Han Joelo

Uggh--the Dyson trade isn't looking good from this perspective. I don't think Berroa was merely an afterthought either. But I guess another way to look at it is that the Twins didn't give up Colina in the deal. Probably just coincidence, but with Berrios, Graterol, and Colina, I'm seeing a certain body type. Might not happen if Keith Law is the head scout!

Always great to be reminded of the human side. It's got to be tough for guys like Berroa and Teng to switch organizations at this point in his career.

Love this type of report. Thanks.

Austin DFA'd, and Derek Rodriguez to AAA.

Is his fast ball straight? I thought he had some nice late break on it. But I am not an expert, so don't totally go on what I just saiid here.

So many what ifs. A lot of things could have gone differently, if only for a few inches (or less). Lots of negatives, and those have been well covered. Tip of the cap to Hicks for making that catch. I wonder if the bullpen purge doesn't have an effect on some guys--wondering if they will be next. Make no mistake, this is good, in my opinion. A veteran like Parker should really be nervous this morning about his long term job security. Having said that, the Twins came through against Britton AND Chapmon, and very nearly Ottavino. This team, OUR Twins--strike fear in the hearts of their opponents. That was the Miguel Sano that we all have been imagining all these years. A lot of positives to take from this game. I might feel like Charlie Brown right now, but I don't think this team does. Todays game will be interesting.

Talk about a jinxer. I muted it and walked away up 3-2, but right after the Gibbler escaped the bases loaded jam. Came back and its 8-2, and then think to myself, "a three-run homer here makes it a close game." Arrgh! Gibson has the stench of those teams that always lost to the Yankees. Begone!

It occurred to me that a few of the new guys have some more extensive experience playing the Yankees, and may not share the old deer in the headlights feel that has seemed to dominate. Baldelli Schoop Odo Cron--all four Al East guys that are used to the idea that the Yankees bleed just like everyone else. Gonzalez and Cruz have both won enough not to be intimidated. As my 8 year old could say, "these aren't your father's Twins!"

Watched Tom's recap. Always good to see the stuff besides the homers. Duffey--whoah. Between surviving the bullpen purge (so far) and this performance, he should be feeling pretty good. In addition to coming in with a man on, he had a couple of screw ups and still kept his composure. Given Berrios' reaction to the Morin deal, I am not so sure these guys sit around pining for outside help the way we do. I think they want to see each other succeed. I'm almost thinking that opening up the spots on the 40 man was done to provide catnip for the minor leaguers not on the roster. Seems like Garver thoroughly outplayed All-Star Gary Sanchez in this one.

I was thinking the exact same thing. There was an excellent article on Dobnak here at TD; might have been SD Buhr sharing, or someone else. I just remember coming away impressed. From what I recall of that article, Dobnak seems like a guy, who if given a chance, won't crumble or wilt. You know TD's coverage is good when a guy like me, who has never watched even an AB of most of these guys, can start to spot the gamers.

Same here. But to clarify, is this like a punch card of the customer loyalty type--buy 12, get the 13th free? And then it would follow that Matt does not frequent the ol' Froyo Shop that much? Regardless, excellent entertaining writing. As a Twins fan, I relate to your statement about Chapman. There are probably a lot of moneyballish things that account for the A's success--like Liam Hendriks, but having a true superstar at third certainly helps, even though it may not fit the popular narrative.

I myself made a silly error with a RISP almost in scoring position yesterday. The RISP in question was a Recliner In Sitting Position. Before I could quite get it "home," I first had to take it through the arbor dealy at the end of the front sidewalk. Conventional wisdom says you 'shift' the sucker on its side and shimmy it through safely, but being in a hurry, and not being overly fond of the shift, I decided to try the direct path. I thought its WPA (width probably acceptable) was within the margin of error, but I was wrong--the recliner handle was just outside of the strike zone, as emphatically framed by the arbor. No need to call New York on this one. All's well that ends well, though, as I overcame the mistake and did indeed finally score a recliner in sitting position. Having learned from my mistake, I wisely went with the shift to get it in the front door, and again into the next room. If the Twins' are indeed below average with RISP, here's hoping that the regression to the mean occurs during the playoffs.

How about Prelander Berroa instead of Colina?

Awesome sermon, and wow, what a day for Wander. Good for him. Also nice to see Cavaco have a good line. But as you say, there is more to the story. Albee Weiss has got my attention. Seems like every year, someone at E-town makes a run at 20 homers. I'm starting to think Larnach is close to (or beyond) that spot where he could headline a major trade. Not that I want to trade him, just that our top packages don't end after Lewis/AK/Graterol. There might be scouts out there that would value Larnach higher than any of those guys in a trade. Great night.

Arraez and Schoop are practically polar opposites. If you could somehow meld the two together, I think you'd have an MVP candidate.

I gotta know what you're referencing here.

A Loogy in addition to Lugo? Why not add some Caviar? (Beluga, of course) Luckily, we already have La Tortuga.

This is awesome! Thanks for sharing. Well done, Mr. Bauer. I was kind of wishing there had been a little more ceremonial acknowledgement on the field between the two--they clearly knew what was up. Maybe a tip of the cap to each other. It would have been funny if Perez handed Max a gift certificate to Chili's or something (vague reference to "The Office.)

I'm kind of impartial on all this--I don't think either guy will be on the eventual playoff roster. However, it seems like pitching a few innings in a blowout would have been exactly what Meija would have been good for. Morin seems like more of a short stint specialist guy...which is maybe why they kept him?