tony&rodney

Bizarre.

Simply insane. Wallner is better right now than Gallo. The math says $11 million for Gallo and $720 thousand for Wallner. And Kepler, far superior - $8.5 million.

Boras does his job well because he is intelligent, always well-prepared, and unafraid of hard work and long hours. That works in most any line of work and we should applaud his excellence. Oh, he is also a huge baseball fan.

My fervent hope is that all of Gray, Mahle, and Maeda are awesome starting pitchers for the Minnesota Twins in 2023. My brain tells me that Ryan, Ober, and Varland or include Winder and Woods Richardson will be better starting pitchers next season. Another post has suggested that there are teams interested in our experienced guys. I'm open to trading any or all of them.

That was a weird article. It read like Hayes had been admonished recently, because Hayes seemed to defer to "other" plans. What plans? I guess we will just be patient and wait to see what transpires before Opening Day. The article was comical. What is not comical is that the Twins strung out this idea that they wanted to sign Correa. I cannot accept that neither Boras nor Correa ever communicated any guidelines to let the Twins know what the boundaries of a long term contract would need to include in order for Correa to sign. Lindor, Seager, others signed recently were a part of that picture. It would have been the same if the Twins had repeatedly stated their desire to sign Aaron Judge for something like 5/$225M. I found it hard to understand why the Twins didn't just wish Carlos Correa well on his next contract and thank him when the numbers were clear. I'm all good that Correa is now a Giant but I'm less of a fan of Falvey due to the process followed in the debacle that played out in the last few months.

The minimum goes to $.720 million in 2023. Farmer will be around $4.75 million. Add Farmer, delete Swanson; you saved.

The Twins have been a part of my life since 1961; a diehard Twins fan. But, I'm also a baseball fan. The playoffs last Fall were wonderful to watch. Having played and coached many years, I love the chess match between pitcher and batter along with every play that displays the perfect combination of fundamentals and athleticism. As such, there isn't any team that I loathe or root against. When the Yankees hit and run or complete a perfect relay to nab a runner at the plate, i appreciate those plays. It was sweet to watch the Twins in the World Series in 1965, 1987, and 1991. Those two World Series victories were hard fought lasting legacies for me and many others, but the legacy also includes that those years coincided with MLB's owners colluding illegally against the players. This doesn't diminish my memories any more than the World Series win for the Houston Astros a few years ago does for their fans. The game goes on. Currently the Twins are in a funk with their playing style and management. There is nothing one can do about that either except to hope that the team catches some luck with the players they have now or that Falvine manages to acquire a few players via trade that vastly improve the team. The disappointment and even some bitterness on the part of Twins fans is understandable really, but it isn't either healthy or productive. I guess one just needs to roll with hope.

I'm not sure this is exactly true because I don't know what Falvine have in their minds. It is really hard to see a path under their direction whereas the strategy was more apparent under Terry Ryan. The Falvines have the resumes so they hold the keys to whatever is going to happen. Cautious is a word that comes to mind to describe the Falvine tenure. Every move is cautious and the team plays with caution too. Caution is a safe investing and business strategy but I'm not to sure it is effective in sports. I'm still waiting for some moves and a new focus for the Twins.

I laughed out loud. The Dobber could come back. Did Dick Bremer say that? How could I forget? I wonder if the Twins will forget to decline his three option years because they forgot about him too. A little $21.5 M extra for Dobnak. Now that would be sweet.

The Pohlads are good at running businesses and making money. The Minnesota Twins are just one of their businesses and needs to show a profit. All of that is just fine by me. I do think MLB requires a little more risk-taking than the Twins are willing to entertain, but they have their guidelines. Also fair. The Twins have put themselves in a little bit of a tight spot though as far as accumulating the talent needed to be a worthwhile team to watch in 2023. Attendance was down last year despite the end of Covid which brought on a huge demand for entertainment. The Twins lacked charisma last year and you could sense that the crowds felt so. A team that played station to station, followed the plan, and had atrocious fundamentals in the field, on the bases, and at the plate turned off people even as the team was leading the AL Central. The current roster just doesn't cut it. There are a couple of free agents worth a look: Chafin, Martinez, ..... hard to know what Falvey has in mind. I wouldn't mind letting Martin, Julien, or even Lee get a look. That leaves trades and it will take at least two trades to add some talent and I think the Twins need to use their 40 person roster to make those trades. It's Falvey time because if the team tanks, loses 90+ games, and attendance plummets .... well then he is gone. I'm hoping he stays.

I know you are being funny but I sat in Row 5, 3rd base side next to Lou Brock. Look him up. Hey, on a side note I played against Bombo Rivera quite a few times (30+ Mens Baseball). He was a fun guy.

Months ago, I thought that Correa/Boras would want to beat the contract that Lindor signed with the Mets. It seemed rational from my perspective. It also seems like there could have been a direct conversation with Correa about his goals and aspirations concerning a contract. If Falvey knew the parameters, the contracts of Turner and Bogearts should have led to a new understanding. Standing pat doesn't really count as disciplined if the player matters. Now if the Twins were only in on Correa for a deal, then it makes sense to throw the hope offer out there. I don't get upset in any way at the loss of Correa. I do get a little annoyed at the gap between the Twins bids and the winning numbers. Cleveland has built a really fun team. The Twins need to adjust in 2023 to address the lack of fundamentals and boring play (station to station) or the lack of fans at Target Field will push the team in an entirely different direction. As someone said earlier, buy good tools.

Every day, every year. Yes, I was saying the same in agreement.

Another can't miss prospect misses. Baseball is tough.

I read the comments by Steve Adams too and my reaction when I read the news of the Giants signing along with the Twins offer, I felt exactly the same as Adams. The way this all played out from the Twins side was very strange indeed. Why did Falvey even make such an offer in consideration of what he knew concerning the Trea Turner and Xander Bogearts contracts? Smells like incompetence. I mean if Falvey didn't want to sign Correa, why not just let it go and call it a good year.

Happ, Shoemaker, Bundy, Archer, etc. What does it add up to?

I wouldn't take that bet, would you? I would also say he has the same odds as any other pitcher. Would you bet on any pitcher staying healthy?

Again, the Giants are arguably the best run team in baseball going back 25 years or even 125 years. They paid for their own stadium, treat everyone respectfully, and stay competitive. They won 3 World Series this century, make money, and have a strong fan base. Ok, you don't like Correa and/or the contract he signed, but ludicrous to impugn the Giants. FWIW (really nothing), I'm a diehard Twins fan since 1961. I remember the 1965 World Series and was lucky enough to attend the 1987 Series gratis the Twins, etc.

It makes sense to listen and have conversations with every team. St. Louis likely is wishing they had another decent starting pitcher. Maybe there is a match there. Miami still needs some bats and has plenty of pitching. Maybe there is a match there. As we saw from the three team trade last week, teams often prefer a specific player from a team. The trick is to line up the pieces, which means to keep an open mind as to the end results.

I'm fine if the Twins roll with the current rostered team, but I always want the Twins to have the best players possible. The payroll is none of my business and Cleveland has a far, far more exciting team (pitching, defense, running, hitting, fundamentals, manager, etc.) to watch than the Twins for less than $100 million. I want a team that is fun to watch. Even when the Twins were winning last year they were pretty dull. So my only thought on Carlos Correa concerned his attributes as a shortstop. He is good. I am a little confused why so many people are worried about what a player makes. MLB players make a ton of money. So does the Walton family, etc. A real surprise that sounded like jealousy, which is never a good look, is when people suggest the Giants are fools. A quick check will tell you that they are about the only franchise that paid for their own stadium and their record for winning and turning a profit is sterling. The Giants may be the best run organization in baseball. It is totally fine to be opposed to the Twins signing Correa, Rodon, or any other player. We all speculate to some degree for a way forward for the Twins but it seems healthier to get excited about Royce Lewis or Brooks Lee as the next great Twins shortstop than to be all negative on the years and dollars that Carlos Correa earns.

Apparently you are not aware of their history and ability to compete. Look back at the last 10 years or go back further if you want to see what a winning franchise looks like. It is fine if you don't believe Correa was worth signing but that is different than what another team might think.

10 and 5 rights, an institution with the Giants, has a pile of young kids that love their life in the Bay - it would have been more likely to sign both Judge and Correa. Would the Twins have traded Joe Mauer before his last year? No way. What can happen is that Falvey can pivot to sign Rodon to a 10/$200 M contract. That would be a normal deal.

Rodon wants seven years and $200 million? Give him a 10/$200 contract.

The Twins have some items to address, that is for sure. Swanson would be agreeable, but 6/$150 is likely both too much and too little. Too much to pay and too little to sign. Pivot # 1 is to sign Carlos Rodon for 10/$200. It's absurd but so are the other contracts. He wants $200 M and more than 6 years. He gets his way. Pivot #2 is to sign Elvis Andrus for a year at $8 million. Pivot # 3 is to trade Max Kepler to NYY and take Aaron Hicks with his $30 M left on the books along with Oswaldo Cabrera and Roderick Arias. Pivot # 4 is to trade Luis Arraez, Bailey Ober, Trevor Larnach, and Keona Cavaco to Miami for Pablo Lopez and Edward Cabrera. Pivot # last is to sign J. D. Martinez for $12 million. He can DH and pinch hit. Roster comes in at around $130 million and I'm listening for outstanding offers for any of Gray, Mahle, and Maeda.

I have been pounding this drum since the season ended. San Diego drew 1.2 million more fans than the Twins last season. The team was weak fundamentally and rarely played an interesting game. Cleveland, by contrast, was a must watch team, even before they caught and passed the Twins. Some trades are needed and a shift in attitude and strategy must follow. A repeat of the plan would result in a further loss of butts in seats.