cHawk

I didn't realize they were playing 4 games.

We are about to lose a home series against the ****ing Royals

The Twins infielders are looking like a bunch of little leaguers.

Devin Smeltzer looking like a good pitcher IMO. I never thought that he had the tools to make it in the majors.

That's a tough one. You can't say that 200+ IP is a requirement because those pitchers hardly exist in today's game. I would say that an ace by definition is a Top 10 or Top 15 pitcher in the game, and that is determined by many stats, including ERA, WHIP, WAR, etc...

After the last two games, yeah, we need to improve the back end of the pen. Although I’m not sure exactly where those improvements are coming from. The team has options.

Arraez has been a joy to watch this year. Hopefully he wins the batting title, that would be awesome.

It's a 2-game losing streak. Nothing to panic over (yet).

That’s a tough loss

January 14th, 2020. What a day that was. The previous day we were all saddened by the Twins lack of activity in the FA market. They were in on Donaldson for while, but they were out on Donaldson by that point. Until they signed him. Since then, we all have had our opinions on this signing, and those opinions have changed (some drastically) over time. Was the Donaldson signing worth it?

I love your optimism

This was a topic that came up in the game thread today that I wanted to dive a bit deeper into. Where do the Twins rank among AL teams? They begin the season 27-17 (23-9 in their last 32) 1st in the AL Central. Their pitching staff has (surprisingly) been the strength of the team and their offense has (also surprisingly) been their weakness. The Twins haven't played many games against high-level competition. They won 2 of 3 in Tampa Bay, and they also went 0-5 in 5 games at home against Houston and Los Angeles. The AL Central is not the strongest of divisions. Some of these factors might suggest the Twins aren't as good as their record. Where do y'all stand on this?

What makes you so sure?

Welcome to TD, good sir!

Do tell why in 2020 it was a bad idea for them to sign Donaldson. He filled a huge need (3B) for a price much lower than a lot of people thought. He lived up to expectations in his two years here. Why do you think they shouldn’t have signed him in the first place?

Oh it will. If anyone touches me while I’m sleeping I immediately jump awake.

You don’t really need to pinch that hard, just a tiny pinch should do the trick.

The Paddack trade wasn't a terrible idea, it just didn't work out (yet). If I could trade one year of a reliever for several of a young starter, I would do it. Also, their reputation among other execs is "meh" or worse? I'd like to see a source.

How come?

Let’s time travel back to December of 2016. Terry Ryan is well past his expiration date and finally gets the axe. Long overdue. The Twins proceeded to hire Derek Falvey away from the Cleveland Guardians and Thad Levine away from the Texas Rangers, with the objective of building a “pitching pipeline” just like the one Falvey was a big part of building in Cleveland. Since then, this team has a 399-351 record (0.532), winning two division titles and making the postseason three times. And just recently, that “pitching pipeline” started pumping. Some of those minor league arms have looked damn good. All of a sudden they are in first place. Would you consider extending Falvey and Levine?

What kind?

Whoops, you're right. My bad.

True, but Overall Win% can be a good indicator of a manager and/or FO’s competence.

They took three of four from the Rays

Tie game!!!