spanman2

IALTO

Given how Nolasco/Duffey performed in the spring not a huge surprise Duffey isn't coming north with the big club. If Nolasco performs well that's GREAT in different ways. 1) Is obvious..WINS/or at least keeping the boys in the game. 2)If he lights it up it he is building trade value! If Berrios and or Duffey start lighting it up in the minors it opens up potential trade options for the Twins in the sense that if they want they can bring them up and sell high on Nolasco. Which on March 29th seems unlikely but you never know. He wanted to start so here is his chance once again.

IALTO

He has become an above average fielding 3b. Sano had struggles in the minors at times with his fielding. The Twins are not strong at SS and putting another below average/unproven person at 3b from a fielding perspective would not be a huge gamble. You know what you have in Trevor at this point of his career/what he is capable of. If he can provide a slightly higher OBP/BA even better!

Sano is obviously a HUGE (no pun intended)foundation of this franchise moving forward. It makes sense that knowing publicly they have stated they want him playing in the outfield next season that the process of the transition starts sooner rather than later. My guess is that they want him to drop some weight so his body is able to hold up along with covering more ground in the outfield. I would think he will also play some 3rd along with DH'ing. I can for see Trevor spelling Joe at 1st on days Joe DH'S and Sano coming in to play 3rd on a few of those occasions.

Agree 100%...I think in today's world of pitching if you get through 6 as a starter you have done your job.

If I had to pick (1) it would be a recent home stand against the Angels when the boys got 5 in the 1st and Milone and company gave it back in the 2nd. That is a game you win 95 out of 100 times. Big big loss not that it means anything more in the 'L' column than a loss in May but it was a really BIG loss.

IALTO

It would be interesting to know deep deep down if Glen trusts Glen? Of course he would say yes outwardly but I have a feeling he may not be 110% on board within himself from a confidence perspective. It seems to be more of a location issue vs. velocity to me. When he makes a mistake the opposition is punishing those pitches on a consistent basis since the All Star break which as a batter is your objective of course. I would be hesitant say wild card game Yankee stadium bottom of the 9th up 1 with the meat of the lineup due up. That would scare me a bit.

A great opportunity to play +.700 ball and see where it takes us. I am in agreement on 10 wins needed to get it done. It is unfortunate that we went 1-3 against Anaheim. The opposite was needed but it is what it is. Certainly has been an interesting year. My guess is that if at the beginning of the year you did the "what if" scenario the majority of us would have said "I will take it" being 2.5 back with this many games left. As is the case with baseball you just never know. GO TWINS!

According to ESPN: By Situation AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB HBP SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS None On 285 6 68 15 0 6 6 16 0 51 0 0 .239 .279 .354 .633 Runners On 171 47 54 8 2 2 47 29 1 32 1 1 .316 .410 .421 .831 Scoring Position 94 37 33 3 2 1 42 23 1 18 1 0 .351 .467 .457 .924 Bases Loaded 11 4 5 0 1 0 10 0 0 3 0 0 .455 .455 .636 1.091 Lead Off Inning 80 1 18 4 0 1 1 4 0 13 0 0 .225 .262 .313 .575 Scoring Posn, 2 out 37 18 11 1 1 1 17 12 1 8 0 0 .297 .480 .459 .939 Not a liability at 1b when it comes to fielding. Also not the "normal" power numbers one expects from a 1st baseman. However when his teammates are on the numbers seem to tell a story of producing. Clearly when he leads off or the bases are empty the avg is sub par.

If I am the Twins I do the deal yesterday...if I am Sano the question I am asking myself is do I want the 72 or so million GUARANTEED or do I want to go year to year? If as Seth suggests at 30 he signs ANOTHER contract (assuming good health etc.) by that time Sano could be a 35-40 mill/year or so player. I would imagine he could get a 7 year deal at 30 years of age. 8yrs/72 mill 7yrs/245 mill 317mill/15=about 21mill/yr avg for his career. Not such a bad gig. Obviously we are all dealing in 'what if's". But if I am the Twins I would go for it. Eventually Mauer/Santana/Nolasco are off the books in the few upcoming seasons. I can't imagine Hunter being back next year. The $$$ should not be the issue. We have heard/been sold who the future is. I like the Longoria approach if you are truly all in on his future and believe in him. WIN TWINS

If I am the Twins I do the deal yesterday...if I am Sano the question I am asking myself is do I want the 72 or so million GUARANTEED or do I want to go year to year? If as Seth suggests at 30 he signs ANOTHER contract (assuming good health etc.) by that time Sano could be a 35-40 mill/year or so player. I would imagine he could get a 7 year deal at 30 years of age. 8yrs/72 mill 7yrs/245 mill 317mill/15=about 21mill/yr avg for his career. Not such a bad gig. Obviously we are all dealing in 'what if's". But if I am the Twins I would go for it. Eventually Mauer/Santana/Nolasco are off the books in the few upcoming seasons. I can't imagine Hunter being back next year. The $$$ should not be the issue. We have heard/been sold who the future is. I like the Longoria approach. WIN TWINS

"I know they've done a hell of a job of getting to this point and we're in a good position and now it's my responsibility to help the cause," Ryan said on Thursday. "We've struggled here. The last 12 games have been a battle. We have not played good baseball and I'm aware of that. I'm also aware that one correct move by me could help the cause immensely because it could change the attitude in the clubhouse." How much does the trade "help the cause"?

I didn't renew my season tickets this year. Ironically my former rep had left me a vm over my lunch hour telling me how I could "secure" my playoff priority seat(s). I wasn't going to do anything but after hearing of this BIG time signing I may just go all in and renew up baby!!! Seeing what Toronto for example is doing and seeing what the Twins are doing is very disappointing. I guess one could say that even if the Twins were to sneak in as a wild card that they aren't built to win an intense 7 game series so there is no reason to go "alli in" via trades and mortgaging the future etc. but if this is all you are going to do it sends a bad message to the players and the fan base!

IALTO

I would wait until after next year. This is the first year he has been consistent/predictable. Last year seemed to be good/bad/good bad...he certainly is showing signs but I would like to see another year of it.

This may sound like a simple take but I believe it is a valid one but perhaps not. Here it goes. Lets compare our roster to that of say KC/Detroit within the division. How many guys off of our roster would be either an equal or improvement to players on their respective rosters? My simple mind is scrambling to think of any beyond the following. Mauer if he has an 'average' Mauer year and Perkins over Nathan. Take care all.

Thank you for sharing your memories. Sorry to hear about your grandfather. What you shared is what makes baseball such a great game. You often remember what happens outside of the game itself. The sights, sounds etc. and the game you fall in love with for the rest of your life.

Unfortunately for us as fans the Pohlad's have in past are in present and will continue to in the future operate this a "business". By that I mean not spending over 52% or so (whatever that magic number is)of revenue on payroll is paramount in their world. From time to time they may deviate from it but that seems to be their pet peeve. I am not saying they need to spend 175 million on payroll or anything like that. What I as a fan and former season ticket holder would like to see is a commitment to putting out a competitive ballclub. The last 2 years especially we knew going in that the seasons were a lost cause. That is disappointing. There is no reason why this organization can't be in the 125 or so range each season in my opinion. Draft/develop well sign your core guys to long term contracts and pick up a solid free agent from time to time. Is that too much to ask???

I think this is Hick's last shot at making in with this organization. IMO that is part of the reason Hunter was brought back. Show Hicks what it takes to be a good ballplayer. He needs to understand how fine the line is in the big leagues. You always have to get after it. We have to hope for much improved starting pitching!!! Thats the bottom line. Better fielding would not hurt eiher. If our starters could collectively have an ERA around 4 we can play with anyone on any given day. I do believe Torii is adequate enough in RF. Is it ideal? No, but adequate enough. He is not going to play 145+ in RF. One would think there will be some DH'ing mixed in there to keep him 'fresh'. Not 110% certain I would bat Dozier in the 3 hole. I do believe Joe is due to have a big year. I would bat Joe in the 3 hole and leave Dozier in the 2. Torii would be a great fit hitting 5th.

I didn't renew my package this year..... My season ticket rep actually asked me 'other than the loses/play of the team is there any other reason why you would not want to renew?' I said yes there is. I believe it is preposterous that one buys a beer and a brat leaves a tip you are about $20. We all know concessions are HUGE in the profit margin department but come on man. That article in the Strib about payroll did the club NO favors with the fan base. It further proves that ownership truly 110% views this as a BUSINESS first and winning is secondary. Doing 'just enough' to keep the fan base interested with spurts of success. I love the game of baseball and the Twins but it is getting ridiculous!!!!!

I thought it was 3/24??? At any rate I bet it would be at least 12/year like Ricky boy got...possibly in the 15/year range minimum of 5 years. So far it is looking like an excellent sign by Terry.

The Twins have to be very pleased at the numbers Hughes has put up this year. One would think they (players) believe that they have a chance to win every time he takes the mound. If Gibson can get off the what seems to be every other start has a chance at being a clunker train we have 2 solid starters for next year. I personally think Milone can be a 3rd solid starter next year. I am at a loss of words for how disappointing Nolasco has been this year and we have to hope he gets it turned around. If the organization isnt dead red set on Milone as a guranteed starter going into next season I would go into next year with 2 locked in starters and 3 open for competition.

I have a gut feeling if you asked the front office/ownership (at least I hope) they would admit 2 HUGE MISTAKES were not re-signing THunt and Cuddy. They came up together lost together and won together. Both true professionals that were Twins through and through. Very unfortunate for the fan base they were not retained. You NEVER had to worry about bs on/off or in the clubhouse. AJ/Dougie/Koskie etc were of the same mind set. All business all the time on the field.