Article: The Falvey And Levine Machine

[Nick Nelson]

In some corners, Minnesota's new front office leaders will probably be handed too much credit for their roles in one of the most remarkable turnarounds ever by a major-league team. In Year 1 under Derek Falvey and Thad Levine, the Twins will improve by at least 24 wins, going from 100 losses to a probable playoff berth. The narrative is obvious.But the more striking narrative here pertains to the duo's good fortune, rather than their miraculous intervention.

 

Most often, baseball executives getting their first chances to lead a major-league front office are tasked with overhauling a complete mess. From the outside, that's what this looked like: Falvey and Levine inherited the reigning worst team in baseball, one that had lost 90-plus games in five of the last six seasons.

 

They spoke frequently about their big-picture mindset, expressing an intent to eschew shortcuts and quick fixes.

 

But the staggering improvement we've seen this year owes to something we mostly already knew, despite the 2016 debacle: This rebuild was already well underway when the new Chief Baseball Officer and GM arrived. Most of the critical pieces had reached the big-league ranks and others were on the brink.

 

It's just about the most favorable situation one can imagine walking into. For much of that, Falvey and Levine can thank their predecessor Terry Ryan and his colleagues, who assembled a great deal of talent.

 

But while Ryan deserves credit for assembling much of this core, the "Boy Geniuses" (as my pal Clarence Swamptown blithely refers to them -- BeeGees for short) have given us plenty of indications that they're the right ones to bring it forward.

 

The Deadline Dance

Recently, I've seen some retrospective debate surrounding the front office's approach at the trade deadline. The critical argument goes like this: Falvey and Levine made a miscalculation by pivoting to seller mode and trading away assets, rather than adding, at the end of July. Regardless of the impact these moves had, the signal was one of resignation, and now it looks bad.

 

This line of thinking doesn't really work for me, for two reasons:

 

1) It wasn't really a "sell"

 

They didn't trade Brian Dozier, or Ervin Santana. They gave up a starter they'd acquired a week earlier, and a reliever who proved nonessential. Good front office execs are opportunistic, and that's exactly how to describe these moves; the market for Jaime Garcia heated up as the Yankees developed a need, and Brandon Kintzler's value was at its absolute peak. Both are heading for free agency.

 

And in fact, you can argue there's been significant overall benefit from removing them, as it opened the door for Kyle Gibson and Trevor Hildenberger – who will be around next year – to step into bigger roles and flourish.

 

2) It was a perfectly reasonable strategy even if you want to call it a sell

 

Look, we don't need to delve into playoff odds and percentages, which were dreadfully low as the Twins reached the end of July, trailing several teams in the race and playing uninspiring ball. An honest assessment showed at the time (and still shows) that this isn't a great team, not yet anyway.

 

It would've been impossible to predict that laggards like Gibson and Jorge Polanco would suddenly take off while the rest of the American League completely folded, but the FO didn't do anything to sabotage the Twins' chances in such an event – obviously.

 

In fact, I see Minnesota's deadline approach as a savvy one that avoided the pitfalls of this new postseason format. The addition of a second Wild Card slot means more teams are in the mix, and this compels clubs to make "Buy" moves when they're not necessarily warranted*. The Royals traded prospects to acquire Trevor Cahill and Melky Cabrera. The Angels made deals in August to acquire Justin Upton and Brandon Phillips. All of this got them nowhere. Meanwhile, the Twins – who are at the front end of their winning cycle – added future assets and will still get their shot. Falvey and Levine come away from this looking pretty good.

 

* As a middling club aiming for a WC berth, you're still facing serious uphill odds with a one-game play-in for the chance to face superior teams in the Division and League Championship Series. I like the system but it begs for a merely solid team to sacrifice long-term thinking in order to chase that tiny chance. Given their position, the Twins were wise to steer clear of this trap.

 

Putting Pieces in Place

How much did the execs influence the team's success this year? It's tough to measure, but I think we can safely say they had a positive impact.

 

As mentioned before, the Twins' turnaround was largely driven by players brought into the organization by Ryan and even Bill Smith. Meanwhile, the same manager is running the show. But the dramatic improvement in on-field results has likely been facilitated in some ways by the new regime.

 

For one thing, there were free agent signings like Jason Castro and Matt Belisle. Castro has proven a very solid addition, helping the pitching staff with his strong framing work, while Belisle has been brilliant in the ninth, negating the absence of Kintzler.

 

Perhaps more importantly, there were organizational changes and coaching staff additions like James Rowson and Jeff Pickler. I don't think it's coincidence that so many young hitters are suddenly turning corners, or that the Twins have suddenly catapulted to the top tier of MLB defenses, with these two handpicked coaches in the dugout.

 

Moreover, Levine has mostly pulled the right roster strings throughout the summer, showing a refreshing willingness to shuttle players in and out as needed, and to experiment with a multitude of arms to see what works.

 

Through it all, decisions have seemingly been guided by evidence, data, and good intelligence. I'm not confident these guys will always make the right calls – no one does. But I am feeling confident that those calls will be well-informed and guided by the three things mentioned above. My interactions with Falvey and Levine, and everything they've done and said, reinforces the team's decision and leads me to believe this beautiful gift is in very good hands.

 

And make no mistake: it is a beautiful gift. The Twins have one of the best and youngest offenses in the game, with every member of a top-tier lineup locked in for next year. They have a strong farm system, with a pipeline ready to deliver. And they also have significant spending freedom on the horizon, with Joe Mauer's $23 million coming off the books next year and minimal contractual commitments beyond that.

 

Lefty Gomez once said, "I'd rather be lucky than good."

 

Why not both?

 

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[DaveW]

This seems a little bit of a stretch in looking for "good" things Falvey and Levine have done.

I'd definitely place it closer to 90% of the success is because they walked into an extremely talent rich roster (at least position player wise)

Think of just how good this team could be set up if they would have signed/traded for, found a way to find a real #2/#3 type prior to the season.

I will give them time to prove themselves, but IMO they haven't done anything of real note thus far to improve the 2017 Twins or 2018-2020 Twins.

[Riverbrian]

I find it hard to blame anybody with the Twins for anything right now. 

 

They didn't make all the moves that I would have but that is my fault because I never called them to let them know. 

 

 

[frightwig]

They haven't done much, but they haven't really done any significant harm, either.

 

It will be interesting to see what they do with Dozier. Trade him next summer if the team is muddling along? Let him walk as a FA? Give him a new 5-year deal? And also what they might do about the pitching--whether they make some deals or just rely on Ryan's farm to produce more talent in the near future.

[Wizard11]

A refreshing perspective. This view may not play well with those who want to attribute no credit to Falvey, Levine, or for that matter Molitor. With the current leadership in the front office and on the field it has felt like things makes sense again. Even at the times when I strongly disagree with their decisions, I can follow their thought process. The vibe has changed with this team and it has changed for the better. Young Players like Buxton, Rosario, Sano, and Polanco are reaching their potential and in the case of veterans such as Mauer, Gibson, Escobar, and Belisle, they have raised their performance from the recent past. Players added such as Gee, Castro, and Gimenez have brought upgrades. Youngsters like Hildenberger and Busenitz who were fringe prospects have flourished. The vibe has changed with this team. Time to give credit where credit is due even when it doesn’t fit our biases or theories.

[DocBauer]

While I also agree they didn't do a lot personell wise to build this club, I can't fault them for the moves they made at the deadline. They brought in a couple interesting young players for 2 future FA, one replaceable and one who was barely with the club.

 

Further a couple moves such as Gee and Colon really helped out. This is addition to Castro and even Giminez, who gave us an improvement at a starting position, and a solid, experienced backup. Something we haven't had lately. I also agree some of the coaching moves seem to have paid excellent dividends.

 

We talk at times about things like chemistry and leadership, I'm a believer in both. And while it truly comes down to speculation, observation and opinion in place of any true measurable, this team believes in itself, enjoys playing together and has a never die attitude. I think it's fair to give some chemistry building and leadership praise to Castro, Giminez, Belisle and even Castro.

 

The true test comes this off season though. Can they make a couple key additions to keep moving this club forward without trading off the system or handcuffing the team with poor FA choices. Thus far, my impression is they will be aggressive, but within reason, and not mortgaging the future. Really anxious to see what they come up with.

[Rosterman]

They are still not done re-evaluating the team. The off-season will be crucial. How they deal with, say, Grossman and Escobar as well as Belise. What they end up doing with Hughes. Park is still in reserve and sacrificed from being on the major league roster because of 40-man issues.

 

They added some fine pitching prospects (shades of May and Meyer) but others languished and we desperately need a killer 4th or 5th starter...before this season ends. Lots of names will have to be protected at the expense of whom.

 

Curious on the obvious overhall of the minor leagues happening, as well as any major league front office changes.

 

Will they spend money?

 

All the profit the Twins will be making closing weekend when they control full-price ticket sales (nothing much on stubhub right now).

 

It's nice the Twins will go out of the season with a bang. They need to develop a top-flight advertising campaign to combat the SuperBowl hype that will be front and center when they are about to do Twinsfest and start the minor league season, not to mention the next season ticket push (will prices rise?)

 

 

[Han Joelo]

Thanks for the perspective.  While it might not have been planned, it seems as though the sell-off was well-timed to coincide with the young players ready to rise to the challenge, versus crumble like they had in the past.  And, as Nick points out, it netted assets to boot.

 

Part of the BeeGee's savviness is displayed by the fact they were smart enough to walk into a good situation.  Another part in that they didn't go overboard in tearing down what was already there, i.e. sell Dozier or Santana for Deleons-on-the-dollar. 

To take that further, the subtle, unsexy tweaks of adding veteran leadership and progressive coaches follows the same line.  They could have gone all Preller on the situation, but their patience has paid off.

 

As much as I might have supported Ryan, I'm not convinced the Twins would be where they are with him at the helm.  We'll never know, at least in this part of the multi-verse.

 

I guess, though, that the Twins performance without any major player acquisitions will just bolster those who might say "just think where they could be if GM X or I were in charge."

[terrydactyls]

I appreciate the job that the BeeGees did this year. No panic, no knee jerk reactions. Took what they were dealt and made the most of it. Yes, there were no big name free agent signings last winter. But does anyone really think that the big names were lining up to join a 100-loss, small market team? I think this off season, if there are are any good free agents available, our young offense might convince a pitcher or two to sign up for the ride. Regardless, congratulations to the Twins for an incredible year. And it isn't over yet.

[AlwaysinModeration]

You left out the most brilliant move: retaining Molitor!

[The Wise One]

People can use  trades and signings to judge  what Falvey and Levine do.  In a year where is seems like Polanco, Rosario, Buxton, Berrios and now lately Gibson,  seem to be elevating their games there is either a happy coincidence, or management has brought new ideas. Non prospect pitchers become solid relievers. 3 players getting it would be what you would expect. 8 if you include Adrianza should be an indicator there is something going on somewhere

[AlwaysinModeration]

How about those little cards that all of the outfielders consult before each hitter? I don't remember those last year.

[h2oface]

It's all because of the shutdown bullpen they put together... and the 9 plus September era starter. Genius!

[wabene]

With the previous regime there was a lot of talk of how they didn't develop players. That is one of the areas where I see subtle improvement. I used to scratch my head frequently with the way this team was run. Not this year. Many little things like those cards the outfielders carry as mentioned make sense to me and give me confidence. With all the losing and high picks there should be talent. There is on the position player side. The lack of organizational pitching speaks to an inability to draft pitching. I excited to watch these guys acquire pitching, I think it will be different from what we've witnessed and the plan will make sense.

With the improvements shown and the super solid financial position the team is in now I can see them grabbing an arm on the market and being attractive enough to entice quality talent.

[gunnarthor]

I think the jury is still out on them but they don't deserve too much credit of this team other than they let the young guys play and (perhaps) muzzled Molitor enough to make sure it happened.

 

Good -

1) The Draft. Absolutely loved their draft and I really wanted a pitcher at 1/1. They got a lot of talent, used their bonus money well and brought in a swarm of young exciting players. I was ballistic after Lewis was picked but should have waited. They did good. Whether or not bringing Boras into our locker room is a long term issue is something to worry about down the road.

2) New coaches - not sure how much Rowson and Pickler are the FO's pick but I assume a lot. Both have been good.

3) Castro - he was the best catcher on the FA market (it was a bad market) and showed that they had a plan to improve defensively and they went to it. Good for them.

 

Bad -

1) Trade deadline. I disagree that they didn't surrender. If they could have swung Santana, they would have. But the key problem is that these guys didn't understand how good their team was. Sure, things like fangraphs supported their moves b/c run differential but I want our FO to be smarter than fangraphs. The trade pissed off fans and players and didn't bring much back. And if Belisle blows a big save in the post-season we'll be hearing about it for a long time.

2) Dougie - there was a entire thread on this but basically my problem is that it showed the FO still does not understand the Twins fans or its history. Minor issue as long as we're winning but a stupid mistake that was insulting to many.

3) Garver - For some reason, they never got Garver up here to give him a legit shot as a back up. Perplexing because Giminez isn't exactly Bob Uecker.  

 

I think this offseason will be the big test to understand how good these guys can be. Generally, baseball is cyclical so the Twins should be good for a while. But whether they can keep a window of opportunity open for nearly a decade remains to be seen.

[Nick Nelson]

 

1) Trade deadline. I disagree that they didn't surrender. If they could have swung Santana, they would have. But the key problem is that these guys didn't understand how good their team was.

It was a team 3 games under .500, with a far worse Pythagorean W/L, coming off a 100-loss season. To make their playoff run, they needed to play .600 ball while EVERY OTHER TEAM in the league (sans the 4 clearly superior playoff squads) to completely folded.

 

If you had faith in the Twins' ability to do this, as a fan, then I commend you. But there was no real reason for a front office to foresee this outcome based on a rational analysis. It's literally one of the first times something like this has ever happened. I hope (and trust) that in the future they'll continue to make decisions on the same basis.

 

If they would've sunk the team's chances I would get this argument, but they didn't, not even close! The Twins still walked away with this thing, and not having Kintzler or Garcia won't be the reason they fail to advance. 

[Thegrin]

The one good thing that Falvine did this year was leave things alone. How many times have you seen a new boss come into your business and screw things up by making a bunch of changes before he understood why you did things the way you did.  This winter and next year, they will know who they have and have a good idea of what they want to get to fix problems. Otherwise....

 

WIN TWINS ! WIN TWINS! WIN TWINS!  

[spinowner]

 

* As a middling club aiming for a WC berth, you're still facing serious uphill odds with a one-game play-in for the chance to face superior teams in the Division and League Championship Series. I like the system but it begs for a merely solid team to sacrifice long-term thinking in order to chase that tiny chance. Given their position, the Twins were wise to steer clear of this trap.
 

 

 

I appreciate the job that the BeeGees did this year. No panic, no knee jerk reactions. Took what they were dealt and made the most of it. Yes, there were no big name free agent signings last winter. But does anyone really think that the big names were lining up to join a 100-loss, small market team? I think this off season, if there are are any good free agents available, our young offense might convince a pitcher or two to sign up for the ride. Regardless, congratulations to the Twins for an incredible year. And it isn't over yet.

These two posts illustrate what make me the most optimistic about the BeeGees. While the short term should always be kept in mind it appears that the long term is their priority. This is as it should be. It's only now, after a year of evaluation of the organization, that they are in a position to really start to put their vision into reality. Not only does it take time for a draftee to develop into a major league player, it takes time to put a system in place and hire the people necessary to make it work. We are seeing this in the recent terminations of a number of scouts and other minor league personnel. I think their goal is to create an organization that supports a major league team that contends for the postseason every year. Scouting and player development are the keys to achieving this goal, not just in terms of drafting but in terms of trading and free agent signings.

And speaking of free agents, I strongly concur with td1947. The BeeGees were not in a position to sign big name players to big dollar contracts last off season. Not only were they brand new to the organization but very few top flight players would have been interested in coming here at that time. Now everyone in baseball knows that our batting order is replete with talented young players trending upward. The Twins' dugout and bullpen will be a much better place to watch them bat compared to the pitcher's mound.

[gunnarthor]

 

It was a team 3 games under .500, with a far worse Pythagorean W/L, coming off a 100-loss season. To make their playoff run, they needed to play .600 ball while EVERY OTHER TEAM in the league (sans the 4 clearly superior playoff squads) to completely folded.

 

If you had faith in the Twins' ability to do this, as a fan, then I commend you. But there was no real reason for a front office to foresee this outcome based on a rational analysis. It's literally one of the first times something like this has ever happened. I hope (and trust) that in the future they'll continue to make decisions on the same basis.

 

If they would've sunk the team's chances I would get this argument, but they didn't, not even close! The Twins still walked away with this thing, and not having Kintzler or Garcia won't be the reason they fail to advance. 

Not having Kintzler might very well be the reason we stop moving. And I don't care that it's never happened before. The two team wild card is just a few years old now so that long history of the game doesn't really factor in. Baltimore was flawed, Tampa was flawed, KC was flawed We had winning records against the teams we had to pass. I want a FO who is smarter and not basing decisions on runs scored in April. We traded those two guys (and the Kintzler trade is the worse one) for people who are more likely than not to never make the majors and, if they do, most likely as a relief arm. There is some ceiling there, of course, but it wasn't a huge return. 

[TwinsWonWithHunter]

The front office made a mistake when they sold at the deadline. Which is not to say I thought the Twins would play so well the last 2 months. The point is, however, that the players (and manager) proved the front office wrong. The front office, in effect, said, team, you no longer need your closer. Because there won't be meaningful games to close. And you no longer need that 4th starter we just added, because we are just not good enough to bother having him.

The team, however, responded by rubbing the front office's nose in it.

When a front office sells, and then the team wins anyway, then the front office was wrong.

It's not about hindsight, or livelihoods, et al. But that the front office said, this team cannot win this year, and that the front office was wrong in that assessment

[Blackjack]

I think the two biggest factors has been bringing in the veteran player leadership and the coaching changes, showing the young core how its done both by example and how do get it done technically. 

[Nick Nelson]

 

How about those little cards that all of the outfielders consult before each hitter? I don't remember those last year.

I believe that's the Pickler factor

[Twinfan & Dad]

In retrospect what I think is lost in the progress the young guys have made this year is the fact that they were allowed to work through their struggles without the Terry Ryan yo-yo threat of being sent down to AAA. I remember quite well how Buxton, Rosario and Polanco were on the yo-yo. In can be argued that they were overmatched at times but cant the same be said for this year also? Falvey and Co.let them work it out without being sent down. Would Terry Ryan have handled them the same? I doubt it! Maybe he would have tried Sano in RF. BRILLIANT! Give Falvey credit for letting the kids play without looking over their shoulder.

[gunnarthor]

 

 

I'm really curious about how much the chance from Carl Pohlad to Jim Pohlad factors into this. My impression of carl was the economics came first so fielding a competitive team that wasn't good enough was preferable to fielding a more risky team that would have a broader range of results. As a fan, I don't care one whit if the team makes money and I want an owner who doesn't care about that either. I want to win.  I think Jim is more that way (but only to a point) and I think that freed up the front office to make bolder, more interesting decisions.  If i'm correct, to me that means Falvine is a much better fit than Ryan. 

We have no idea how open Jim is to stretching the budget but quotes by Lavine and the fact that he hired Falvey are pretty strong indicators that our payroll will remain quite low.

[jmlease1]

 

 

Bad -

1) Trade deadline. I disagree that they didn't surrender. If they could have swung Santana, they would have. But the key problem is that these guys didn't understand how good their team was. Sure, things like fangraphs supported their moves b/c run differential but I want our FO to be smarter than fangraphs. The trade pissed off fans and players and didn't bring much back. And if Belisle blows a big save in the post-season we'll be hearing about it for a long time.

2) Dougie - there was a entire thread on this but basically my problem is that it showed the FO still does not understand the Twins fans or its history. Minor issue as long as we're winning but a stupid mistake that was insulting to many.

3) Garver - For some reason, they never got Garver up here to give him a legit shot as a back up. Perplexing because Giminez isn't exactly Bob Uecker.  

 

I think this offseason will be the big test to understand how good these guys can be. Generally, baseball is cyclical so the Twins should be good for a while. But whether they can keep a window of opportunity open for nearly a decade remains to be seen.

 

1. Big assumption on Santana. No evidence they were looking to move him, only that other teams were asking (which they would have pretty much regardless).

2. This is premised on ol' Dougie getting his "side" of the story out there, whereas the FO has stayed pretty quiet on it. I'm fine with them moving on, and taking a swing at the new FO for not making sure Mienkiewicz's feeling were carefully catered to (and let's be clear: they were cutting him loose, what are the odds he's gonna walk away happy?) seems silly. We're not talking about Kent Hrbek here.

3. Garver has gotten some play. but his PT is on Molitor, not the FO. Or do you really want Falvine tostart dictating to the manager who should play where and when late in the season? Either you trust your manager or you don't.

 

Year one of the new regime has gone pretty well. they're the benefactor of lowered expectations, increased luck (team is relatively lucky this year, were quite unlucky last year) and good player development on some younger players. they've been opportunistic and fairly creative. Bit of an injury bug on our higher end relievers, which hurt (May, Chargois, Burdi...) but otherwise nothing too ridiculous.

 

If they can stabilize/bolster the rotation for next year this could be a contending club. Big if, but that's the whole this team has right now: they need more starting pitching that can compete at the higher levels.

[ThejacKmp]

 

Think of just how good this team could be set up if they would have signed/traded for, found a way to find a real #2/#3 type prior to the season.

 

If they'd traded for a #2/#3 starter they still wouldn't have taken the division. They might be the #1 WC? And that's assuming that you wouldn't have thrown a Rosario or Polanco into the trade, which seems unlikely.

 

Singing is a better idea but even there, hard to see what they should have done. Rich Hill was only signing with the Dodgers. Ivan Nova has had a pretty underwhelming season (though the money isn't bad) and isn't a big fix. Other than that, not a lot out there.

 

It's also easy to look back and say they should have had moves but the Twins expected to have Trevor May and didn't. I'd be upset if they'd blocked him with some #3 innings eater.

 

Overall, a good hands off year by the FO.

[ThejacKmp]

 

Bad -

1) Trade deadline. I disagree that they didn't surrender. If they could have swung Santana, they would have. But the key problem is that these guys didn't understand how good their team was. Sure, things like fangraphs supported their moves b/c run differential but I want our FO to be smarter than fangraphs. The trade pissed off fans and players and didn't bring much back. And if Belisle blows a big save in the post-season we'll be hearing about it for a long time.

 

2) Dougie - there was a entire thread on this but basically my problem is that it showed the FO still does not understand the Twins fans or its history. Minor issue as long as we're winning but a stupid mistake that was insulting to many.

 

3) Garver - For some reason, they never got Garver up here to give him a legit shot as a back up. Perplexing because Giminez isn't exactly Bob Uecker.  

 

 

3.) Do you understand who Bob Uecker is? Saying someone isn't Bob Uecker means that they can hit. He was a terrible baseball player. Gimenez put up a .701 OPS with a bit of pop. Garver was certainly better served getting everyday reps at catcher in AAA than languishing on the Twins bench. If they keep Gimenez next year, time to get upset.

 

2.) Ugh. Why is Dougie worth talking about? He was an overrated Twins player who was let go for not following the FO plan. he complained to the press and most of the info that came out later made him seem like a disgruntled a-hole. This is easily the most overwrought pointless debate on TD this year. And that's saying something.

 

1.) They absolutely could have swing Santana and chose not to. They didn't get a deal that blew them away and stayed pat. I thought they did a great job at the deadline in not moving Dozier and Santana when there wasn't a can't-turn-it-down offer but making some small moves that did little to hurt the Twins prospects this year while picking up fun pieces for the years to come.

[ThejacKmp]

 

Not having Kintzler might very well be the reason we stop moving. And I don't care that it's never happened before. The two team wild card is just a few years old now so that long history of the game doesn't really factor in. Baltimore was flawed, Tampa was flawed, KC was flawed We had winning records against the teams we had to pass. I want a FO who is smarter and not basing decisions on runs scored in April. We traded those two guys (and the Kintzler trade is the worse one) for people who are more likely than not to never make the majors and, if they do, most likely as a relief arm. There is some ceiling there, of course, but it wasn't a huge return. 

 

And not trading for Verlander could be too. And not making Gimenez a starter. You're dealing in the land of what-ifs with 20/20 hindsight. Not useful.

 

Kintzler is currently a 7th inning guy on a contender with a weak bullpen. The idea that he was some savior is ludicrous. Hildenberg took his place and has been great. That's what you're supposed to do when you're a team on the way up - move vets with no upside when guys with promise come along. Tyler Watson is a fun little prospect. He might not make the majors but he's doing okay in A ball at age 20. He's also a starter, not a reliever. Good trade.

 

You woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. Somehow I think

 

 

[Dman]

For the most part I like what the FO has done this year.  I like that they took time to see what they had and made changes where they saw needs.  I liked what they did at the trade deadline.  Granted the returns weren't incredible but it was better than getting nothing for those guys. 

 

At the time it seemed pretty unrealistic to me based on the numbers and past history that this team would make the playoffs.  I was for the long term view the FO had all the way.  I know there were several people on this board that did not feel that way (I am thinking of Mr Bonnes in particular) and kuddos to them for being right that this team had what it takes to get to the playoffs.  They were the "true" believers.  I was not one of them.

 

Bottom line is through the "process" luck or whatever, they still got returns at the deadline and the team made the playoffs so in my mind that is true genius or at least good fortune.

 

Having said all that the FO knows what they have now so next year they need to find a way to improve the rotation and solidify the pen.  They have a good group of core players. The window is often short.  I hope they are up to the task.

[drjim]

And not trading for Verlander could be too. And not making Gimenez a starter. You're dealing in the land of what-ifs with 20/20 hindsight. Not useful.

 

Kintzler is currently a 7th inning guy on a contender with a weak bullpen. The idea that he was some savior is ludicrous. Hildenberg took his place and has been great. That's what you're supposed to do when you're a team on the way up - move vets with no upside when guys with promise come along. Tyler Watson is a fun little prospect. He might not make the majors but he's doing okay in A ball at age 20. He's also a starter, not a reliever. Good trade.

 

You woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. Somehow I think

I think criticizing the front office for trading the closer from a playoff team is valid, especially considering the weak return. It compounded the lack of action to address the bullpen last offseason.

 

I am generally supportive of what they are doing, and I think they have made improvements to processes that were much needed, but they blew it on the bullpen.

 

I would feel better with Kintzler over Belisle if the Twins are heading to the bottom of the 9th with a 2 run lead next Tuesday.