Danchat

I don't consider re-tooling to be running back most of the roster, which appears to be the plan in 2023. 2022 had several moves but most of them were made to make the current team competitive (Correa, Gray, Mahle, Fulmer, Lopez). I think some people are getting confused by the fact that they're not very good at actually winning games == that they haven't been trying to.

As much as I would hate this, it would be logical to move Arraez when his value is the highest. The one thing the front office did right last year was move some players while their stock was high (Garver and Rogers). The problem is, I just don't trust our FO to identify the right pitcher to move Arraez for. We don't need another injury prone or #3-like starter. And this team is going to be a lot less fun to watch, they were already a mostly dull team to watch in 2022, and would be bottom tier without Correa and Arraez (obviously they'll spend money elsewhere, but my point stands).

I still would have enjoyed that, and Harbaugh is certainly doing a great job right now at Michigan. I think he would be similarly doing well like O'Connell is with the Vikings, but he'd probably have a shorter shelf life. O'Connell is the better long-term option.

You'd think whatever team wanted him would much rather sign him to a MILB deal then draft him, as they would not be forced to keep him on their 26 man roster the whole year. He isn't getting drafted.

In what has otherwise been a great season for a brand new regime, I think this is worth mentioning: It's been about the worst possible rookie year for Booth - constantly injured, and when finally healthy he looked terrible. I liked him as a prospect but the injuries were a red flag that caused teams to take him off their boards in the first round. There is still potential for him to be a capable NFL starter with how well he played in Clemson, but I believe it's more likely than not that he's a bust at this point. Not good for the first player the new regime traded up for. And hey, regarding the criticism towards Donatell's defense - it's not his fault this draft class has had zero impact this season. Next year's class is going to be a weaker crop with a likely late 1st and no 2nd...

This team just crushes it in the 4th quarter, consistently outplaying teams in one possession games. They simply don't implode like Vikings teams of the past, and O'Connell seems to have a firm grasp on the pulse of the team, turnovers that would usually submarine the offense don't and stupid penalties and bad clock management are mostly in the past. They're beating teams in the margins and kicking butt in the clutch... I thought the idea that Zimmer was the root of the problem was a fallacy, but dang they are way better without him, in a lot of subtle ways. The personnel is still questionable in a lot of spots and I don't see this team going on a deep playoff run, but it's been a fantastic first year for O'Connell. That was one of the sloppiest games from a Belichick team, horribly coached on special teams, making simple mistakes, and really dumb penalties. I'm shocked he didn't blow a gasket on the sideline. How do you lose when you have a top 3 defense and Mac Jones dices the defense up for 382 yards?! BTW, the Vikings have given up the 2nd most yards, 27th in yards per play. Offensively they're an underwhelming 22nd in yards per play... and yet they're winning games. I thought they'd be toast after a 4 day break from getting curbstomped, but here we are.

Yup, they had insanely good injury luck and their opponents up to this point were severely banged up (Bills were missing 5-6 starters but the time the game was over!). And the negative point differential is hilarious. I was starting to change my mind about the personnel not being the problem with this team after the Bills win, but now I'm back to it. There are too many holes on this team to be a SB contender now... I just don't know if they can fix everything over a single offseason. And if they try to, it's going to require another Cousins extension into his late 30s...

Man, that was a beating for the ages. I never thought this team had Super Bowl asperations, not even after beating the Bills last week, so I'm not crushed by this loss. It will depend on whether this loss snowballs into multiple. We rattled off 7 wins after getting beat good by the Eagles, if we can at least win on Thanksgiving and hold our own from then on, this won't be such a bad loss. But it's weird having this much success with a first year HC/GM with so many close wins, and then a disaster like this. I'm not sure what to think. But in my time watching the NFL, plenty of teams have started off super hot just to fall apart down the stretch and do nothing in the playoffs. The Vikings look like they could fit that trope to a T.

Feels like the classic "we won our Super Bowl last week, so don't bother to show up this week". We were due for a loss, but like this? Oof. I am intrigued to see how this team plays on Thursday after a short turnaround, to see how much of a blip on the radar this game is.

We'll have to get confirmation, but I'm pretty sure they protected Legumina since they knew they were likely to move him. I don't view him as much of a prospect, certainly not a top 30 guy. Farmer makes sense as a backup to whomever we sign to play SS, instead of moving Polanco back to SS as the primary backup plan.

To be fair to him, when he was finally put in a situation to thrive with a functioning QB, he was great with the Rams. I'd be more wary about how much burst he has left after a second tear in the same ACL.

The primary Twins unis are nice. Don't like the Minnesota ones, and the Twins Cities one is nice but looks like it'd fit the Saints better. Eh.

I don't like this move. Urshela was absolutely worth the money as he hit quite well (.283 is fairly above average with how much offense is on the decline), seemed to have an extra gear in clutch situations, and was a solid defender at 3B. I trust that they will spend the money elsewhere, but I just don't know if they'll find as reasonable a value. I don't care much for the prospect we got. Speaking of Urshela, I am happy we aren't paying Donaldson $24M this year!

Feels more like a replacement to Adrianza's bench spot than Correa's. Giving up a middling reliever prospect for a legitimate backup MLB SS is 100% A-OK to me, especially now that Palacios is out of the organization.

He better be dominant out of the gates or the front office deserves every criticism they get for this move. Bringing him back on a veteran minimum deal would be one thing, but tendering quite possibly the consistently worst reliever in baseball (going on 3 years)?! At some point real world results have to trump the projections. Don't blame Rocco when he has to use him!

Pretty crazy that the line vs the Cowboys is DAL -1.5 despite us being at home. I guess the bettors are expecting the Vikings to be fatigued after the Bills game… but Dallas just lost to GB. If Christian Watson was able to score 3 TDS on them, what is JJ going to do?

I thought the same thing, the typeface looks nice but that line from the w is really awkward.

Agreed, I wouldn't lose a second of sleep if we lost Severino or Sisk.

Feels like every year there is one surprise who gets protected, Legumina certainly profiles as that. I don't see the need to protect him, as I doubt teams would care much about a 26 year old reliever in AA. I think Severino is the most likely to be claimed. I could see Helman or one of the relievers get claimed, but I don't think they have a ton of upside. Urbina is too raw and hasn't shown enough at this point to be claimed.

He was one of the worst relievers in baseball in the second half, so bad that the Brewers demoted him to low leverage innings. There is a lot of downside here. I would guess the Twins don’t want to pay him, which is part of the reason why they moved him… but seeing how both SD and MIL ended up demoting him, I’d only bring him back on a prove-it deal. MLBT thinks he gets 3/$30M… no thanks.

The Bills had a treasure trove of self-inflicted wounds too (5 giveaways!). The 2 Allen picks were both horrible throws right to Peterson. And now they're not even in first place with Miami winning today!

This was a game of complete and total insanity that we should have lost at several points. I have no words!

How about we all chip in $10 and see where that gets us? ?

A few updates: Nick Anderson outrighted Prelander Berroa selected by Mariners (part of Dyson trade, Giants traded him to Seattle) Michael Tonkin selected by Braves (despite the fact that he's 33 and hasn't pitched in the majors since 2017!) Drew Strotman claimed on waivers by Giants

I get the praise for Julien, I think he will be a MLB-caliber hitter, but Martin has a long ways to go to prove he belongs. I find it hard to ignore how poorly he was playing at points in his second go-around at AA. IIRC Celestino did the same thing last year, bad 4 months then got hit late… turned out his bat wasn’t MLB ready in 2022. Let’s see Martin hit .300 at AAA for at least a month and then we’ll talk.