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The 2019 Minnesota Twins offense put up some historic numbers. On Tuesday, we learned that the team had added one of the best hitters over the last dozen years to the already-strong lineup. Twins fans got excited, thinking about the offensive numbers the team could produce. At the same time, many quickly jumped back to asking if the team still needs to add more pitching.Clearly the Twins went into the offseason hoping to add a top starting pitcher. Use the word “impact” if you like. The two impact starters on the free agent market weren’t coming here (Cole, Strasburg). Two of the free agent starters who fit in that next tier (Bumgarner and Wheeler) went elsewhere for non-baseball and non-dollar reasons. And it appears that the Twins just didn’t (understandably) want to give Hyun-Jin Ryu a fourth year.

 

With that, they shifted their attention to adding to an already-great offense. They gave Josh Donaldson a guaranteed $92 million over the next four years, and an option for 2024 that makes it pretty likely he is retained.

 

I am often told by Twins fans to expect the offense and several of its hitters to regress in 2020. First, my assumption is that something will be done with the baseball, which may reduce some offensive numbers, but that will be across the board, for all teams. And yes, teams will have more data points to develop a way to attack the Twins hitters. So, regression for some and for the whole, is certainly possible.

 

However, much of the Twins offense is made up of a core of players between 22-year-old Luis Arraez and 29-year-old Silver Slugger Mitch Garver. And none of them had seasons that were so far out of the realm of their potential that makes you think that any regression would have to be major. Jorge Polanco, Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton, Eddie Rosario and Max Kepler all had strong seasons, but none of them outside of what we thought they could do when they were prospects.

 

Silver Slugger Nelson Cruz is going to turn 40 during the season. It’s silly to expect him to put up the same kind of numbers he put up in 2019, but his approach and his strength should still produce really good numbers in the middle of a lineup. Josh Donaldson replaces CJ Cron in the lineup. While he is older, he’s been one of the greatest hitters in baseball. If healthy, he should continue to put up eye-popping numbers.

 

Injuries? Yes, injuries happen and they aren’t necessarily easy or possible to predict. But, there is one good way to alleviate some of those concerns. The first is simply to have depth. The Twins have depth. Simply in the form of Marwin Gonzalez there is depth. He can play the corner infield and corner outfield spots. LaMonte Wade and Jake Cave can man the outfield spots when needed. Ehire Adrianza is a terrific utility infielder. Alex Avila is the backup catcher. And there are prospects, high-caliber prospects at each position, who are close to MLB-ready.

 

The Twins were able to keep Jake Odorizzi away from free agency for one more year by offering him the $17.8 million Qualifying Offer (and him accepting it). They also retained the services of right-hander Michael Pineda for the next two years. He will finish the final 39 games of his suspension and rejoin the team in mid-May.

 

Jose Berrios is entering his Age-26 season. He will need to figure out August, but there’s a lot to be excited about it, and there is potential for him to find another level. Jake Odorizzi found his next level in 2019. Michael Pineda, at the time he was suspended, was being talked about as a possible Game 1 starter in the playoffs. That’s a solid first three.

 

Homer Bailey? No, not exciting, but he has certainly had his moments. And, he was really good in the second half of 2019.

 

Rich Hill? Man, if only he could stay healthy. Over the last five years, he has been a top 10-15 starting pitcher in baseball. Of course, he won’t be back until at least June after elbow surgery. There is no way to know how that recovery and rehab will go with 100% confidence. But they got him for a great contract and even if he’s back by the end of July, and can get close to what he’s been in recent years, that’s a nice pitcher to have in August, September and October. Can the Twins get the best out of him?

 

With Hill and Pineda unable to start the season on the active list, the rotation will contain Berrios, Odorizzi, Bailey and…

 

Well, for right now, that answer comes down to about four options; Brusdar Graterol, Lewis Thorpe, Randy Dobnak and Devin Smeltzer. Yes, Blaine Hardy will be at spring training. Jhoan Duran is on the 40-man roster, so he’ll be at big-league spring training for a while. There may be other names mentioned early in spring training. But for all intents and purposes, it comes down to those four pitchers.

 

All four pitched in the big leagues in 2019.

 

Randy Dobnak: He was the Twins minor league pitcher of the year in 2019 when he pitched in Ft. Myers, Pensacola, Rochester and ended the season with the Twins, pitching well enough in September to earn a Game 2 start in the playoffs. It didn’t go well, but it shouldn’t minimize how much he grew and improved over the course of the season. And, in addition to being a good story, he’s a good pitcher too.

 

Lewis Thorpe: He was the Twins minor league pitcher of the year in 2018. He spent most of 2019 in Rochester but came up a couple of times. He made a few starts and also pitched out of the bullpen. He had some good games and some not-so-good games, but what he did well is miss bats.

 

Devin Smeltzer: He moved back into a starting role in 2019 and started in Pensacola. A month later he was in Rochester, and before the end of May, he made his major-league debut and it went very well. He was a frequent guest on the Rochester-to-Minneapolis travel list but experienced success in a variety of roles in the big leagues.

 

Brusdar Graterol: He came up for September and worked out of the bullpen. He was off to a good start last year in AA, but he missed nearly three months in the middle of the season with a shoulder injury. He came back in the bullpen so that he could be called up and his triple-digit fastball could help the Twins late. He will be on some sort of innings plan, but most would think that it’d be ideal for him to continue developing as a starter. Could that be as a ‘Primary’ pitcher, or could he just be a regular starter until Pineda comes back, or until Hill returns?

 

Derek Falvey is often given a lot of credit for the pitching development in Cleveland. We have seen them continue to develop a pipeline of quality starters. Several of their current pitchers were not top prospects when they came up but certainly have developed into that status. Corey Kluber might just be the best example of that development plan and process, though he will be with the Rangers in 2020.

 

So, should we believe in Derek Falvey’s track record? Should we trust the processes that have been initiated by Falvey along with pitching guru Josh Kalk and minor league pitching coordinator Paul Maki, and each of the minor league coaches and coordinators brought in? How about their utilization of technologies in recent years? Why not give these guys a chance?

 

Herein lies the question from today’s title, Do the Twins need to add another starter?

 

In my opinion, the answer is obvious. No, they don’t NEED to add another starter. With this offense, the team will win a lot of games. Their top two pitchers (Berrios, Odorizzi) are good. Bailey certainly can be good. And, four young pitchers who got time in 2019 are certainly capable of being solid, and a few of them have the potential to be pretty good. Having that offensive support should certainly encourage them to throw a lot of strikes. Pineda will be back. Hill should be back a little later.

 

But, it isn’t that simple. While they don’t NEED to add another starter, Falvey and Thad Levine should continue to monitor the starting pitcher trade market. I don’t think Jon Gray or German Marquez are going to be available this offseason, but those are the caliber of pitcher that the team should show interest in. Y’all know I’m not at all high on Matt Boyd, but if the Twins research and development crew says that he could be a pitcher of the Berrios/Odorizzi/Pineda quality in 2020, maybe try that. There may be names that we haven’t even thought of that they could get.

 

But don’t just add any more pitchers just to add more pitchers. If they’re going to make a move, make it a good one. Get a pitcher as good as Odorizzi, or better.

If not, take your chances with a strong offense and a pretty solid starting rotation (and a pretty solid bullpen too, mind you). Continue to evaluate and teach those inexperienced pitchers, Get Pineda back. Get Hill back…

 

And keep an eye on the phone, always looking to make a big addition in July… or June… or May!

 

 

For much more on Brusdar Graterol, Lewis Thorpe, Randy Dobnak and Devin Smeltzer, along with Jhoan Duran, Jordan Balazovic and about 90 other Twins minor league pitchers, order a copy of the 2020 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. It is available in paperback or PDF ebook.

 

 

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Unequivocally yes, they need at least one other starter. 

 

They can probably mash their way to a division title in the weak Central but it'll be another disappointing postseason appearance if MN doesn't acquire somebody that'll slot into one of the top two spots in the rotation.

 

Rich Hill is far from a guarantee to even pitch this year. Pineda has his own laundry list of past injuries. Homer Bailey was largely ineffective and/or injured for 4+ seasons before a "strong 2nd half," last year where he was essentially a league average pitcher. Relying on Smeltzer, Thorpe, Dobnak, and Graterol to fill 2 rotation spots for any length of time is negligent. 

 

As of right now, if Berrios or Odorizzi are forced to miss any time over the first couple months, or Bailey simply isn't effective, an extremely potent offense could be wasted. 

 

 

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Couldn't agree more - they certainly don't need to add another SP at this point. Also, agree that Gray or Marquez (I like both, prefer Marquez) are the type of SP we need to be looking at. We can start the season by providing some opportunities to internal options.

 

When we get to the trade deadline if this team is performing as expected there should more teams willing to trade and it may be easier to put together a deal for a SP. 

 

Either way this team is going to be a lot of fun to watch again this year.

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The post-season lessons on the value of a strong rotation continue to accumulate. The current Twins lineup is not of that caliber, and does not augur to reach it without adding at least one top-class arm.

 

While we're at it:

Do rhetorical questions make good headlines? Talk amongst yourselves...

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I completely agree with Seth.  The Twins currently have enough young pitchers that deserve a legitimate chance to show they are ready for the show AND we need to determine if they can contribute in 2021!  The Twins are trying to build a team that has a real chance to compete for a World Series ring yearly and that requires building a pitching pipeline.  

 

That being said, to compete for a World Series ring in 2020 we most likely need to pick up a SP better than Odo at the trade deadline.

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Unequivocally yes, they need at least one other starter.

 

They can probably mash their way to a division title in the weak Central but it'll be another disappointing postseason appearance if MN doesn't acquire somebody that'll slot into one of the top two spots in the rotation.

 

Rich Hill is far from a guarantee to even pitch this year. Pineda has his own laundry list of past injuries. Homer Bailey was largely ineffective and/or injured for 4+ seasons before a "strong 2nd half," last year where he was essentially a league average pitcher. Relying on Smeltzer, Thorpe, Dobnak, and Graterol to fill 2 rotation spots for any length of time is negligent.

 

As of right now, if Berrios or Odorizzi are forced to miss any time over the first couple months, or Bailey simply isn't effective, an extremely potent offense could be wasted.

agreed, tons of back end depth for 20, but very thin at the top of the rotation.

 

Injuries will happen and having all that depth for starters 4-10 is great! It raises the floor. Having a solid chance win the 5th game as opposed to an automatic L is how you win the regular season.

 

Need to add a starter to the 1-3 range (preferably 1, but understand the difficulty/cost) to raise the ceiling. Having a 3rd high-end starter is how you win in the post season.

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I agree w/ everybody. Could we get by w/o another impact arm?  I think yes but if we want to excel we definitely need an impact arm. All the pitchers we had last year petered out (some more than others) except Pineda which started slow & got better & then didn`t finish. We don`t have anyone that can start strong & finish strong unless Berrios steps it up a notch. I believe to maximize our pitchers we need to use more often "the opener" the pitcher don`t have to pace themselves but go full bore & to give those who need it added rest. I love the way the Twins used the revolving door rotating pitchers from AAA to ML in that scenario we can`t have enough pitchers. To start the year we don`t have Hall (there is possibility he won`t come back) & Pineda, I`d want to groom Graterol as starter so that could mean him starting at AAA to perfect his secondary pitches. & w/ all these pitchers someone will most likely get hurt. I don`t want to limit the pitching coaches from taking on present & future possibility projects that they deem high upside. 

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A question to consider - What team is willing to trade a pitcher at or above Berrios quality right now?

A number of TD posters have called for a new shortstop. Would you trade Berrios for Trevor Story?

 

I can't fathom a trade of a top pitcher at this time. I do think a TOR pitcher is important and believed Cole was worth $36 million. Even that wasn't enough it turns out. The Twins have what they need for now.

There may be an ace available from a team that wants a load of prospects or is willing to gamble on change by July. The beauty of a luxury of riches allows the Twins to explore trades and wait for the proper time. 

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The obvious answer is we need someone that can go toe to toe with Cole/Severino and/or Verlander/Greinke. The better question might be is there a SP realistically available right now that can go toe to toe with them. Personally, I am hoping for Charlie Morton at the trade deadline. 

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"Do the Twins Really Need to Add Another Starter?"

As of 1/16/2020 they don't NEED to add another starter, they have a bunch.

I mean one is out at least half the year, another is injury prone and suspended for a 1/4 of the season, one has had pretty bad second half, one before his "contract" year was just above average, and 4 are basically rookies and one of them is injury prone.

So do I fell confident in the above to win the central and go deep into the playoffs. ummm, not really, but super hopeful that two of those rookies pitch well enough to pencil in the rotation next year.

So with that said, No they don't need to add another starter, but it would help this year and the future to bring in a pitcher you could pencil in the rotation for a least a few years, so they aren't going into every off season looking for 2,3,4 starting pitchers to fill out the rotation.

 

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Agree with Seth and others that the Twins don't need another starter at this time.  Am confident that two of the four young guns mentioned will be fine until Pineda gets back in mid-May.  Then they will only need one of the four until Hill is back, if he does return as the pitcher everyone expects.  After Hill's return, all four will return to Rochester and be available for the shuttle when/if another starter/long reliever is needed.

 

As for which two of the four break camp with the Twins, not a clue.  Could be any of the four, however, am confident at least one will make it very difficult for the Twins to send him down when/if Hill returns.

 

With that said, I wouldn't be surprised if the Twins complete another trade similar to the Odorizzi trade.  Send one or two prospects who aren't in the top 10 or 15 for a youngish starter with some upside.  Probably one who no one has been talking about going out and getting.  But will he be better than the best of Thorpe, Dobnak, Smeltzer or Graterol?

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As of right now, if Berrios or Odorizzi are forced to miss any time over the first couple months, or Bailey simply isn't effective, an extremely potent offense could be wasted. 

Last year, the three teams that won over 100 games in the AL were also the teams that scored the most runs - Yankees, Twins and Astros, in that order. Yes, it's great to have shut-down pitching, but it's also evident from this result that you can win a lot of games by scoring a lot of runs.

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Gambling on two unproven SP, good health and Homer Bailey for the first 40 games is risky. They can make the odds better by trading for a proven young starter.

 

Don't sell Cleveland short. They won 93 games last year and now have Carrasco back in the rotation. They too are gambling on some young players, including Orlando Mercado, Jake Bauers and Franmil Reyes. But why take the risk early in the season? Go get a SP.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I think they are pretty well set for now.  As we approach the trade deadline, survey the landscape and see who may be available and at what price.  Who knows...a team that thought they'd contend may have flopped (Mets---Thor, Edwin Diaz, etc...) and some of our prospects may be having a great bounce back year (Wander Javier) that other teams may show interest in them.  

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I would go to the minor league and start seeing who has it and who does't.  Why is Caleb Thielbar still Rochester, he is 32.  Bring him up give him one last chance and move on.  I have always felt like the Twins keep players in the minor leagues too long.  There are 3 others over 30 in AAA.  Give them one last shot and be done and let then next group move up to AAA.  Bring the 25+ guys from AA to AAA and give them 1-2 more years and then be done with them.

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You guys are missing the fact that we should get a boost in pitching simply by the Astros and Yankees not stealing signals! Therefore Berrios and Odorizzi should be a very good 1-2 punch in the playoffs. Let's hope that Graterol can pull out his best 2006 Liriano impression (minus the blown elbow of course) and then we'll have a solid starting 4 in the playoffs

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The 2019 Minnesota Twins offense put up some historic numbers. On Tuesday, we learned that the team had added one of the best hitters over the last dozen years to the already-strong lineup. Twins fans got excited, thinking about the offensive numbers the team could produce. At the same time, many quickly jumped back to asking if the team still needs to add more pitching.Clearly the Twins went into the offseason hoping to add a top starting pitcher. Use the word “impact” if you like. The two impact starters on the free agent market weren’t coming here (Cole, Strasburg). Two of the free agent starters who fit in that next tier (Bumgarner and Wheeler) went elsewhere for non-baseball and non-dollar reasons. And it appears that the Twins just didn’t (understandably) want to give Hyun-Jin Ryu a fourth year.

With that, they shifted their attention to adding to an already-great offense. They gave Josh Donaldson a guaranteed $92 million over the next four years, and an option for 2024 that makes it pretty likely he is retained.

I am often told by Twins fans to expect the offense and several of its hitters to regress in 2020. First, my assumption is that something will be done with the baseball, which may reduce some offensive numbers, but that will be across the board, for all teams. And yes, teams will have more data points to develop a way to attack the Twins hitters. So, regression for some and for the whole, is certainly possible.

However, much of the Twins offense is made up of a core of players between 22-year-old Luis Arraez and 29-year-old Silver Slugger Mitch Garver. And none of them had seasons that were so far out of the realm of their potential that makes you think that any regression would have to be major. Jorge Polanco, Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton, Eddie Rosario and Max Kepler all had strong seasons, but none of them outside of what we thought they could do when they were prospects.

Silver Slugger Nelson Cruz is going to turn 40 during the season. It’s silly to expect him to put up the same kind of numbers he put up in 2019, but his approach and his strength should still produce really good numbers in the middle of a lineup. Josh Donaldson replaces CJ Cron in the lineup. While he is older, he’s been one of the greatest hitters in baseball. If healthy, he should continue to put up eye-popping numbers.

Injuries? Yes, injuries happen and they aren’t necessarily easy or possible to predict. But, there is one good way to alleviate some of those concerns. The first is simply to have depth. The Twins have depth. Simply in the form of Marwin Gonzalez there is depth. He can play the corner infield and corner outfield spots. LaMonte Wade and Jake Cave can man the outfield spots when needed. Ehire Adrianza is a terrific utility infielder. Alex Avila is the backup catcher. And there are prospects, high-caliber prospects at each position, who are close to MLB-ready.

The Twins were able to keep Jake Odorizzi away from free agency for one more year by offering him the $17.8 million Qualifying Offer (and him accepting it). They also retained the services of right-hander Michael Pineda for the next two years. He will finish the final 39 games of his suspension and rejoin the team in mid-May.

Jose Berrios is entering his Age-26 season. He will need to figure out August, but there’s a lot to be excited about it, and there is potential for him to find another level. Jake Odorizzi found his next level in 2019. Michael Pineda, at the time he was suspended, was being talked about as a possible Game 1 starter in the playoffs. That’s a solid first three.

Homer Bailey? No, not exciting, but he has certainly had his moments. And, he was really good in the second half of 2019.

Rich Hill? Man, if only he could stay healthy. Over the last five years, he has been a top 10-15 starting pitcher in baseball. Of course, he won’t be back until at least June after elbow surgery. There is no way to know how that recovery and rehab will go with 100% confidence. But they got him for a great contract and even if he’s back by the end of July, and can get close to what he’s been in recent years, that’s a nice pitcher to have in August, September and October. Can the Twins get the best out of him?

With Hill and Pineda unable to start the season on the active list, the rotation will contain Berrios, Odorizzi, Bailey and…

Well, for right now, that answer comes down to about four options; Brusdar Graterol, Lewis Thorpe, Randy Dobnak and Devin Smeltzer. Yes, Blaine Hardy will be at spring training. Jhoan Duran is on the 40-man roster, so he’ll be at big-league spring training for a while. There may be other names mentioned early in spring training. But for all intents and purposes, it comes down to those four pitchers.

All four pitched in the big leagues in 2019.

Randy Dobnak: He was the Twins minor league pitcher of the year in 2019 when he pitched in Ft. Myers, Pensacola, Rochester and ended the season with the Twins, pitching well enough in September to earn a Game 2 start in the playoffs. It didn’t go well, but it shouldn’t minimize how much he grew and improved over the course of the season. And, in addition to being a good story, he’s a good pitcher too.

Lewis Thorpe: He was the Twins minor league pitcher of the year in 2018. He spent most of 2019 in Rochester but came up a couple of times. He made a few starts and also pitched out of the bullpen. He had some good games and some not-so-good games, but what he did well is miss bats.

Devin Smeltzer: He moved back into a starting role in 2019 and started in Pensacola. A month later he was in Rochester, and before the end of May, he made his major-league debut and it went very well. He was a frequent guest on the Rochester-to-Minneapolis travel list but experienced success in a variety of roles in the big leagues.

Brusdar Graterol: He came up for September and worked out of the bullpen. He was off to a good start last year in AA, but he missed nearly three months in the middle of the season with a shoulder injury. He came back in the bullpen so that he could be called up and his triple-digit fastball could help the Twins late. He will be on some sort of innings plan, but most would think that it’d be ideal for him to continue developing as a starter. Could that be as a ‘Primary’ pitcher, or could he just be a regular starter until Pineda comes back, or until Hill returns?

Derek Falvey is often given a lot of credit for the pitching development in Cleveland. We have seen them continue to develop a pipeline of quality starters. Several of their current pitchers were not top prospects when they came up but certainly have developed into that status. Corey Kluber might just be the best example of that development plan and process, though he will be with the Rangers in 2020.

So, should we believe in Derek Falvey’s track record? Should we trust the processes that have been initiated by Falvey along with pitching guru Josh Kalk and minor league pitching coordinator Paul Maki, and each of the minor league coaches and coordinators brought in? How about their utilization of technologies in recent years? Why not give these guys a chance?

Herein lies the question from today’s title, Do the Twins need to add another starter?

In my opinion, the answer is obvious. No, they don’t NEED to add another starter. With this offense, the team will win a lot of games. Their top two pitchers (Berrios, Odorizzi) are good. Bailey certainly can be good. And, four young pitchers who got time in 2019 are certainly capable of being solid, and a few of them have the potential to be pretty good. Having that offensive support should certainly encourage them to throw a lot of strikes. Pineda will be back. Hill should be back a little later.

But, it isn’t that simple. While they don’t NEED to add another starter, Falvey and Thad Levine should continue to monitor the starting pitcher trade market. I don’t think Jon Gray or German Marquez are going to be available this offseason, but those are the caliber of pitcher that the team should show interest in. Y’all know I’m not at all high on Matt Boyd, but if the Twins research and development crew says that he could be a pitcher of the Berrios/Odorizzi/Pineda quality in 2020, maybe try that. There may be names that we haven’t even thought of that they could get.

But don’t just add any more pitchers just to add more pitchers. If they’re going to make a move, make it a good one. Get a pitcher as good as Odorizzi, or better.
If not, take your chances with a strong offense and a pretty solid starting rotation (and a pretty solid bullpen too, mind you). Continue to evaluate and teach those inexperienced pitchers, Get Pineda back. Get Hill back…

And keep an eye on the phone, always looking to make a big addition in July… or June… or May!


For much more on Brusdar Graterol, Lewis Thorpe, Randy Dobnak and Devin Smeltzer, along with Jhoan Duran, Jordan Balazovic and about 90 other Twins minor league pitchers, order a copy of the 2020 Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. It is available in paperback or PDF ebook.


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No question about it that they need one more GOOD starter at least.

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If they are going to use Graterol as a starter, then no, they don't need someone else.

 

If the Twins are going to treat Graterol with kids gloves and use him as a mop-up guy, then yeah they should add someone else.

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Sure the Twins could use another top of the rotation starter all teams could.  I think the questions should be do we have that top of the rotation starter in the system ready for this year?  Thorpe and Dbnak seem to the only two that appear to have innings and stuff to make it the whole year so you would be depending on them to step into that role.  I just don't know enough about Poppen to know if he has top of the rotation stuff or not.  Graterol and Duran might have ace type stuff but they don't have the innings to last through the year.

 

 

If I remember correctly Dobank isn't that hard of a thrower and his K9 isn't real high so the odss of him being better than number 4 seem remote but his results so far seem to defy that theory at least so far.  Other than the playoff game he has a very nice ERA and WHIP so maybe if you squint he can be a three.  Thorpe appears to have the stuff the K9 needed to be an ace but he has been quite hittable and given a few too many free passes in his SSS of work.  He might make it to a number three but again seems a stretch.

 

 

So I am not sure if we have guys that are better than Berrios, Pineda and Odo in the system but I guess we won't know until we see what those guys can do.  I do agree with Seth that if they trade for someone it needs to be a pitcher as good or better than our top three guys.  If they can find that guy for the right price this offseason I am all for it, but I am also fine seeing what we have and waiting for teams to realize they are out of it and need to make a trade. Maybe just maybe we get lucky like Cleveland and find two very good home grown pitchers that help us through the playoffs.

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The fact that we're still pushing these "trust us, guys, Randy is really, really good" and "Homer's second half negates everything back to 2013" narratives is astounding.

 

Of course this team needs to add another arm or two.

 

What if Jose is what he is and he's plateaued? Cool, he's still a 2 or 3.

 

What if the 2018 Odo is the real Odo rather than the 2019 version. Cool, he's still a 3 or 4 (since he doesn't pitch deep into games).

 

Do we honestly think Pineda will finally stay healthy for a full season?

 

Do we honestly think Hill will finally stay healthy for half of a season?

 

Are Randy and Smeltzer legitimate big league pieces or are they good stories with stuff the league will catch up with sooner rather than later?

 

Can Lewis miss bats at the major league level?

 

Can Brusdar's stuff translate to the MLB rotation or is he more on a bullpen arm?

 

Are Duran and Balazovic ready to make the jump if all of the above fail?

 

There's depth, yes, but it's back-end depth.

 

"Raising the floor" is a fun way of saying "we've got a bunch of guys that are of the same average ability."

 

No matter now good this offense is, they can't win every game 21-14.

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Isn't signing Bailey signing a pitcher just to sign a pitcher?

 

Not one person has argued sign someone just to sign someone. Why do people keep throwing up straw men?

 

What track record is there in Minnesota, in three plus years, at this point? I mean, it could all work out, which is pretty much the OPs argument.... Or it might not, which doesn't seem acknowledged.

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I would go to the minor league and start seeing who has it and who does't.  Why is Caleb Thielbar still Rochester, he is 32.  Bring him up give him one last chance and move on.  I have always felt like the Twins keep players in the minor leagues too long.  There are 3 others over 30 in AAA.  Give them one last shot and be done and let then next group move up to AAA.  Bring the 25+ guys from AA to AAA and give them 1-2 more years and then be done with them.

 

Thielbar hasn't been "kept for too long." He hasn't been in the organization for years... 1.) He's left-handed. 2.) he's breathing. 3.) He found some velocity last year. 4.) He's always had a good breaking ball. 

 

He's a lefty-reliever. While it's more fun to call up younger guys, all organizations keep veterans who can come up for a short period when needed and not be overwhelmed, and when they go back, they can get DFAd right away. Probably won't lose them, but if not, oh well. 

 

The Red Wings have more young players on their roster than most teams do. The Yankees and some other AAA rosters are basically all 29 or older. 

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I completely agree with Seth.  The Twins currently have enough young pitchers that deserve a legitimate chance to show they are ready for the show AND we need to determine if they can contribute in 2021!  The Twins are trying to build a team that has a real chance to compete for a World Series ring yearly and that requires building a pitching pipeline.  

 

That being said, to compete for a World Series ring in 2020 we most likely need to pick up a SP better than Odo at the trade deadline.

Agreed. I could see a scenario where we pick up a half a season SP rental at the trade deadline. Like Trevor Bauer, Marcus Stroman or Robbie Ray. The Reds and Blue Jays think they will be competitive in 2020 but I think not. 

 

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