whatyouknowtwinsfan

My wording probably wasn't the best. In the Royals case, they took a bad farm system and made it worse. With our farm system, I'm absolutely willing to trade some of our guys, but I don't want it to be repetitive in trying to find "the guy." I'd rather trade for a "stud" and give up a few more prospects then repeatedly trade the farm for a stopgap. That's what got the Wild in trouble to the point where they had no draft picks and the ones they had have come up short on expectations. Let's avoid that when making trades, otherwise I'm all for it if it moves the needle significantly.

Doesn't matter, they traded the good value they had and are consistently losing 90 games for the next few years. They had a barren farm system and depleted it more. I'm sorry, but I'm getting tired of watching 90 loss teams. The Cardinals are an organization that has proved time and time again that you can spend, you can trade, and you can develop new generations of talents without rebuilding. They've done it pretty successfully too. Give me that model.

Again, it's not about closing the gap! I could care less about the gap. It's about making a move that levels the playing field. As much as you would like to think so, Wheeler, Mad Bum, or Ryu DON'T wouldn't have done that and I'm tired of people thinking that those guys would've done so. Would I like to have one of those 3? Absolutely! But I'm not overpaying for a "chance" to beat the Yankees, I'll overpay if I get someone (DeGrom, Thor) who CAN FOR SURE beat the Yankees. If I were GM, I wouldn't be on the phone with the Mets right now because one of those two would already be in a Twins jersey. It's not that I don't want to see a World Series winner, it's more I question what value our options that are off the board would've have been. Don't give me a chance against the Yankees, give me a guarantee that you can beat the Yankees.

What's a "measured risk" in your scenario? Is buying Cueto and Zobrist while selling the farm for the Royals in 2015 measured? Is the Cubs trade for Chapman in 2016 measured? Is Andrew Miller going to Cleveland in 2016 measured? I think we need to come together to figure out how risk averse we are. I'd say those last two could easily be done by this team. They have enough prospects to make those deals happen easily while also be able to field a team four years down the line.

They're always going to be the underdog in this scenario then. You can't beat the Yankees at spending and you won't ever be able to. It doesn't matter whether the Twins spend $200 million or $100 million. The way you're going to beat the Yankees is by making smart, calculated moves that level the playing field. Every move this offseason would've simply closed the gap. Cole and Verlander would've more than likely beat Mad Bum or Ryu in game 1. Go find me the next Verlander, Greinke, or Cole on the trade market and I'll buy in to acquiring them. That's how you beat the Yankees, you find someone with talent and stuff, and use Wes Johnson's magic to turn the table. How do I know this? It has happened before. Someone by the name of Johan Santana. How'd the Twins fare in his game one starts against the Yankees? They won both of them. Get me stuff, get me potential, get me a pitching coach's magic, and I'll be inclined to make a move.

The numbers don't matter here. It's not about tomorrow in the argument, it's about the playoffs. If you play the Yankees or Astros in game 1 of the ALDS and have Ryu or Mad Bum in game 1 vs. Cole or Verlander, who's going to win. Chances are if we play this scenario out 100 times, the Yankees and Astros will win more than 50% of the time. They have the better pitcher. This offseason for some seems to be about closing the gap. I don't care about closing the gap, I want to level the playing field, and in this case, I think the Twins chose waiting for the latter rather than having the former result in another quick playoff exit. Why pay $140 million to lose in the 1st round when you can do it for $110 million. Give me a realistic chance to level the playing field that the Twins pass up on trading for, drafting, or signing, then I will agree with this

Agreed. I think the reason the Twins have not made that move is that it isn't there. Greinke had a no trade this past season that prevented him from coming here. Mad Bum, Wheeler, Cole, and Strasburg all chose comfort in their deals and it would've taken millions above their worth to get them. Ryu would've been good, but he still doesn't move the needle for me. Additionally, trading for David Price (or someone similar) puts you in a financial quandary that prevents you from making a move down the line. At best, those options give you a "chance" against Cole or Verlander, which doesn't guarantee you anything. If you're going to make the move, it has to be either: 1) Someone who guaranteed moves the needle upon acquiring them (Thor, DeGrom) 2) Someone who can be developed to move the needle (Robbie Ray, Chris Archer, Alacantara from Miami) If you're telling me #1 is a pipe dream, I agree. The Mets are going to try to contend and have the only "guarantees" who could be traded. #2 is possible, but the problem is that fewer of these arms are available. The Diamondbacks will contend, the Pirates will "try" to contend, even the Marlins appear like they don't want to lose 100 games. The costs for these players will go up. I'm not saying don't pay, but we need to be cautious. I'm not against making the move, but it needs to level the playing field, not merely close the gap.

If we consider the 2001-2010 Twins as one window, it goes against that 5-year myth. Additionally, they successfully did that by making trades and shuffling the cards, so in this market, a long-term window (of contention at least) is more than possible. If that's a playoff window, what is a world series window? The Indians have been in a world series window with that great bullpen and rotation, and even though they've lost key pieces from those teams, their playoff contention window is still very open and likely is until they trade Lindor, plus they have the rotation to win in the playoffs, so I'd say even though they very well might be the 3rd best team in the division, they could still win a world series with their roster. Windows are subjective, require talent, involve risk, and require smart front office operations that are willing to spend, but be flexible. Give yourself the best chance to win now and give yourself enough of a future imo is the key to a good window. It's why I like where the Twins are now, but it is almost to the point of too comfortable

I think Diaz is vital to this team. I like his relationship with the Latin players. Instead of threatening to fire the guy, maybe we could propose him moving over to 1st base or into the dugout......... Just a thought. Just because he hasn't been a great 3B coach doesn't mean he's not an asset. The guy is a human being people.

It's just frustrating. Today was just a reminder that improvement isn't linear. They're still a playoff team and at worst right now would host a home wild card game. I'm frustrated, but I'll let everyone else be (rightfully) angry. I'm going to think positive because there were some positives. They played good defensive baseball today and outside of Rogers got some good bullpen performances. I'm not discounting the problems they had today, but there were some positives. Take the day off tomorrow, refresh, and beat up the Brewers and Rangers this week.

Like Damn Yankees except the other way around. I love it!

Thanks for the report. I'm getting concerned about the veterans in the pen. We know how May, Rogers, and Hildenberger can perform. I'm hoping Parker's outing was just a hiccup since he had looked good before that. I'd like to see guys like Jake Reed, Eades, and Ryne Harper get a chance. They've all looked good so far and I'm glad the Twins are giving them extended looks. Addison Reed just continues to baffle and annoy me all at the same time. What did his injury last season do to make him so ineffective?

I hope so! I think the thing that gives me hope is that this signing was made with a plan in mind. It seems like in the past, these moves have been made to add an arm with no strategy whatsoever. The Twins now seem to at least have a plan with every player they have, and even if it's not enough to put them in the playoffs, it gives me hope in this team long term.

LOL, glad I'm not the only one who thinks Camptown races when Duda comes to the plate

Thanks for sharing. I find the 2007/2008/2009 Twins to be interesting. One of my favorites on those teams was Brian Buscher....... Never really was given a chance but was a decent player. He was a career .266/.343/.356 (.699 ops 8 HR/69 RBI/89 ops+) He was the definition of league average/replacement level, but put up a 0.5 WAR across 164 games. I find it odd given his average performance he was one of my favorites, yet I enjoyed watching him play. Probably would have been a better 1st baseman, but we had a good one at that time.....