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LastOnePicked

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Everything posted by LastOnePicked

  1. LastOnePicked
    I can't even imagine how the Twins can win this trade in the short or long term. I liked Kiner-Falefa, and we needed Rortvedt. If this is about a salary dump, why not take a lottery-ticket pitching prospect? Yuck. We just shouldn't be dealing with the Yankees at this point. They have some kind of voodoo on us.
  2. LastOnePicked
    Why risk a top SP prospect for just-above-mediocre SP services that could have easily been purchased in free agency? Not at all a fan of this move. May make 2022 marginally better, but at what cost? I liked the Garver trade. This one, not so much.
  3. LastOnePicked
    I liked Garver, but I think this could end up being a smart trade. I'm not sure Garver was going to do much more at C for us, and we don't need another 1B/DH option. The additional return of a pitching prospect makes it even potentially better.
  4. LastOnePicked
    I know we've all been eager to fire up the hot stove, but I really, really, would advise against expecting/hoping much in terms of FA signings or trades. I get the sense that the FO wants to go into the season and see what they've got. I can see a Pineda signing soon (there's the "veteran presence"), maybe a low offer to Simmons, and that's it.
  5. LastOnePicked
    No. However, I do concede that they're in the wrong here. An international draft is needed. Yes, I admit that it may limit contract-signing paydays for a number of foreign players (and their families) who dream about it and work hard for it. But US-born players are also subjected to a draft, and a draft for international signings makes things more equitable/fair across the industry. Seems very much that MLBPA should be working on a plan to figure this out by 2024 and start the season now.
  6. LastOnePicked
    I'm hoping the proposed postseason changes have this effect, yes. Twins have very little chance of taking the AL Central, but a run at a third WC spot isn't too far-fetched. Sad that they let so many 2022 free agents pass already, but something can maybe be salvaged. Still give prospects a chance and figure out what you've got, but bolster the rotation. And I like expanded playoffs (though I prefer 12, not 14). Gives the trade deadline and the final two months of the season more energy.
  7. LastOnePicked
    Did we read the same article? I see Ted asking questions here - good questions that any fan of the game would ask at this point. Why doesn't it appear that the owners are taking negotiations seriously, or with any sense of urgency? Why did they threaten MLBPA that they were prepared to cancel an entire month of games, when previously Manfred indicated that lost games would be "disastrous?" The broadcast contract clauses about allowing MLB up to 25 missed games without needing to give rebates fits perfectly here as at least a partial reason why the owners aren't giving this much effort yet. It's possible that losing the first month isn't a financial hit to owners. And since you don't cite any sources for the 2020 revenue losses you mention, nor do MLB teams make their finances transparent, how can we accept your defense of the owners' actions as fact? Ted, I appreciated this. We're all left with questions about this mess at this point.
  8. LastOnePicked
    Imagine two people (X and Y) agree to sit at a table. Person X tells Person Y that when Y sits at the table, X is going to beat him over the head. Person Y understandably doesn't like this idea, and they fail to reach an agreement to sit down together. That doesn't mean "both sides are to blame." It's the quality of the interaction and the details of the offers that matter more than the fact that an agreement wasn't reached, isn't it? The players have been locked out by the owners, and yet the owners wouldn't negotiate in the months before the lockout or the weeks after the lockout. The players financials are transparent: we know exactly what they earn from the sport and why. The owners financials are never shared unless required by law (in the case of GA). The players have repeatedly adjusted their offers in meaningful ways on multiple issues to find common ground. The owners didn't. There just is no reason that I can see to "both sides" this one. Do I always agree with the players, or the MLBPA? Nope. But in this particular case, this mess is the clear responsibility of the owners. They think they can break the union. I hope they're dead wrong.
  9. LastOnePicked
    I feel exactly the same way, but I have more anger than apathy. We've suffered through COVID, unrest, economic upheaval and now we're watching a Russian autocrat spark war in Europe. Baseball offers hope, comfort and healing in hard times. It pulls us together outside in the most beautiful months in North America. The owners seem to have absolutely no interest in the legacy, history or the soul of the sport. And they already won. They are life's winners. They would remain billionaires even if the MLBPA had doubled their meager requests. They could have handled this with some decency. They could have started negotiating in earnest from day one. They could have opened their books and made a case about their fiscal concerns for the game. They could have worked with the players to make necessary changes to this great game to make it more competitive and more steady for the next ten years. That's what stewards of a national institution would do. Instead, they proved themselves to be petty vandals. Manfred's callous press-conference laughter says it all: the players, the fans, the sport doesn't mean a thing to any of them. It's a joke to them ... and the joke's on us. I'll always love the Twins, but I have no love for what MLB has become. Yuck. I'd rather see a new league rise up with these players than to see the owners get what they want from their idiotic lockout.
  10. LastOnePicked
    Here's where we fundamentally disagree. Baseball exists without any union - of course it does. But the infrastructure that promotes (and seeks compensation for) excellence, that creates an equitable workplace for professionals, that gives laborers a voice is all created and maintained by the union. The players make the union. The players are what make the game great. Who the hell ever would ever buy a ticket at Target Field to watch Jim Pohlad roam around centerfield? That doesn't mean that any union is ever 100% in the right. But if you listen to the MLBPA conference (I just did), you'll hear thoughtful professionals explaining why they are defending their profession as well as a very composed explanation that they have been and are still willing to negotiate the changes that are necessary to keep the game relevant and competitive. I don't see this commitment to the urgency of the moment or the heart of the game from any of the owners at this point. The players make the game - they are not replaceable at that level. If the game is wildly profitable, they should share in that equitably.
  11. LastOnePicked
    This is a very good point, and the FO hinted at this recently, if I'm not mistaken. I think the Rays have done this with young pitchers, and it might be the right move for this staff at this point. I still would have preferred 1-2 solid FA signings, but this is a reasonable Plan B for an organization that needs to learn how to develop frontline starters.
  12. LastOnePicked
    This is exactly where I'm at. I wanted to believe that the FO was serious about it's "championship-caliber roster" and intentions to compete, but that proved to be just PR-puffery. The only realistic path for a resurgence in 2022 was through free agency. That ship has sailed (and please, no Rodon). Now it's time to give the players on the cusp a chance to get used to the pace/challenge of MLB. See what you've got, and get better at keeping the impact prospects.
  13. LastOnePicked
    Fun projections, but every year baseball reminds me of what a weird, fickle game it can be. Another mph on that line drive, or another millimeter in the wrong spot, and instead we'd be talking about Joe Ryan's rehab year for the broken wrist he suffered towards the end of last year. Accurate predictions for performance are tough to make. I do think those projections are a little off, though. Keith Law is probably right - the league will figure out that "invisiball" (which is just a 90mph fastball a little higher in the zone) pretty quickly. I'm just hoping that Ryan has the fortitude and the competitive streak to keep building up his pitch arsenal and adjust as well.
  14. LastOnePicked
    Can't a 23 year old's arm strengthen? It seems odd that we keep hearing that neither Lewis nor Martin has what it takes to stick at SS, yet we can't keep stockpiling utility players at 2B. Do the Twins have the kind of coaches who can tell a prospect like Martin "Hey, SS for this organization is yours if you want it." And then make a plan to help him claim it. Gleeman just wrote an article about how Corey Koskie once rose to the challenge to claim 3B. I can't see why this can't happen here again at SS, particularly on a team that isn't going anywhere in the standings in the near future.
  15. LastOnePicked
    Before the next draft, the Twins should take Moneyball to the next level by hiring a team of psychics to determine which pitching prospects will remain injury-free. Then I'd feel a little better about taking a chance with Rocker that the Mets were unwilling to take.
  16. LastOnePicked
    Yeah, this was rough, but still important for Twins fans to hear. Our prospects are not as highly-touted as we'd like to think, and there are successful organizations whose MLB teams are winning and still running circles around our farm system as well. If we're not going to be a player in free agency, this has got to change. Law is probably right, though - teams will figure out Ryan's fastball, and it won't take long. They hit him pretty hard already. Sad that we went from a #8 ranked system a year ago, then traded Cruz and Berrios for prospects, and now we have a #18 ranked system. All while the players who graduated from prospect status didn't exactly set the league on fire. And, of course, the prospects we gave away showed a lot more promise. Yuck. Tough road ahead for our club.
  17. LastOnePicked
    Agreed, Nick. I really feel for him. He seems like a truly great young man, and I hope these trials only strengthen his resolve to be a star-caliber MLB player. Let's hope he still gets a full MiLB season in this year. I also feel for Twins fans. Small and mid-market teams are much more reliant on top prospects developing into stars, and we also feel the pain. First overall picks like Lewis are supposed to be the upside of the agony of the terrible season. Frustrating for all involved so far.
  18. LastOnePicked
    Really good thoughts, but the Twins signing Story? I'm not even sure the FO will be aggressive enough to re-sign Simmons at this point. Story isn't going to end up here, that's pretty clear to me. But Kikuchi is possible. We'd have a rotation of Bundy, Pineda and Kikuchi with Ober, Ryan and a handful of MLB debuts. That seems like the kind of rotation that would put this team in a very similar position as 2021 - struggling to avoid 90 losses. Absolute upside is a .500 team. Might be better just to go with the youth movement and tell the offense that victories in 2022 are going to be their responsibility.
  19. LastOnePicked
    We had the opportunity to sign Odorizzi before, and fairly affordably, and we passed. Why would we lose prospect capital on an even older version of him now? When the FO opted not to make a splash (or even a drip) in a pitching-rich free agent pool, it pretty much signaled the white flag for 2022. Let's not make this situation worse by losing some potentially strong prospects that we'll need when the team is on firmer footing in 2023-24. Hopefully the Luis Gil lesson doesn't have to be re-learned. But sure, sign Pineda to eat some innings and let's all enjoy watching some prospects develop in an otherwise dismal year for Twins baseball.
  20. LastOnePicked
    With this FO, I'd say the chances are higher than 0%. Maybe more like 40-50%. It'll be interesting to see what happens. I hope.
  21. LastOnePicked
    Let me put it like this: the Twins have disappointed over the years, many times. TwinsDaily never has. You all have done a brilliant job with this site. I feel like a smarter fan of this goofy team every time I check in and read an article or two. Bravo. Here's to many, many more great years ahead for TD. And maybe even for the Twins, too.
  22. LastOnePicked
    This feels a little like the vibe some of us had for Keon Broxton last year, and we probably had more hope than foresight. I think I agree with the other posters here for 2022 - would be far better to continue Gordon's development, or to give Palacios a shot.
  23. LastOnePicked
    Yes. And we even seem to have a problem signing what we can't develop. Though I'm hoping that either Lewis or Martin will soon defy the skeptics and rise to the challenge of making SS their own.
  24. LastOnePicked
    Wonderful interview. I'm really rooting for him, though that road ahead to MLB after a torn ACL is pretty steep. Here's hoping we see him make it to the top within a year or so.
  25. LastOnePicked
    Ugh. With the awareness of lifelong injuries and concussions, the NFL was finally starting to experience a dent in popularity. MLB could have stepped in as "America's Great Pastime," amping up rivalries and elevating the status of the game from the Instructional Leagues on up to MLB. With a few wise rule changes, the game could have gotten a little quicker and more intense. With salary floors and enhanced revenue sharing, league parity would be on the rise. With a few additional promotions and park amenities, fans could have felt even more connected to local teams. With a diverse array of stars, and many points of entry for professional baseball and earning a living, we could have been entering a new Golden Age of the game. Instead, we're getting this: greedy players and incompetent owners, seemingly neither with much of an eye on the future viability of the sport. Heartbreaking. A win-win era is entering a total-loss scenario.
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