chopper0080

So, first off regarding the plan. My issue is that we have players looking uncertain in situations, a manager who is discussing "new things" and "figuring things out", and a front office signing vet AAAA players 9 games into the season. If there is a plan, and there very well could be, it is not a plan that is understood over all areas of the organization. Secondly, I really don't have an issue with the Sano move other than the timing. There is a way to allow Sano to move into an OF position that allows him to maintain his confidence. There was no reason the Twins could not have DH'd him early in the season until both parties were comfortable with his play in the field. That would have alleviated pressure off of him to both produce in the #4 spot in the lineup and be a average player in the outfield. Instead they dumped him out there with zero game experience, and are now seeing it affect his hitting. Lastly on Plouffe, I loved that they didn't trade him. He is a quality player on a roster that needs quality players, and as you said, probably would not have netted any sort of significant piece back. Thank you for your thoughts on my post. I appreciate the feedback.

No, the problem is losing. I wouldn't do anything to help that. This team needs to win. They need to win as many games as they can. They need to win in as many different ways as possible. You can't just go from 90 losses to a contender. You have to understand what it takes to win. How to win when ahead big. Howto win close games. How to come from behind and win. This is what young teams need to learn how to contend. This helps vets get that feeling back. This instills confidence in a team that it can. Sometimes you have to let it ride despite things not going well out the gate. 2016 may not be a title year, but trading away good players for the future only continues the habit and culture of losing. This team needs to win, and i would be buyers if anything to find a way to do so. We aren't going to acquire anyone more talented than Buxton and Sano, so now is the time to bet on them. Surround them with talent. Let them grow in their roles. Let them experience winning. That is what the season should be played for.

I remember a day when the Twins did it their way. In a time in baseball where home runs were king, the Twins knew that in order to compete, they were going to have to do things a different way. They developed a plan where they would keep games close, and they would execute fundamentals late in games to gain a victory. It was contrarian, it didn't always work, but it was the plan, and the Twins were going to stick to the plan. This consistent voice lent confidence to players in those high pressure situations. Players knew what they were going to be asked to do, and it was going to be something that they had practiced since they entered the Twins farm system. It was their culture. Keep it close, and execute practiced fundamentals in high pressure situations. They had a plan and they worked the plan. Zero uncertainty. Fast forward to today. The Twins are now 0-9. It seems shocking, but is it really shocking? The problem with a rebuild is that focuses on losing, losing erodes confidence, and confidence is king in baseball. Like no other sport, in the daily grind of professional baseball, confidence matters. Confidence in your plan. Confidence in your preparation. Confidence in the face of failure. I tell my son that baseball is a sport that you can do everything correctly and still fail. You have to have the confidence in your process despite an unfavorable result. This is where the Twins have developed a culture of losing. Now that the expectations have changed, the confidence in the approach and plan over the past four years has waned. Now the Twins are trying to do things differently, and it shows in their uncertainty in their execution, and it comes from the top down. For Miguel Sano, the plan was to play 3B. This is the position he has worked to improve at over his entire career with the Twins. In 2015, when the Twins called him up to see what they had in him, the Twins protected their asset by planting him in the DH spot with spot starts at 3rd so he could adjust to the difference that is Major League pitching. After a successful first stint, Sano now headed into the off season with a plan to continue to work at #B, and learn to prep for the adjustments teams would make against him come the following season. Sano had confidence, because he knew what was expected. However, instead of continuing to put their young future in a position to be successful, the Twins switched things up. They were now expected to contend, and Plouffe was a good player who could help the team. But, to compound that the Twins spent money on a DH, and a player would have to adjust to the major league game as well. So, instead of protecting their future, the Twins moved him into a position he had never played, and still expected him to carry their offense. Instead of feeding their top prospect consistency and sticking to a plan years in the making, the Twins served Sano uncertainty and the unknown. Hard to be successful doing something you have never done against the toughest competition in the world in that field. It isn't just this however. The Twins took contact hitting catcher Joe Mauer, and due to health reasons moved him to 1B, and then they told him to be a power hitter. They took Danny Santana after a productive year in the outfield, moved him to SS, and then watched him fail. Byron Buxton has struggled at every level he has played at, including his first stint in the majors, and now they ask him to help carry their offense. Trevor May, successful as a SP, moved him to the bullpen. Brian Dozier, struggles with consistency, yet put at the top of the lineup. A culture of losing isn't that guys are unhappy or inept, it is a culture that has no clear vision, no clear plan, and so players have little chance for success. People are asked or trying to do things that they aren't prepared to do. People are put in positions to fail rather than succeed. Molitor talks about searching for answers, and trying new things. That is inherently the problem. There is no plan. When young players are called up, the Twins have no answers for them nor plan for them to fall into. Instead they are looked towards to solve problems when they are just trying to figure things out. This leads them to try to do too much rather than just doing their job. It is tough to be confident in your ability to drive in a run when you aren't sure if you are going to need to hit behind the runner, put one over the fence, nor having any recent history of either working according to plan. This is now The Twins Way.

After looking as awful as they have, looking like an average MLB team is a nice change. The SP has been as advertised despite the injuries. I still believe it is a bit silly to expect Buxton to come up, and set the world on fire. That being said, if he brings defense, that is a great place to start. It will be an awesome problem to have if Sano is pushing his way up, and Plouffe is still raking (hopefully end of this year or next year). Arcia seems destined to the DH spot, especially if Vargas keeps playing like this, but that is ok. Hopefully the bullpen can get worked out by the end of the season as well.

They suck. They were going to suck when they were brought together. They are sucking now. They will continue to suck moving forward.

Ok, so am the only one done with pitchers who can't throw strikes, and hitters who can't figure out the strike zone?

I agree that SP has been good, which most would have guessed heading into the season. I'm not too worried about hitting because hitting is down around the entire league, and most of our guys have never been great hitters. My issues were and continue to be about the team's defense and relief pitching. IMO, those are fixable offseason issues and were left unaddressed for the most part.

I would rather see Vargas sent down and Hunter get more DH days than bring up someone to DH. I would bring Hicks up to play OF and if he is not better than Robinson or Shafer, that tells you all you need to know about him. I would leave Santana alone other than moving him down in the batting order. Let him learn to be a SS unless you don't believe he has the chops to do so. If that is the case, put him in the outfield and commit to him there. In the end, I will settle for the Twins to at least act like they have a developmental plan and stick with it.

I agree with Doc that Arcia to LF is this year's Santana to CF. Another seemingly short-sighted plan that undermines the idea that this team has and is executing a detailed, long term plan.

Man, if Hicks is not a better option defensively, that was a huge miss as a draft pick.

If it becomes routine, then you bench him, if not, there is no reason to. You are trying to build these young players up, not have them worried that if they make an error, they are going to be benched.

Very true. I expect this team will lack consistency in wins, but hopefully we can at least develop consistency in keeping games close.

No. My arguement being that I have not seen Hughes consistently take over and dominate games by himself. That doesn't mean he can't be the best pitcher on a playoff team.

It is always best for the long term to focus on what is working/wrong with the process rather than the result. Winning 4 games doesn't change the fact that we need to get our young players experience, need solid relief pitching and defense to keep us in close games where we have a chance. We are fourth worst in run differential, and we need to keep that in mind.

Who cares if it is ridiculed by fans...your front office shouldn't be dictated by fans. If it doesn't work, or the time frame takes too long, then you should be fired. If it works, great. Plan B is a good enough team to compete...not much more but it isn't losing 90 games a season. We have decent if inconsistent hitting. Same goes with starting pitching. What we lack is the defense and bullpen to consistently keep games close. Plouffe is a solid fielding 3B. Santana should develop into a decent SS. Dozier and Mauer are average defensive players. Where we lack is an outfield that can limit extra bases and bloop hits. Hicks and Jennings have the athleticism to be assets in Target Field. Arcia is ok if you have speed to limit the area he needs to cover. You probably need to add more than one good arm in the bullpen, but I don't know if you want to give up the needed prospects or maybe our guys in AAA can provide quality innings. Next offseason you can add a better C or SS or SP/RP if you want/need, but you will at least have created an environment where our youth has to play themselves into starting spots, and are supported by talent around them. I still argue that trading Hughes for multiple, advanced, young arms or advanced position players might be the best scenario with how unpredictable pitching can be. His value will reach it's peak if he keeps pitching well this year, and it would be the opportune time to move him.

Doumit...Suzuki Willingham...Arcia/FA Hughes...Berrios/FA Perkins...Soria or another FA (does it matter when you aren't winning games.) You can't state you are rebuilding, and then state you are competing. IMO, we are three years away if we commit now to just rebuilding through our farm system. In that regard...you trade Hughes knowing you have Santana and Nolasco under contract as well as Pelfrey, Gibson, and May. Trading Perkins now is dumb, so you probably hold on to him until he regains some value. I promote Hicks for his athleticism knowing Buxton is a year or two away and probably will struggle a bit. I keep Plouffe as a viable defensive 3B. If I like Polanco's progress, I might move Dozier in the offseason or next year (I understand the contract, and that isn't the Twins norm). If I want to win and compete next year, I trade prospects for a legitimate outfielder, Desmond Jennings comes to mind. I call up Hicks, and have an outfield of Arcia, Jennings, and Hicks which should be able to handle the outfield, and when Buxton is ready, he will push someone to a reserve role. I trade another prospect or two for a legitimate relief pitcher, Sergio Romo might be an option. Brian Matusz. Essentially, I do everything I can to acquire major league assets that improve my defense and relief pitching by dealing from my farm system. I understand Reed and Burdi and maybe Meyer will be in relief roles by the end of this year, or will have earned a spot next year. Once I can field and limit late game runs, I am confident that my bats and starting pitching can do enough to keep us from losing 90 games in 2016. Whichever way we go, we just need to commit to it.

It is tough to preach about the process or to fix things when a player is having success hitting. That is one reason it is important to identify when a player in the minors is getting by on physical ability, and needs to be challenged at a higher level. This is also the reason it would be stupid to send Arcia down to AAA. His issues need to be worked out at the major league level because he can just rely on talent in AAA.

Legitimately, the only guys who probably SHOULD be called up in 2015 are Hicks, and some RPs. I don't really see any reason other than desperation that you would bring up Sano, Buxton, Rosario, Berrios, Walker or any SPs unless someone forces their way up. There just isn't much upside in promoting these guys at this point. The roster isn't built to support them and their learning curve, and they are just going to be moving into a losing environment.

The Twins determine their own ability to sign top of the market players. I'm not going to say that I don't believe a consistent winning franchise doesn't depend on a solid farm system. I do. But you can't rely on that alone because the prospect train is difficult to depend on. Signing free agents is a great way to build up movable assets in your franchise. Generally you want to target buy low players, and then an occasional high impact player. Willingham was a nice buy low option...but we never traded him. Suzuki was a nice buy low option, but we never traded him. Ryan Doumit. Hughes was a nice buy low option, and I believe you can make an argument that the Twins should trade him. Perkins should have been traded when his value was high. You say that the process is complex, and it is, but you can't acquire and hit on players and then not move them while rebuilding. The same thing applies with signing higher cost free agents. Why pay money for fringe players who are probably at peak value. Nolasco...peak value. Sanatana...peak value. Hunter...peak value. Pelfrey...I have no idea. None of these players were recently dominant players, none are young, and none are going to gain value over time. They are just plain bad signings as a whole. My point is that most GMs for teams who are losing have a tough job. The problem is that Terry Ryan has botched it up at almost every turn.

See, I view Hicks as part of that whole siutation because I believe that filling roster spots is the main part of a roster rebuild. You can't create holes by trading assets and then not fill them...that makes the overall move bad. Trading Span and Revere were rebuild moves. Moving Hicks up quickly to fill the void was a rebuild move. Never addressing the CF position after Hicks initially failed is the problem because now our roster just has a big fat hole in it. I understand where you are coming from, but IMO, rebuilding is about filling the holes on your roster, especially those which you create by trading assets. Also, I'm leery about trading for starting pitchers who can't throw strikes. I have yet to see that move work out.

The Twins are the only thing that limits it's resources. How do we go from a playoff contender to a 90 loss team and not have any movable assets? If you don't have assets, then you have to acquire them. You then take those and move them for more assets. You buy low on some players, and spend for some others. That is how a rebuild works. Ryan has failed on more moves than he has succeeded. And the highlighted part is way too much pressure to put on two guys at AA ball. That is a plan that fails more often than not, and we are witnessing it as we speak.

If you are trading major league players who you do not have a replacement for in order to get power pitching prospects that fail to contribute at the MLB level, that is a dumb move and is not the move you want to make. You can trade Revere or Span, but you can't trade both if you don't have an option at CF. You will probably argue that we hda Hicks, but that is the prospect problem. Here is the breakdown Trade Revere for May = Good Trade Span for Meyer = Bad Hicks as CF = Bad. Not signing acquiring an MLB CF = Worse You just can't justify trading all of your depth, depending on unreliable prospects to succeed, and then fail to fill the hole once that prospect fails. That is poor management.

I don't believe Ryan should get blame for Meyer's lack of development, but I do believe he is the only person who deserves blame for it being a bad trade, because if Meyer doesn't pan out, it was. I don't believe there is much more for Meyer to learn at AAA. He isn't a really young prospect, and he has had some success there. Bring him to the majors, put him in the pen, and get him some exposure to MLB hitters. If he tanks, he tanks. If he is ok, then he is ok. But a power RP is way better than wasting innings in AAA searching for control he may never develop.

Agreed. If there was a way I could put two athletes in the outfield with Arcia, I would play him every day and his defense would not look nearly as bad. There is nothing to do with Hunter IMO. He amplifies Arcia's lack of range on defense, is a 5 or 6 hitter, and will not be happy taking on a lesser role. If I believe Hicks is better defensively at CF than Shafer or Robinson, I call him up, and tell him I just want defense, don't care about offense. The bullpen is crap, and I rotate them out with some AAA players. If Burndi and Reed show well, they are fast tracked. I move Meyer to the MLB bullpen as well. So, in theory. Arcia-everyday Hicks-CF (defense, don't care about offense) Tonkin-RP Oliveras(sp?)-RP Meyer-RP/Long relief If either Rosario or Buxton get, I also bring them up even if it is for a little bit. I stay patient with Sano and Berrios unless I trade Plouffe or a spot start opens up and he is throwing well.

I agree the expectations in 2011 were high at the start of the season, but once the writing was on the wall, the Twins needed to be self aware enough to start the process. They weren't, which has led to four consecutive 90 loss seasons. The front office was either ignorant of their situation or the moves they made to correct it were proof of their incompetence, your choice, but neither is an acceptable excuse for losing 383 games over the past four seasons.