guy but when he gets pressed into full-time duty for weeks on end he begins to struggle.  Weird situation for sure.

Great thoughts, good post.  Same goes for the original post by Seth!  Good stuff from everyone here.

[Mike Sixel]

I say sell for the sake of selling. 

[TonyInOmaha]

Some of my thoughts after the Dodgers sweep of the Twins: 

 

The Dodgers are clearly a team that is and has been ready to contend for a World Series while the Twins aren't quite there yet.  But, the Twins had the lead in the bottom of the 8th inning in 2 out of 3 games against the best team in baseball and were a few pitches away from winning the series.  That's very encouraging for a team that is just getting into what should be a multi-season window of opportunity to win a championship.

 

I'm not ready to completely give up on staying in wildcard or division contention this season quite yet, but the Twins need to take advantage of playing mostly sub-.500 teams over the next 2 weeks.

[Steve Lein]

Was wondering if the schedules of the Indians, Royals, and Twins teams helped their chances in any way.

 

CLE plays KC in 9 games throughout the rest of the season, Twins play CLE 6 and and KC 7.

 

CLE plays BOS and NYY 7 times each in the next month, including back-to-back series (at home) in the next week. Also has TB and COL on the schedule but pretty easy September to close out the season.

 

KC plays Boston for 3 games starting tomorrow, and also has series with COL, ARI, and TB, but the rest of their schedule doesn't look too daunting either.

 

Twins have series with MIL, TB, ARI, and NYY remaining on their schedule. Saving grace may be 9 games vs. DET but they are 3-6 against them so far.

 

So, I don't think the schedule favors the Twins in any way but we have seen them answer demoralizing series with good ones. We all seemed to know the few weeks after the All-Star game were going to determine what should be done, they're 4-8 in that time and even a sweep against OAK may not claw them back into the division race. 

 

I guess what I'm saying is I agree with the numbered bullets from the article. If the Oakland series goes bad, then I'd be looking at what's out there for selling some of the minor parts.

[Steve Lein]

 

  On 7/27/2017 at 2:04 PM, spycake said:

FWIW, we are now as close to the second to last record in the AL (Oakland) as we are to first place in our division (5.5 games).

 

I mentioned this probability about a week ago. They were like 1 game back in the Division and Wild Card I think, but actually had the 12th best record in all of the Majors.

 

I said it would be very easy for them to fall as low as 17th if they couldn't scratch some games in these upcoming series. After this run they're 16th now and five other teams are within 2 games of their record. They didn't rise to the challenge.

[Tom Froemming]

Seems as good a time as ever to revisit an article I wrote last Sept. about recent 100-loss teams. There have been 24 of them since the strike, and those teams averaged a 67-95 record the next season. Just two of them had winning records the next season, and the best was the 85-win '09 Mariners.

 

With the Twins coming out the gate unexpectedly competent, the Royals scuffling and Cleveland failing to find its footing it kinda felt like we were playing with house money up until this week. No matter the circumstances, nobody expected the Twins to be in the hunt as long as they have.

 

Now, after a poor week from the Twins and hot streaks from KC and Cleveland things appear to have separated. But as quickly as the Twins have fallen behind, they can get back in the mix with a good run coupled with a slump from one of the other contenders. There are still 62 games left and the Twins are only four back of the Wild Card.

 

HOWEVER

 

I think we would all agree the roster as it's currently constructed is unlikely to get the job done. Am I saying go be buyers? Not necessarily. The org has seemed to shy away from bringing up minor league talent, possibly because they feel the veterans are more dependable and likely to help keep this team afloat. Makes sense, you never quite know what you're going to get from a rookie.

 

But, given that we're still really playing with house money (at least in my eyes), what's there to lose? I'd much rather see the team fade and miss the postseason because somebody like Stephen Gonsalves (or insert a dozen other names) faltered than miss the postseason because we were relying on Bartolo Colon.

 

Call up the kids! That's a real controversial statement to make at Twins Daily ... on a Seth Stohs article, I know

[Dman]

I just don't think we have the pitching depth we need to compete with Cleveland and KC and our bats are nothing special either.  I think we could hover around 500 with the remaining schedule but to what end really?  This just doesn't have the look of a playoff team as there are too many weak links.

 

Santana, Dozier, Esco and now Garcia are not a part of the core teams future.  If we can get younger more controllable assets for those players we should.  If possible they should trade for pitching, pitching and more pitching.  Now is the time for the FO to get creative with three teams trades or whatever to try and find the pitching depth they need for the future.

 

If they can trade Santana and Dozier and then Garcia and Santiago come off the books there should be money to get a pitcher or two in FA as well.  I think this team needs to continue to invest in young pitching prospects kind of like the Braves have been doing.  Eventually a couple of those guys are going to work out and then they can compete.

 

If by chance they miss the Sano window they appear to have a better balanced group of prospects coming up about four years from now.  They could keep some of the current core intact and move the window back as well.  They really need to straighten out their pitching depth before this team has any chance of getting to and winning in the playoffs.

[Oldgoat_MN]

Getting to the playoffs is an exciting thought, especially after what the last 6 years have given us. I think it's clear to most of us that the playoffs in 2017 would likely be a brief experience. If we weren't in the AL Central we wouldn't even be having this conversation.

 

We have some things trending well. We need to try to improve everywhere (obviously pitching is the weakest link), but the are some very encouraging signs.

 

If we sweep Oakland and Cleveland and KC both lose 3 games in that time I suppose that adjusts the target, but we just aren't going very far this year. I would be looking to the future unless something very inexpensive (Garcia) or very under priced (controllable SP) fell into our laps. 

[Richie the Rally Goat]

I liked your ramblings Seth, your ramblings are more coherent than my composed offerings. I disagree somewhat, in that the Twins cannot stand pat. I don't think the Dodgers series changes any of it. The Twins need to continuously improve, regardless of current situation.  

 

I don't think this team has to full on "Sell" to improve for 2018 at the trade deadline. I do believe that Levine could trade some a couple of assets to improve the ML bullpen, and trade some major leaguers to improve the near ready prospect pipeline, maybe a wash in talent, but stabilizing pitching could help this team significantly to reduce the blowups and reliance on a 13 man pitching staff. 

 

One or two relievers could still mean all the difference in the world to a push for the wild card as that could lengthen the bench and give Molitor the flexibility to use his whole bullpen. 

 

World series contenders? no? Relevant to the division? absolutely, and need to stay that way