beterday

After 4 games it is obvious I can't, or will not, get a real answer to why Sano is so predictable; it looks like I'm watching a replay. I would love to have someone that knows how to hit explain to me the exact pattern of each at bat he has taken this year. Not necessarily in this order, but most likely: Swing and miss at a low outside breaking pitch, Watch a hitable pitch, waist high across the plate or 4" inches outside for a strike 2, then the never varying breaking ball low and outside. It is hard to watch and I cannot understand why it happens over and over again with no change. I played high school baseball and could never hit a curve, but this is different. What's going on?

Sano's at bat in the bottom of the ninth made Duffy's pitching look like a masterpiece. Low and outside, swing and a miss, strike one. Down the middle at 93 miles per hour fastball, takes looking, strike two. Low and outside, 2 inches from the ground, misses it by 2 feet, strike three. Not looking forward to 40% at bats being exactly like this. Pitching is holding its own so far, no more Duffy as closer.

seen enough of: Danny Coulombe and Caleb Thielbar, also the first to dump.

Cave!!! You forgot Cave. I can't believe Rocco will leave Cave behind.

I tend to agree with the front office of the Twins that signing these high annual salary, long term contracts don't work out over time. Isn't that why most people on this board were complaining about Donaldson? I don't remember the response when he was signed, but I know I was excited. Let's evaluate Berrios in 7 years to see how big of a mistake it was to let him go. I would like to see an article about how past long term signings have turned out. I'm sure Falvine has this information and is basing their decisions on it.

Rortvedt is Drew Butera and he will play 30 more years as a back up catcher and leave with a career .099 batting average. I don't know what Sanchez will be, but it will be fun to see and a better chance that Rortvedt provides. We can't bet in MN yet (legally), but I would bet Urshela has a better year than Simmons if he is allowed to play short and better than Kiner-Felafa, as well. My opinion is that this will prove out as a good trade, but likely only if they get Story, as well. It does us (the Twins) no good to rid themselves of Donaldson's money if they don't spend it on ball players, and I'm getting a little concerned this isn't going to happen.

I see Freddy Galvis signed with Japanese team. Don't know anything about him, but am curious if not looking to him was smart or another "oversight"?

I am way happier and see a brighter future under this front office and the prior Terry Ryan one, in which I had zero confidence, but the evidence mounts. If Berrios really wasn't going to sign here, or if he wanted too much money, then trading him was the only option, but would need to know why he wouldn't sign here. Buxton being kept in the minors way back when to preserve one more year of control may cost the Twins him, as well. I didn't like that move at the time and still feel it was a cheap shot. Alex Columbe has to go and should never have been signed. Again, the evidence is mounting.

In 2021, Ray will earn a base salary of $8,000,000, while carrying a total salary of $8,000,000 (from sportrac). Maybe he didn't want to come to Minnesota; pay him $10 million, but how do you think Happ is a good pitcher?

I've been reading a bit lately about players that used to be Twins flourishing on other teams while we play people on our team that seem obviously "not ready for prime time". Only two pitchers come to mind right now, JT Chargois and Luis Gill (really? We traded a possible big league pitcher for Jake Cave?), but would like to see someone on this site put together a list of Baddoos and Lamonte Wades (I saw no future for Wade, don't remember Baddoo playing in the majors) that would be playing for the Twins today. Give me Wade and Gill for Cave and I'll be real happy.

When you have a lineup as bad as the twins and you groan when Cave comes up, that says a lot. Somebody above said that if Cave were let go he would be playing major league baseball for someone else. I don't think so.

When they, the Pohlads, replaced Jerry Bell I was so happy I could scream. Ron Gardenhire never had an original thought in his years of managing. But now Baldelli puts Couloumbe out there to close a game and I'm going, "This guy is not part of anybody's future; what are you doing?" Did the Front Office know that Sano was gonna turn into an automatic strike-out with runners in scoring position? I didn't. Will Rooker, Larnach, and Kiroloff turn into Sano or real major league players. The only chance we have for a legit star is Buxton and they low ball him. Berrios mad because they argued over a couple hundred thousand? I sure don't know if that's true. Getting rid of Dozier when he was on the way down was applauded by me. My best marker of both the front office and the Pohlad's being cheap will be whether they put out a reasonable offer to Buxton. I want him on the team and feel like his injuries are not his fault. If he is a malingerer, Baldellio and the FO should know that by now, but can you trust that if they don't sign him?

Its 3:19 Central Time, are we done now, or does it take awhile for the news to be all in?

Agreed, on all counts. I think these guys - Falvey, Levine, and Baldelli - are all smart, knowledgeable baseball minds. Yet they make an offer to Buxton that is, even with a "don't take it personally" attitude, close to, if not over the line, insulting. Of course we don't know the incentives, but still, $80 million (11 mil/year) guaranteed is insufficient. Make a reasonable offer and then let the chips fall where they may, but don't lose Buxton without even entering the sweepstakes.

Anthony Rendon is making $245 million over 7 years, 35 mil. per year, and is injured this year. How is this doing for the Angels? That is my starting point for ill advised (stupid) signings, but Buxton has to be looking at at least mid 20 million per year and the Twins are at 11.4 per year. LaVelle suggests $15 million per year plus incentives and I think Buxton turns that down, as well, but at least it is in the ballpark. Betting on Buxton's upside is what the Twins need to do, in my opinion, or we fans will be watching him play for the Dodgers or Yankees for years to come as we fight for the title of the Central Division only to lose in the playoffs, first round, We may never see a better player and yet we offer him 11 million when 20 wouldn't get it done.

Can't believe nobody has taught us how to pronounce Jhoulys Chacin; phonetic spelling, please.

First reaction is "Oh, no!! You can't get rid of the most exciting pitcher the Twins have had in forever!" But I trust this new front office and have to give it a chance to work out, but am not looking forward to Graterol pitching a no hitter against the Twins throwing 100 mph fastballs in the years to come.

A list that no longer includes Ryne Harper can only be an improvement, but that happened with Donaldson. The last vestige of having a Nick Punto on the team.

The problem I have with this discussion is do we ever here the other side, or what is really going on? Joe Mauer contract was 23 million for 8 years, total of 184 million over those 8 years when he was young and that was looked on as a contract that limited the Twins options for years. Donaldson, old, end of career and we, I know I do, want management to jump at 28.5 over 4, 110 million? How have the "misses" from previous free agent attempts turned out well for those team? The success of a management is more than the moves they do make; it has to look at the mistakes they avoided. Also, at what point does money just not matter? I got up this morning to go start my wife's car and it was 20 below zero. I know Donaldson will live on the road 9 months of the year, but Atlanta is home. Does an extra couple million on top of 110 really matter?

Gibson was horrible last year in his last few starts; I had to shut the tv off rather than watch him nitpick on the corners. He had no trust in his stuff,for good reason when he did throw strikes which resulted in hot smashes. If we can't do better than Gibson then we won't win 90 ball games.

Please, could we get to the point where we never see Ryne Harper on a list for the Twins?

I came here this morning to read that the Twins had signed Donaldson, so I am still engaged and still have hope. On the other hand, I fully expect to come here and read Donaldson signed with the Braves or someone else. Can't explain it, only know I have more trust and hope than when Gardy and Ryan were in charge. I would like someone to write an article about when some of the redundancies in prospects start to fall off the team due to their time being up. Seems to me the Twins will have to trade some of these guys within a year or two or lose them anyway.

Bird is the one with a future and only paid $1.2 mil. last year. This is nothing for a guy who has really never had a chance due to injury, just bad luck, not running into walls.

Cave's base-running was embarrassing. For someone that needs that skill set to stay in the majors he was horrible. One more stupid dive for a fly-ball turning into a triple will again cause me to turn off the TV. Cut Cave and sign Maybin.

"They could swing a trade and then decide to sign someone like Julio Teheran as an additional bullet." ESPN has him gone to the Angels for 9 million. Was he someone the Twins could, and should, have gotten for that cost?