tony&rodney

Adrianza is an excellent player and his ability to come off the bench has been a noteworthy part of the Twins success recently.

The 2001 Seattle Mariners won 116 games and lost to the Yankees in the postseason. Their disgruntled fans who wanted more were much happier in 2004.

I think a move to first base was definitely a topic of discussion between the Twins, Sano, and his agent.

No, our middle infield defense doesn't stink. Nobody who plays middle infield in the major leagues stinks. Polanco was the starting shortstop in last summer's All Star Game. Sit on that for a moment and beg forgiveness before the Twins go back to AAA shortstops. Yes, both Polanco and Arraez can improve their defense, but we are lucky to have them both. Sometimes it seems like people are unhappy that the Twins are actually good now. I get irritated too when a ball sneaks through the infield but I'm not trading Polanco or moving him off shortstop this year. I don't want to have my wife ask me why I'm still watching the Twins when they lose 90-100 games any more.

For everyone who brings up Mauer - he was the worst three time batting championship catcher in MLB history. My take on JD signing: hip hip hooray!

The future is unknown. Signing Donaldson was the best option for the Twins in the present, meaning early January. All Twins fans still thirst for a Thor or a Snell in the rotation but other teams most likely want all of their best pitching going into the season. At some point a team may be amenable to trading a very good starting pitcher if there is substantial potential coming back to them. The Twins may pay dearly later for a player but they will have determined their player resources can withstand the losses. Maybe Alcantara becomes available at a certain price or San Diego simply needs a better offense, opening a major trade for Chris Paddock. If I'm a GM, pitching stays put until it becomes necessary to take a chance on trading my pitcher(s) to address glaring weaknesses on my team. Texas is a team to follow in this regard. They may really struggle to support their pitching and determine that Kluber is available for the right price, whereas Cleveland and Minnesota couldn't get together for a trade this winter. The Twins may have missed opportunities early in the offseason, but looking forward the team is still strong and I believe that adding Josh Donaldson creates depth for the future as well as improving the onfield product.

A trade for a legitimate starter would be surprising at this point of the offseason. Teams protect their pitching assets, at least until they reach July. The lack of a pitcher like Cole, Strassburg, or Wheeler might be disappointing but it just didn't happen. The signing of JD was important in that light. He was available, makes the team better, and some good pitching options may be available in July. The Twins will be dealing from strength at that time. No, I'm not adverse to surprises. Do you think the Mets will trade Thor?

The best teams I ever saw were the A's with their run of three series wins and the Orioles of 1969-1970. These teams (and others) had great pitching, defense and solid hitting. Post season games are won with combinations of all three: pitching, defense, and offense. LAD (Koufax) wins 2-0 in Game 7 and MIN (Morris) wins 1-0 in Game 7 in tight pitching duels, but sometimes a team needs to find a way to win without a great defense or superior pitching. The Twins have decent pitching and their defense will be fine. The lineup is deep and their prospects can develop throughout the summer. The team should be able to add a pitcher in July, if one becomes available. I don't see any pitchers on the market at this time. We will need to be patient as Thorpe, Dobnak, and Graterol gain experience and are supported by an explosive lineup.

It just isn't possible to have the best defensive player who also is the top offensive player at every position. The Twins would like to line up Greg Gagne at shortstop but he is not available. Ted is correct in saying that defense is not a particular strength of the Twins. However the way the lineup looks, there should be room for forgiveness. Last season the pitching wasn't too shabby either and a repeat of reasonable pitching with the current offense should make for exciting baseball. The Yankees turned in some stellar plays in the field at Target Field in October and good baseball fans appreciated the excellent glovework. Perhaps the Twins will improve on defense. For now the Twins have a dynamite lineup: Kepler, Donaldson, Polanco, Cruz, Rosario, Sano, Arraez, Garver, and Buxton. This should be really fun.

Never wear jewelry myself, but I like it. Baseball is a game of accepting failure and having the confidence to move forward, believing that you are the best against 100 mph gas. Sano has encountered some difficult circumstances and made some mistakes, but the necklace tells us who is up next. This guy loves baseball and is certainly aware of Josh Donaldson as a third baseman. My guess is that Miguel is all in this year and he will work hard to be a decent first baseman. Everyone should remember that he was once a skinny shortstop and his adherence to training and focus on winning as a Twin will be an asset to improving his defense and overall consistency this year. I'm excited to see what the big man does this summer.

Miguel Sano has been dealing with negative attitudes about him since he was barely a teenager. He has had some slips for sure, but Sano is now in a position to put his experience, knowledge, and physical tools together. Every time he comes to the plate I stop and watch. Tony Oliva is the only favorite player I ever had but Harmon Killebrew was the one who made people stop whatever and just watch. Sano does too.

Removing all electronics from the dugout (Ipads, phones, watches, etc.) and restricting clubhouse technology to tapes of previous games might be part of a solution. Another approach might be to enforce the 20 second pitch clock. Batters must remain in the box once their at bat begins. One foot out for a quick sign check and back in to hit. Every single MLB player grew up with those rules, including Nelson Cruz. High schools, colleges, and the minor leagues effectively eliminated posturing, stalling, glove adjustments, etc. decades ago. Not everyone pitches like Buehrle but taking thirty seconds not only slows down the game but creates time for individuals and teams to seek "outside" advantages.

The best explanation for anyone interested to know about what effect this cheating has is a video by Matt Antonelli on page 3 of the post concerning the Astros. In short (if you won't watch it), there isn't anything in baseball that results in a better advantage for a hitter than knowing what pitch is coming. Please don't insert steroids as a similar advantage. We all know someone who has taken steroids and can't hit a softball. Yes, steroids are huge for recovery of injuries. Yes, steroids must be eradicated from baseball, but they do not belong in the same conversation. Also, betting? C'mon, there is definitive proof and knowledge by hundreds of former players, as well as the league, concerning Pete Rose. The Twins most likely were affected by teams using technology against them. To collect and prove that assertion becomes necessary for any penalty to be levied, however. Several times in the last couple of year, while watching the Twins, I have commented out loud about a catcher going through complex signs when the bases were empty. Until such time as firm evidence is presented, we will have to accept that the Yankees just were really good at laying off tough pitches and guessing.

A decent extension (4/$40) would be nice but I would also support going year to year with Berrios.

Trade Gordon for Bryant and then Bryant to Houston for a PTBNL. The Twins don't want Bryant.

Yah, Nick the Stick is a hack in the infield. He is fun to watch hit though. The Twins shouldn't even consider Castellanos.

Pray for the ghost of Doc Gooden (the pitching part -1984-93) to visit Graterol, Balazovic, Duran, Thorpe, and Dobnak.

I hope Bailey does well. I wanted Cole but Bailey beats nothing.

Agree with above post - Sano is fine at 3B. Why get an inferior player and trade prospects?

The Twins can use a smorgasbord of players at 1B: Gonzalez, Adrianza, Kepler, Sano, Garver, Astudillo, Rooker, Kirilloff, and others. If they sign Donaldson the options narrow, but the team is improved. If not JD, then the only true focus for this year is pitching and we can hope that this might be something substantial gathered through a trade. 3B is not a concern. I do encourage the front office to be in touch with all teams for surprising options that may arise: Story, Betts, Gray, and so forth.

The Twins would be nuts to trade any of their top seven prospects for Bryant. This is especially true because Donaldson is available, prospect free.

This is true. As much as I prefer an excellent defensive team and still firmly believe that it is important, the number of balls hit in the air and strikeouts have reduced the critical importance of defense to some extent. Just add Josh Donaldson and 3B becomes improved defensively and he makes the lineup even more formidable. This is the best option which is precisely why the front office is still engaged on JD.

No.

Donaldson's sore calves would really look good hitting second.

A nice little piece of writing that details in a different fashion why the Twins should sign Donaldson if they are after a 3B. Additionally, a great signing of Sano and agreements with everyone except Berrios, and there may be negotiations ongoing there. Looks like the Twins came in below forecasts on arb guesses as well, which means ... throw a little pile towards JD.