Kelly Vance

I think the new FO is waiting for a hard freeze up, so they don't have to spend any more time working on fly casting techniques. But I could be wrong. But seriously, folks, they are obviously waiting for the market to shake out and maybe come to them a little. Like drifting a fly down a ripple and then watching it slow down before a back eddy.

The way I look at it, we have Keps, Cave, Austin and Cron for 1b/DH. Of those, Keps is the only plus fielder in RF. Cron and Austin and Cave are candidates for DH. Cron and Austin for 1b (does Cave play 1b?). So Cave can force playing time if he is hot, or at least hotter than Cron or Austin. If Keps is in a slump, Cave can fill in at RF. Between Austin and Cron, whichever is the better fielder at 1b gets more time there. I don't see Keps playing 1b, except rarely. We lose too much defense in RF, unless I undervalue Cave. But I think all 4 have places on the 2019 roster, unless they brought in Cron to compete with Austin with the intent that the loser for starter at 1b gets DFAed. I don't think they intend to do that. This appears to be a transition year over there and Austin/Cron are deemed good fill ins for Joe while we wait for Rooker or someone else to take over eventually.

Your flex plan needs a 30 man roster.

Nick, I wouldn't mind these tweaks, but I would not take one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball and stick him at first base. Doesn't make sense, except maybe on a rare day when you want to get Cave playing time. I don't mind a Cron/Austin platoon at 1B and DH. Keps doesn't necessarily hit RH pitchers better than Cron. So the move weakens the defense without really improving the offense. I could be wrong about this and Cave is not a Grossman defensively. So switching it up and going with a hot bat (if Cave is on a good streak) is an ok move. We have openings at DH and 1B. If Austin can hold up his end, I think this will work, as is. For me, the better fielder between the two should play more 1b obviously, assuming the hitting is semi equal between them. The other guy DHes. I don't understand not putting Jake Reed on the 40 man. Its not like we have an impressive BP coming back and we have a spot on the 40 man. We have two or three openings in the BP and I submit Jake is a top candidate to fill in. I mean, he stayed down while we used Belisle and Busnitz? Come on. He deserved a shot last year and is a character guy. Looking for a Rule 5 that is probably not as good and having to keep them on the 25 man all year doesn't make sense to me, unless we are going to add a catcher or ss or some position of need. But it is rare to find a starter in a Rule 5 bargain bin.

I must have forgotten some of what I used to know about baseball contracts. If we have guys signed for 2019, why do we have to tender them if they are under contract?

Doesn't make you a bad person.

I think they need to figure out if Gordon figures in....

It sure doesn't. So do they think Romero and others will step up and fashion a dream rotation of hot shots? I can't believe they think they can replace 4 guys. So deals will have to be made.

If you are going to pay that much for a 2B, why not Cano? I mean, really.

Machado is a dog. Don't want him.

Maybe, but I doubt it. Not for $5 mil. We are still paying Phil Hughes more than that. It is not much of a difference maker if at all for a 120 million roster. to become $ 125 mil. The FO never said it was limiting acquisitions to keep a budget under, say, $ 120. The argument I would make against is that this guy is better than Austin. But he is not ten times better. Still, he is a slugger we did not have Sunday. I think this calls for competition between the two this spring and I am betting they both make the team and Robbie is gone. Fine with me

No its not. Park had never hit in the majors. He had a language barrier. Cron has hit 30 HRs and 74 RBIs. That is not chicken feed. He is in his prime and seems to be getting better with the opportunity. I think we were planning something different but when something like this falls in your lap you pick him up. Like Yogi said, "When you get to a fork in the road, take it."

I think that is an exaggeration. We have a decent ss and 3b, and a back up for each in Ehire. Its not a urgent problem. We do need a 2b. This doesn't prevent us signing one of those. We have a stellar defensive OF, plus Cave. We don't need more OFers. This move does not prevent us signing two BP arms and a starter. And if you don't pick up a 30 HR/74 RBI guy on the wire you should be fired.

30 HRs and 74 RBIs is not pathetic. It would lead the Twins last year or close to it.

Yeah, well, its not an either or situation. There is plenty of money left for two BP arms and a starter. And what if Austin gets hurt? We got nothing at 1b. Kepler? Well that weakens OF defense to move him to 1b. This is a great insurance policy and fills the 1b/DH spot. Check it off your list in pencil while we look around some more.

5 mil for 30 HRs and 74 RBIs is not an overpay. Replacing Grossman with that makes all the sense in the world, unless you really like walks. And its not like we can't fix the BP. Its not an either or situation.

When you can add 30 HRs and 74 RBIs off the wire, you do it. That is a no brainer. People get injured and we need a dependable DH. I'm all for this signing. And so what if we have a RH hitting lineup? Cron hits RH pitchers better than Austin (who I kind of like) so it is not a bad move to platoon them. There is a rumor Seattle is shopping Robinson Cano. He could hit 40+ HRs at Target. That keeps Polanco at ss, which is ok. It adds more power and takes care of the middle infield problem.

A cheap stand in/back up for Austin and for free (more or less) is not a horrible move to make in November. And 30 HRs and 74 RBIs is decent. Especially since Donaldson is a Brave. This means Sano gets 3B, and all year to make good. This was a good pick up.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I think experience matters more than people realize. But if you are smart, you don't need as much in the way of experience. Learning from your mistakes is key. Learning from others mistakes means you can avoid making those mistakes yourself. Baseball is a team sport that depends on individual achievements. Motivating players to excel is one of the most important things a manager can do. I think understanding stats and what they mean is critical these days, but so is convincing players not to swing at a curve ball in the dirt, and motivating them to keep pushing to get better. I hope this young team invests in success, mentally and emotionally and physically. For example, last year Sano showed up out of shape and he had a reason. Nobody expected him to jog much on a injured leg. But that doesn't mean he couldn't watch his diet a little. He looked like he spent the whole off season getting fat. How he shows up this spring will tell us a lot about him. If he is the Stay Puff Marshmallow man, we will know he is under motivated. In that picture, I gotta like having a manager named Rocco. My concerns fall more into the pitching staff. Molly abused the bull pen. Rocco needs to have more and better ideas what to do in different situations and not rely on the same arm day after day. Many of us lost faith when the BP seemed to give up two run leads far too often. I am thinking the FO made the changes that they did knowing this. But we will also need to see what the hunter gatherers in the FO do to re-stock the shelves.

Shaking my head at the Twins handling of Jake Reed. He has done everything they have asked of him. He is a character guy and won an award for off field contributions to humanity ..yada yada yada His numbers are better than bums they had on the major league roster. And they don't protect him? Hope he gets picked up by a team that is in it for serious and wins a ring

So if we are not going to win next year then why sign anybody? But I think savvy moves could help us win next year. 1 Why not let Keps play some 1B, so Cave gets playing time? And Sano/Austin/Keps and room to switch the DH appeals to me for some strange reason. Can Cave play 1B? I would sign a slugger though. And the thought occurred to me that this Gold rush is the wrong thing for the Twins. No way he extends with the Twins with all the money out there if he has a big season. I would view it as a rent a slugger or make good contract and see if Rooker and Kiri are ready by 2020. 2. But what if they signed Cruz and Donaldson and traded for Goldy just to go for it next year? On a one year deal that puts a lot of runs across. If everybody else plays a decent year, and that isn't a big ask, that team could compete. They should average 5 or 6 runs and a lot of those on 3 run homers. 3. Get Carew to convince Buck he doesn't have to hit homers and should use the pushaway swing and try to hit triples to deep right center. And teach him to bunt....He could set a record for triples and put 20 bunt hits into his average. And we aren't even talking about a higher OPS and SB percentage yet. Give Carew a million dollar incentive if he can get Buck to bunt safely 30 times.. Teach Buck to steal home. Like Billy Martin did with Carew. Again, its a good excuse to pay Rod some money. 4. Sano needs a best friend and a guardian angel. He needs to be challenged daily to stay in shape and improve. He can do it. If he balks or dogs it, trade him. 5. Sign a front line starter with the money you save because you wont get all three of Cruz, Donaldson and Goldie. You shouldn't need 6 runs if you have good pitching. Maybe something comes back if Sano shows attitude. 5. Sign two closer candidates for the BP. Give Jake Reed or someone like that a shot. I'm saying it will boost the salary too high for the Twins to do it, but that team could win next year.

Yeah, I agree. That is what I was trying to say. Maybe we should start a new comparison for boomers. Compare RBI against Ks. But as to the subject, we need a heavy hitter or two. I like Cutch, but we have 4 outfielders. I like Donaldson as a 3-4-5-slot hitter. Iglesias or someone like that would help a lot too. Why not move Miggie over and retool the left side? Austin to DH.

I remember Mark Twain's remark about stats. "There are lies, damnable lies and statistics." I don't care so much about OPS for a longball hitter. I really don't. I do care about slugging percentage as a show of getting extra base hits (homers). and I care about RBIs coming from the 3-4-5 slots. OPS means more to me for a table setter hitting 1 or 2, or for a guy like Grossman, who gets lots of BBs. One of the criticisms of Mauer was his willingness to take walks when a double would have better served. Well, he is in good company. Ted Williams was that way too. And I don't mind strikeouts from 3-4-5, so long as they are not a 33 percent surety. Are you listening Miggie? I think for this year I would go for a couple rent-a-homer guys. Donaldson is a risk, sure. But his upside is 30-40 HRs and that translates into RBIs. He is what we thought we were getting with LoMo.He will miss some games, but we have Ehire and maybe someone else will emerge as a super utility. Subs have to play sometime. So I think the FO takes the chance. Being RH heavy in power hitters is not so bad. Other teams are that way. We can weave Keps and Eddie into that lineup RH/LH/RH/LH and lessen the problems with that. But before I went after Nelson, I'd look for a lefty slugger with a team first attitude. Don't want Murphy. He had a nice run but we have guys we need to give a shot. I would move Polanco to 2B and get a good fielding SS. I don't see Gordon beating out Jorge. So add me to the Donaldson bandwagon. He starts at 3b and Sano moves over with Austin in a DH/1b role. Not ideal, but workable because Kiri and Rooker are waiting to contribute, hopefully soon. I leave the OF alone. I don't trade Buck and Sano. They are still young and their high ceilings make patience the smarter approach. What we need are pitchers that can hold the other team to 3 or fewer runs consistently. That translates into wins.

I would add Kelly for sure. Late season trends are tip offs that he figured something out And I don't think Reed should be blamed for last year's BP issues. Molly played favorites and burned out a few guys because he didn't seem to trust the others. That's on him.

Bye Joe. Unless you'd like to be hitting coach........