Article: Front Office Flop for the Twins?

[Squirrel]

I will give them another off season before declaring them a success or a flop. I’ve liked the drafts, but I’d like to see some results of that before declaring success. Their roster construction and in-season moves have been baffling to maddening. But the biggest down side in my book was offering Molitor a 3-yr contract. Perhaps that was completely a Pohlad move and can’t be pinned to them, but that was an awful move, imo.

[jmlease1]

 

2 more data points that had generated a similar train of thought in my small brain -

 

I don't think anyone player was glad that Dougie Baseball was fired, let alone while cleaning up from a hurricane.  Buxton spoke of Doug 'as a brother to them'

 

Dozier's outspoken attitude the night before opening day 'I'm a free agent'.  What did he tell his teamates?  'I've busted my butt for the last 7 years hit 40 homeruns, won a gold glove, got MVP votes and they won't offer me an extension?'  To me that's how Dozier has played this year with that shell shocked demeanor and I think it's wore off on the group as a whole.

 

1. ok, if moving out Doug Mientkiewitz is a significant factor in the collapse of some of the younger players on this squad, those guys are in deep trouble.  If guys like kepler, buxton, and sano are so disturbed by their former minor league manager is no longer with the franchise (even though he hadn't been their coach in multiple seasons), you have to wonder about their mental toughness. Or, maybe this is a complete non-factor that doesn't even get brought up unless someone is looking to manufacture evidence against the FO.

 

2. You're really dropping a lot on the intangibles side of things here. Dozier wasn't looking for a team-friendly extension after last season. Dude wanted to get paid (and looked like he might be worth it). He's followed it up with a pretty miserable season in which he's cost himself somewhere in the neighborhood of $20-50M. If his attitude after seeing his hopes of a 5 year $100M contract go up in smoke has infected the team and dragged them down...that's on him, and on Molitor for not dealing with it.

 

This has been a frustrating season because so many things looked like they were lining up. The signings looked like they had shored up some weaknesses, we had some young guys who looked ready to take the next step...and then things started going haywire.

 

Polanco was supposed to be a key member of this team, and got suspended. hard to blame the FO for that. Santana was supposed to be the veteran leader of the staff and still hasn't pitched. hard to blame the FO for that either. castro was supposed to guide the younger pitchers and got wiped out by the knee injury. Buxton has been hurt and bad. sano has been hurt and bad. kepler had a hot start and then fell off the face of the earth. Dozier has been way, way down. That's a lot of guys who were supposed to get a lot of run for this team in key roles that have either gotten hurt, sucked, or both.

 

The Logan Morrison signing hasn't worked out, but it was a cheap 1 year deal. I blame them FO a bit for not moving on from Robbie Grossman, a marginal player who adds zero defensively and isn't much of an offensive player either; this year he's unsurprisingly been bad and there were other options. but your 4th OF/occasional DH shouldn't make or break you.

 

Hughes I think everybody knew wasn't likely to go, but when Ervin went down it was hard to blame the FO for at least trying to recoup some of the sunk costs on that guy. It didn't work and they moved on. Again, though: hughes was looked at as a 5th starter, if he could get it together.

 

Lance Lynn and Odorizzi have been respectable; imagine what happens if we don't go get them and Ervin goes down?

 

It's been a mixed bag for the FO so far. The biggest questions are in player development because we need young players to develop to their potential and right now we're seeing some big failures. How much of that is on the current FO is a little hard to say just yet. Their free agent moves haven't all worked out, but they've made sense and haven't hamstrung the team's future.

[mikelink45]

I just got home the drugstore and the talk on the radio was about trade candidates.  I looked at the Athletic and the talk was about trade candidates.  These are not candidates for us to acquire, but rather for us to dump.  Our year records since 2010 have us barely above 500 twice.  Patience is worn thin.  Last year was a sign of hope, this year depression.  

 

The Front Office has many responsibilities, but one is to maintain the fan base.  What has Falvey and Levine done to keep or build that base?  Are Twins fans excited about next year?  Do they care about the rest of this year?  Are they invested in Motter, Belisle...?  The fans may not be able to make the trades, but they are the ones who pay for the team to succeed and right now I see a big decrease in the general fan interest.  The other teams are getting more press, more interest.  

 

As a fan, this bothers me.  As a part of judging the Front Office, this also bothers me. 

[MN_ExPat]

 

They haven't had a lot of successful moves yet, have they? We liked their draft last year but they had a lot of advantages with extra picks and we're a long way off from finding out if it was a solid draft. This years draft was boring but ok. They sold at the deadline last year, pissing off the players. I liked most of their off-season moves (understanding that the Pohlads weren't going to give them Darvish) but few of them have worked.

 

The biggest problem for me is that they chose to bring back Molitor who is obviously not the right manager for these players. This is the second time in three years that the players look absolutely lost and ill-prepared for the season. It's not just one group - it's everyone. It's an utter mess. I think Molitor is as good as gone and Levine should get one more season to make his mark before I start calling for his head but we learned some stuff about the new FO in the last year and it wasn't good. Next off-season will be huge for them.

Good point.   Also, I have to wonder if at some point though, if Falvine aren't somewhat setting Molly up to fail.   As folks have said, he was never their pick or choice for manager and was for all intents and purposes handpicked by the Pohlads (or at least it seems that way to me... I know, I know, put the crayons down and step away ).

 

[MN_ExPat]

 

why did the chicken cross the road?

To show the skunk it could be done!

Why did Captain Hook cross the road??

 

 

To get to the Second Hand store... (insert groan here )

[Riverbrian]

2 more data points that had generated a similar train of thought in my small brain -

 

I don't think anyone player was glad that Dougie Baseball was fired, let alone while cleaning up from a hurricane. Buxton spoke of Doug 'as a brother to them'

 

Dozier's outspoken attitude the night before opening day 'I'm a free agent'. What did he tell his teamates? 'I've busted my butt for the last 7 years hit 40 homeruns, won a gold glove, got MVP votes and they won't offer me an extension?' To me that's how Dozier has played this year with that shell shocked demeanor and I think it's wore off on the group as a whole.

Who knows what kind of emotional wrecks we have on our payroll. There are emotional wrecks all around us every day.

 

We all know people capable of losing sleep because someone took the last cup of coffee a couple of days ago.

 

However... logically. Do we want players who are so fragile that they wilt at the loss of a coach or the mood of the disgruntled?

 

You’d have no chance unless everything was perfect on and off the field.

[Vanimal46]

I just got home the drugstore and the talk on the radio was about trade candidates. I looked at the Athletic and the talk was about trade candidates. These are not candidates for us to acquire, but rather for us to dump. Our year records since 2010 have us barely above 500 twice. Patience is worn thin. Last year was a sign of hope, this year depression.

 

The Front Office has many responsibilities, but one is to maintain the fan base. What has Falvey and Levine done to keep or build that base? Are Twins fans excited about next year? Do they care about the rest of this year? Are they invested in Motter, Belisle...? The fans may not be able to make the trades, but they are the ones who pay for the team to succeed and right now I see a big decrease in the general fan interest. The other teams are getting more press, more interest.

 

As a fan, this bothers me. As a part of judging the Front Office, this also bothers me.

Casual fans don't care about this team. My mom said it best while they were visiting...

 

Her and my dad attended over 20 games last summer. She knew the typical lineup.

 

This year? She asked who that player was batting 5-9 in the lineup. My response is it doesn't matter he's not going to stick around in the future.

 

The on field product isn't going to generate more interest this season. Or probably next season either. They better upgrade the beer and food options again at Target Field....

[alarp33]

 

I just got home the drugstore and the talk on the radio was about trade candidates.  I looked at the Athletic and the talk was about trade candidates.  These are not candidates for us to acquire, but rather for us to dump.  Our year records since 2010 have us barely above 500 twice.  Patience is worn thin.  Last year was a sign of hope, this year depression.  

 

The Front Office has many responsibilities, but one is to maintain the fan base.  What has Falvey and Levine done to keep or build that base?  Are Twins fans excited about next year?  Do they care about the rest of this year?  Are they invested in Motter, Belisle...?  The fans may not be able to make the trades, but they are the ones who pay for the team to succeed and right now I see a big decrease in the general fan interest.  The other teams are getting more press, more interest.  

 

As a fan, this bothers me.  As a part of judging the Front Office, this also bothers me. 

 

Falvey and Levine's responsibility is to win baseball games. Winning baseball games "build the fan base".  If you are looking for a marketing cheerleader I think it's Dave St. Peter you are looking for. 

[snap4birds]

How many Twins will be in the All Star game?  Berrios?  Rosario?  Escobar?  A good team has at least 5 candidates producing like these 3.  2 of these candidates are surprising to me.  If Buxton and Sano aren't in this list at this time next year, there are going to be a lot more surprises needed for the Twins to compete.

 

It's a lot easier to fill in with guys like Odorizzi, Rodney, Jaime Garcia, etc. when you have a few studs to carry the heavy load.  

[KirbyDome89]

 

Molitor is always the one getting blamed for development, when I would think most of the development would be done by the coaching staff.  All the coaching staff have been FO hires.  Last year we gave the coaches credit for Buxton development, this year it's Molitor's fault for the failures?

 

If the FO didn't believe in Molitor or disagreed with his manager philosophy and still gave him a 3 year extension, it doesn't say anything positive about the FO.

I certainly have my disagreements with Molitor's decision making, but the heat he takes for poor fundamentals makes no sense to me either. Those are things players learn before the minor leagues, and they're reinforced on their way to the major league level. If players are called up without understanding how to throw to the correct base, bunt, run the bases, ect. then that's a developmental failure. It isn't unfair of Molitor to expect players that players have the ability to execute basic fundamental plays. 

 

I have a hard time pinning poor fundamentals squarely on the new FO because a lot of the roster spent their time in the minors under the old regime. There are a good number of players who have been coached in the minors under this new group, so the current FO gets a seat at the table too. 

 

You're right, they were given a lot of credit for Buxton's "turnaround," last season, and in general they received praise for the success the team had. I think I fall in the same camp as you; if the FO can soak up the success of last season, then they should be held responsible for the disaster that is this season. Saying that the FO can't share blame because Buxton, Sano, and Dozier aren't "their guys," is having your cake and eating it too. Personally, I didn't give them a ton of credit for last seasons run, because they didn't really do much of anything in the offseason, or during the season, to help the team. They ran through a string of awful waiver claims to patch a rotation together and they waffled back and forth at the trade deadline. They had their "observation," year so they got a pass for inactivity, and I can't really blame them for not immediately turning to FA to bolster a 100+ loss team during the first months of their tenure. The core of this team was intact when Falvey and Levine took over, so if I can't give them a ton of credit for the WC last year, I can't completely throw them under the bus for the results this season. That's the best case to be made for giving them another year or two. 

 

I think everybody acknowledges that the struggles of Buxton, Sano, and Dozier are the largest culprit for the way this season has gone. That doesn't absolve the FO from any blame, especially when their action/inaction has directly, and tangibly contributed to how awful this season has been.

 

I like the last point you made, and I don't think it's really talked about. If the FO really didn't want Molitor after last season then why hand out the extension? I have a hard time believing that he gets another 3 years without the blessing of the PBO. IMO he's become kind of a scapegoat for some of the roster mismanagement of the FO. 

[Brandon]

Contingencies:

 

The Twins entered this season with several contingencies in place.

Escobar was able to fill in any of the IF positions but 1B and DH.  Grossman could fill in at RF, LF and DH and either Rosario or Kepler could go to CF, and Morrison or Sano could fill in at 1B and Garver could start at C and we had Wilson to be the third C.

 

what happened?

 

More problems sprung up then we had contingencies available to plug them.  

Sano got hurt and Polanco was suspended half a season.  so Escobar is at 3B and Adrianza is at SS (Adrianza has actually perfomed well as the starter)  so those contingencies worked out.

 

Buxton had headaches was injured on rehab games and missed more time then rushed back before taking more time off and is now a mess.  Grossman has underperformed and LaMarre performed for a minute getting him more playing time.  We didnt have a contingency in case Grossman didn't hit.

 

Castro was injured and declared out for the year so our contingency Garver was given a few weeks to see what he could do with Wilson being the back up C.  Garver showed he wasnt ready for the bulk of the playing time so we went to Wilson to be the starter.  (In a vacuum this isnt the end of the world but with the other issues going on we needed more offense and this is one area we could improve quickly easily and probably cheaply too)

 

Mauer had concussion issues again and went on the DL.  Grossman was spening more time in the OF so he couldnt DH, Morrison played 1B and Sano has been injured and a wreck and back at A ball.  so we really didnt have anyone who could produce be able to play 1B.  also Vargas was not hitting in AAA.

 

DH  Morrison wasn't hitting Grossman wasnt either but he was needed in the OF and did improve for a minute showing hope as did Morrison before regressing again.  Sano was Sano and Vargas was wiffing in AAA

 

and Lastly Dozier has slumped enough to hurt his value to the team but not enough to replace in the lineup especially with all of the other things going on.  Though I wonder if sitting him on the bench for a few days and bringing up Gordon to start for a few days and go back down, would have lit a fire.

so we needed another OF contingency which has turned to Cave and he is producing enough.

We needed another DH and did nothing to fix the situation

We needed a starting C and did nothing to fix the situation

Mauer has come back and so has Polanco.  Though Mauer isn't hitting yet except 2 games against the Cubs.  

 

So the real problems not addressed in season are the DH and starting C for the remainder of the season.

 

There are a few options available to fix these at minimal cost.  Could we have signed Hanley Ramirez and there was another hitter released who could hit at DH whom I already forgot, and sent to AAA for a few weeks to ramp back up and maybe play him?

 

Having a .700 OPS catcher and an .800 OPS DH would have helped the lineup immensely instead of throwing out a lineup of .500 to .680 OPS hitters in 5 or 6 spots in the lineup.  Especially in a season where we lost so many 1 run games.

 

The Twins did sign Rupp to a AAA contract but that hasn't worked out either.  what was the cost to acquire a starting C?  there are several on the market so it is a buyers market with Swihart, Chirinos, Ramos, and Reamulto available.    Yes Realmutto would cost a lot.   but if the Twins wanted to keep the push for this year on they could have traded for a C which would cost a prospect but probably not one we had to have.

 

As far as the pitching goes, I don't really have any complaints.  Yes Lynn stumbled out the gate and we still have Belisle on the team.  I hope after a few more appearances we will know if he is done with a few bad appearances and they cut bait or he turns it around and produces.  Either one is fine by me though I do want to see the young guys come up soon.  The staff as a whole is average which is leaps and bounds better then where they were when Falvine came on board or even last year for that matter.  

 

We did go from a top 5 offense to a bottom 5 offense and Falvine hasn't done much to stop the bleeding during this time, but at the same time there was so much bleeding there I doubt that even if these moves were made it would have made enough of a difference.  Unless the front office making moves to bolster the team directly with buying trade upped morale enough for others to pick up and go.  I do think they should go after Ramirez and a C.  I don't know that there is much else they could realistically do without being a big buyer.  and they may have felt the same.  They may be thinking we can do these two moves but will likely keep us closer to .500 and not allow us to tank if need be.  I don't know their logic but watching this season unfold has felt defeating.  

 

I don't like the concept of tanking (mostly because we need to FO to be honest with us about this up front as they may be tanking while we are rooting for the wins.  Also the selling last year sends a message to the fans as well about wanting to win) and i hope the owners do something about that at the next collective bargaining agreement.

[Fritzderkat]

KenBuddha said:I don't think Molitor is gone because I don't think the FO gets to decide. Just like they really didn't get a choice in bringing him back after his MOY award. The owner wanted him and continues to want him. Once this contract is done maybe then the FO will get to decide, but not before.

 

I said a couple weeks ago, and forgive me if it's been said before (it has to have been, by somebody), I've been following the Twins for the 17 years I've lived here and the primary consistency--that of continued failure--is the uninspired Pohlad ownership, their tightfisted control of finances and dimwitted appointment of organizational flunkies..

 

As a sidelight, whose decision do you suppose it was yesterday to bat Wilson with two outs and the bases loaded when on the bench sat Garver and Austadillo?

[KGB]

 

I said a couple weeks ago, and forgive me if it's been said before (it has to have been, by somebody), I've been following the Twins for the 17 years I've lived here and the primary consistency--that of continued failure--is the uninspired Pohlad ownership, their tightfisted control of finances and dimwitted appointment of organizational flunkies..

 

 

With apology to the Lynx, the Pohlad have also brought us the only 2 major sports championship.

[LaBombo]

 

With apology to the Lynx, the Pohlad have also brought us the only 2 major sports championship.

 

Jim seems like a very decent guy and he and his family have been extremely active and generous philanthropists over the years, and the Twins moved into a very nice new ballpark during his tenure as CEO of the Twins executive board.

 

But if memory and a little internet research serves, Jim and his brothers had very little to do with the WS titles, which are now over a quarter century behind us. They really didn't become active in the decision-making process until their father's health declined in the year prior to his passing in 2009. 

 

I don't know about anyone else, but I would be hesitant to seek attention for a medical issue from someone whose main qualification was that their dad or mom was a doctor. Owning a MLB franchise may not be brain surgery, but it's certainly demanding enough that simply inheriting a team is not a sufficient qualification for success.

 

Under Jim's tenure as CEO, the Twins have squandered nearly ten years in their new ballpark with nothing to show for it but a couple of pretender-not-contender seasons and potentially one of the most disappointing slow-motion rebuilding efforts that I've seen from a Minnesota sports franchise in my adult lifetime.

 

The current front office should probably get another year or so to sort things out, but it's hard to feel optimistic about the direction of the franchise after what amounts to nearly a decade of futility under Jim Pohlad's leadership.

 

 

Edited July 6, 2018 by LaBombo

[h2oface]

 

2 more data points that had generated a similar train of thought in my small brain -

 

I don't think anyone player was glad that Dougie Baseball was fired, let alone while cleaning up from a hurricane.  Buxton spoke of Doug 'as a brother to them'

 

Dozier's outspoken attitude the night before opening day 'I'm a free agent'.  What did he tell his teamates?  'I've busted my butt for the last 7 years hit 40 homeruns, won a gold glove, got MVP votes and they won't offer me an extension?'  To me that's how Dozier has played this year with that shell shocked demeanor and I think it's wore off on the group as a whole.

 

Meanwhile, Doug Mientkiewicz got the AAA job in the Detroit system with the Toledo Mudhens, and continues to just win. Players like to play for him. 

 

Dozier? He has absolutely no motivation to do anything but have a career year, what with free agency coming up, so I don't buy he is trying to be anything but the best he can be. Unfortunately for him and the Twins, that is not happening.

[wsnydes]

 

Casual fans don't care about this team. My mom said it best while they were visiting...

Her and my dad attended over 20 games last summer. She knew the typical lineup.

This year? She asked who that player was batting 5-9 in the lineup. My response is it doesn't matter he's not going to stick around in the future.

The on field product isn't going to generate more interest this season. Or probably next season either. They better upgrade the beer and food options again at Target Field....

Trust me, they were going to do this when they went 0-162, 162-0 and then won the WS.  If they spent that sort of time and effort for the on the field product, they'd be a world class organization by now.

[wsnydes]

 

With apology to the Lynx, the Pohlad have also brought us the only 2 major sports championship.

Carl did anyway.  Unfortunately, I don't think that his kids have the same enthusiasm for the game.  The team is just another business venture for them.

[Squirrel]

 

Carl did anyway.  Unfortunately, I don't think that his kids have the same enthusiasm for the game.  The team is just another business venture for them.

Carl didn't really have that enthusiasm, either ... it was his wife who loved the Twins.

[gagu]

 

KenBuddha said:I don't think Molitor is gone because I don't think the FO gets to decide. Just like they really didn't get a choice in bringing him back after his MOY award. The owner wanted him and continues to want him. Once this contract is done maybe then the FO will get to decide, but not before.

 

I said a couple weeks ago, and forgive me if it's been said before (it has to have been, by somebody), I've been following the Twins for the 17 years I've lived here and the primary consistency--that of continued failure--is the uninspired Pohlad ownership, their tightfisted control of finances and dimwitted appointment of organizational flunkies..

 

As a sidelight, whose decision do you suppose it was yesterday to bat Wilson with two outs and the bases loaded when on the bench sat Garver and Austadillo?

Bottom of the 6th with a 3-1 lead, I think the percentages dictate that you let Wilson bat and rely on his defensive superiority for the last three innings. 

[mikelink45]

 

Falvey and Levine's responsibility is to win baseball games. Winning baseball games "build the fan base".  If you are looking for a marketing cheerleader I think it's Dave St. Peter you are looking for. 

I understand your stance, but this is a business (game?) and no organization forgets the bottom line for long and thrives.  But someone needs to be worried about seats - I would if was the GM.  Here is an interesting quote from Jerry Crasnick in 2015, "The GM of yore was a jack-of-all-trades -- and destined to become obsolete over time. With the exception of Terry Ryan's Minnesota Twins and a few other teams, the mom-and-pop front office is as antiquated as relying on fielding percentage as a gauge of a team's defensive prowess.

 

"The key part of the general manager's job now is the 'manager' part. Look at the Red Sox's media guide, and there are 35 or 40 people in the baseball operations side of the business. It wasn't that long ago that it was like three people," said Mark Armour, co-author of "In Pursuit of Pennants: Baseball Operations from Deadball to Moneyball.""  http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/13717463/the-changing-face-role-mlb-general-manager  

 

That leads me to a 2014 article that says - "That leads us to probably the most important responsibility a GM has – Hiring the Right People. GMs can't be everywhere and see everything. They must rely on a network of people to provide expert teaching, information, and analysis. One bit of bad information or analysis could lead to overspending millions of dollars on a free agent bust or drafting Christian Colon instead of Matt Harvey or Chris Sale. Bad teaching or player development can lead to a minor league system that fails to provide impact major-league baseball players. Allowing those bad decisions to continue to hold back the progress of an entire franchise should be job suicide." https://247sports.com/mlb/royals/Article/GM-Job-Description-Face-of-the-Franchise-105103835/   Have we hired the right people - Who chose Motter, Belisle, LaMarre, Breslow?  According to Patrick Reusse today on KSTP the Twins have signed another person and Reusse could only say - we aren't going to play him are we?  

 

 

 

[yarnivek1972]

They clearly haven’t hired enough of the right people in player development.

[Danchat]

 

We’ve had one good season out of the last seven or eight. My question is: Where are are all of the high draft choices? Why do we have to use the LaMarr’s, etc of the world. The jury is out on the new front office.

The high draft picks aren't here because Terry Ryan squandered selections on Kohl Stewart and Tyler Jay. Buxton can't figure out how to hit and Nick Gordon is on the cusp of arriving... we might end up with one good player out of that group and that's mostly on TR (though I'm not sure who to blame Buxton's failed development on).

[Danchat]

 

I just got home the drugstore and the talk on the radio was about trade candidates.  I looked at the Athletic and the talk was about trade candidates.  These are not candidates for us to acquire, but rather for us to dump.  Our year records since 2010 have us barely above 500 twice.  Patience is worn thin.  Last year was a sign of hope, this year depression.  

 

The Front Office has many responsibilities, but one is to maintain the fan base.  What has Falvey and Levine done to keep or build that base?  Are Twins fans excited about next year?  Do they care about the rest of this year?  Are they invested in Motter, Belisle...?  The fans may not be able to make the trades, but they are the ones who pay for the team to succeed and right now I see a big decrease in the general fan interest.  The other teams are getting more press, more interest.  

 

As a fan, this bothers me.  As a part of judging the Front Office, this also bothers me. 

Just a nitpick, but I don't get what all this hullabaloo over Motter is. He had 16 PAs and he's likely getting DFA'd when he comes off the DL. in AAA right now. He filled in for about 10 days as the utility infielder and had a very minimal impact on the team - Seattle gave him 17 PAs this season, was that because of bad management? The Twins claimed him and tried to see if he was any good and he wasn't. If he sticks around like Belisle then I'll understand your complaint.

Edited July 7, 2018 by Danchat

[DocBauer]

They clearly haven’t hired enough of the right people in player development.

 

Frustrated but I have to disagree with the blanket approach of thjs statement. They came on board fall of 2017. They've made changes throughout the organization, both initially and since. Buxton and Sano, the obvious biggest question marks, were here before them. Is a year and a half sufficient time frame to judge this aspect? If it is, then credit the development of Berrios and Rosario to them.

[DocBauer]

Just a nitpick, but I don't get what all this hullabaloo over Motter is. He had 16 PAs and he's likely getting DFA'd when he comes off the DL. in AAA right now. He filled in for about 10 days as the utility infielder and had a very minimal impact on the team - Seattle gave him 17 PAs this season, was that because of bad management? The Twins claimed him and tried to see if he was any good and he wasn't. If he sticks around like Belisle then I'll understand your complaint.

 

Exactly! Motter is actually the kind of high potential, low risk many have advocated right here on TD. He's relatively young, athletic, versatile, and has shown performance in milb. He becomes available, so you take a loom-see to see if you are the right team, the right place and time, concurrent with maturity, where maybe he starts to figure stuff out. Motter is not the problem with this season.

[DocBauer]

Look, this is yet another quality thread with quality opinions. And I'm not going to pretend my thoughts are so much smarter than anyone else's. Nor will I pretend to have all the answers. Nor will I make excuses. But here is my opinion.

 

1] The front office has been on the job, literally, for a year and a half. Not sure what magic dust they were supposed to sprinkle to create an immediate turnaround.

 

2] Depending on your viewpoint, of course, the FO made a couple small moves that helped the 2017 team surprise. They even made a couple moves during the season that some question, but have largely looked good. They also used tbe Rochester shuttle fairly effectively.

 

3] This new FO had what, is perceived to be, a very good draft last year, and played with international FA money to acquire a couple more solid prospects.

 

4] Forget results for a moment, the new FO made aggressive FA and trade moves like we haven't seen since McPhail was in office. Oddorizi was NOT a bad move. Nor was Duke, Rodney, Reed or Morrison. Or Lynn, who has looked pretty darn good the last month plus.

 

5] The FO is not directly responsible, so far as I can tell, for Buxton or Sano, or sudden regression from Reed. Nor are they responsible for Polanco's suspension, Castro's injury, Santana's injury, (or Sano and Buxton for that matter), or Dozier and Morrison having the worst seasons of their career.

 

However, they ARE responsible for putting together a AAA roster filled with nothing but internal pitching options!

 

I only liked the Wilson signing to play at Rochester and be a temp fill in if needed. No way they could predict Castro's knee, but still think they set their sites low. The rest of the player roster, except for the injured Granite made me scratch my head. Cave was a smart move, IMO. And it makes me cringe a bit to say it, but I miss having a Buscher or Tyner at Rochester.

 

But let us not lose perspective on the ML issue at hand. When half your projected lineup, and your #1 starter from the year before, miss all, or large parts of the season, you tend to struggle. When a useful piece like Grossman or Adrianza3....maybe being unfair to Adrianza...become regulars, you will tend to struggle.

 

Honestly, the FO punched almost every button right in the off season. At some point, injuries play a factor, whether you like Molitor or not. Rowson was a GREAT hire a year ago as hitting instructor. Now he's awful because of the poor offense? He suddenly made Sano, Buxton, Dozier and Morrison bad hitters? At what point to you just blame the players themselves, accept injuries and weird off season developments, and other intangibles and just say "it's not our year"?

 

Honestly, and it may not be fair, but if I was FORCED to lay blame, and couldn't blame crappy luck and circumstances, I'd put the blame 50-50 on the players and Molitor and his staff.

 

What's IMPORTANT is what happens next. Exonerate Molitor and his staff, but shed whoever you don't see next season. Pick up some prospects if you can, for future trade, or to fill in holes in the system. Audition guys who deserve a chance to see what they can do. They might surprise you! Tell Molitor to play them! Arent you his boss?

 

A lot of milb teams employ a 6 man rotation. Sometimes straight, sometimes by skipping guys every 5th or 6th turn by pitching out of the pen to stay sharp. Be inventive! You are supposed to be a new age FO, then show us you are by getting ready for 2019! Play Garver as much as you can! My goodness, you really think playing an aged defensive catcher who can barley hit above .100 is going to let you win more games? Play Garver, strong arm, good pitch calling, more than average offense potentially, and let him grow and learn! See what you have! Audition your rotation and bullpen arms. One more time, aren't you supposed to be innovative?

 

Prove it!

 

This season, for the most part, is NOT on the FO. Nor is it entirely on Molitor and his staff. But the onus is now on "what do we do going forward for the second half?" And it is a very, very important second half for trades, auditions, promotions, development and even leading in to off season moves.

[Platoon]

Carl did anyway.  Unfortunately, I don't think that his kids have the same enthusiasm for the game.  The team is just another business venture for them.

The. Twins are a line item on the financial statement of Pohlad Enterprsies. That is all it is to the Pohlads. And that beautiful new ball park they "gave us"? We gave most of it to ourselves, which I really have no problem with. The Pohlads contribution to the ball park was a direct reflection of their appreciation of the immense increase in the value of their franchise due to the new park.

[Squirrel]

They clearly haven’t hired enough of the right people in player development.

Why do you say this? If it’s based on the play in the majors, most of those guys, if not all, were developed under the previous regime. At what point is it a development issue or a manager/coaching issue? (I already said I think their biggest mistake was signing Molitor for 3 yrs.) I think seeing what becomes of Sano will tell us more about this FO’s development program, if it’s not too late. And maybe it is. I’m not sure it’s fair to expect instantaneous results on that front. They didn’t really start replacing people throughout the minors until this past off season, so when is the right time to grade that? That’s partly why I’m on the fence because some of these things take time to grade.

[mikelink45]

 

Just a nitpick, but I don't get what all this hullabaloo over Motter is. He had 16 PAs and he's likely getting DFA'd when he comes off the DL. in AAA right now. He filled in for about 10 days as the utility infielder and had a very minimal impact on the team - Seattle gave him 17 PAs this season, was that because of bad management? The Twins claimed him and tried to see if he was any good and he wasn't. If he sticks around like Belisle then I'll understand your complaint.

I will quote from transactions in the minor league report - "The Twins activated utility man Taylor Motter and optioned him to AA Chattanooga. The decision to send him to Chattanooga rather than Rochester is because the Red Wings start their All Star break on Monday and they want Motter to play." This FO falls in love with its own acquisitions at the expense of our own minor league players. 

[Otto von Ballpark]

I will quote from transactions in the minor league report - "The Twins activated utility man Taylor Motter and optioned him to AA Chattanooga. The decision to send him to Chattanooga rather than Rochester is because the Red Wings start their All Star break on Monday and they want Motter to play." This FO falls in love with its own acquisitions at the expense of our own minor league players.

No point in DFA'ing Motter until you have someone else who needs the 40-man spot to join the 25-man roster.