BK432

I have agreed with this until very recently, and still do to some extent. But, and if this is a big but, if Molitor thinks he can get this team to the postseason, we've seen that 18 batters from the SPs and a dominant bullpen can go a long way. Perhaps May is better utilized in the 'pen, if only in the postseason.

I have nothing to add. Spot on.

This makes me chuckle. Every single trade we pitch seems to include some variation of Arcia and Stewart, and including guys like Plouffe or Gibson who will demand big money before the trading team has the chance to be back in contention. It's like we think we can assemble together pieces that might sound good but be of minimal pain to us and that the other team will just say "oh, sure, okay, a failed MLB outfielder who can't hit lefties and a former top 100 prospect at class A who strikes out less than 5 per 9? ABSOLUTELY!" Not hating on anyone, heck I do it too, it's just funny to me. And I sure am hopeful that the Ks will come for Stewart and Arcia is young enough to redeem himself (at least at the plate), but they seem a bit like reduced value trade chips right now. I wouldn't be thrilled to buy them as an opposing GM. In any event, unless I'm really sure Wieters is very healthy and will be worth his contract for at least the first 3 years, I'm probably looking elsewhere. I don't have the stomach to trade what would be needed for Lucroy (but I'm definitely talking to the Brewers to know for sure). I actually like the Alex Avila thought from Doc. Good platoon option, plug it in for a year, and re-evaluate next offseason.

I respectfully disagree. Robinson can at least play defense and run. Cuddyer has no useful skill at this point. He was one of my favorite Twins over the last 15 years, but I personally have no interest in rostering him here anymore.

No. Never. He is a negative value player, replacement level player. The Mets could pay his whole salary, not take a player in return, and I'd still be against this.

Not official yet but likely. Last week of the season and we have meaningful games! Enjoy!

Yep - manage those Sept innings. Let him work out of the 'pen a bit. Give him a start or two at the end of Sept. And if you believe in miracles, maybe he's in our October rotation. Caveat - he doesn't *have* to be on the 25-man before Sept 1. Don't forget the injury replacement rules, which would allow them to kick this down the road for at least a couple more weeks should they choose. Next 4 games will dictate a lot I think.

I may regret saying this later, but Buxton has had some pretty tough matchups for a kid who has had just a couple hundred ABs over A ball. Maybe he'll get a couple hits tonight.

Happy birthday Bark! Enjoy 40 - I'll join you in just over 4 years.

The problem with that logic, though, is the new TV contract money. Many expect salaries to explode in the next 5 years. Lots more money to spend out there.

I appreciate your conservative approach, but I just flat-out disagree. I'm not sure what the point is of making anyone 'master' AAA at age 25. He's either going to be serviceable in Minneapolis or he's not. If he's found his stroke and confidence, get him up. He'll be better than Robinson/Schafer immediately.

Does Terry Ryan have what it takes to lead the Twins in 2015? [ahem] No.

I don't think TR was lying. I think he actually believed it. Which is actually worse. Because while I've defended him because of the mess he inherited, I will no longer do it. Because he actually had video and data available to him and still believed Hunter would be "fine" in RF, that tells me everything I need to know. It tells me he doesn't know how to use those tools to effectively evaluate major league ballplayers. And there's just no damn excuse for that in 2015.

I second this. I think this is mighty reasonable.

Part of me wants to think this is pretty simplistic. The rational part of me, which says it's about accumulating better players, players who put the right stats up that help you win ballgames. But the examples you loaded this article full of tell a pretty damning story, and one that may be starting to change. Sounding the bell of "attitude, desire and accountability" always seems too easy and empty to me, but maybe there's some truth here. For whatever reason, there did seem to be times where players weren't committed and perhaps not responding to Gardenhire. Is it worth ten games? I don't know, I'm skeptical, but I really appreciate this article. Would be nice to see this all translate to more wins on the field.

I think that we put way too much importance on who is on the 25-man roster for game 1 of the season. Now, if it's Jason Bartlett, I get it, because that guy shouldn't have even been on a 40-man in 2014. But in this situation, I'm not sure it's all that important. I'm pretty sure everyone will get their shot at one point or another. I share the frustration some have in wanting to see Meyer and May at Target Field, but if I take the long view, I'm not sure it matters if it is in April or in June.

I know this has all been said before, but I would really urge everyone to do a couple things as it relates to Joe Mauer: 1. Use the statistical facts to determine his strengths and shortcomings. Don't spout out "he hits into a lot of DPs". There are resources readily available that you can use to refute this in approximately 90 seconds. Use the Internet. We live in such a great age for baseball fandom. 2. Acknowledge that Joe Mauer does have shortcomings. Stop wanting him to be the player we decided to pay $23 million/year to. He had a career year at the right time. Get over it. It's sunk. The contract is done. Is he worth that as a 1B with his career averages? No. But he's not as far off as you'd think. His strengths are getting on base and baserunning. Those strengths are best leveraged very early in the lineup. I happen to argue for #1, in part because there's no clear alternative. But any spot in the top 3 is defensible. I just think we need to view him for who he is and leverage him appropriately. He's a valuable asset who can help you at the top of the lineup.

Sorry, I know the conversation has moved past this at this point, but I wanted to address this. I think this is a really honest post and probably addresses a lot of what people feel. We totally think of the Rickey Henderson type when we think of leadoff hitters (or, in modern terms, Billy Hamilton if he could actually OBP .300 some day). But, I have come around in the last couple years to wanting Mauer at the top of a Twins lineup. Take a peek at UBR ratings on Fangraphs and you'll see that Mauer is consistently rated as a very good or great baserunner (7th in UBR last year). So, he's not speedy, but is a smart and talented guy who can take the extra base. So yes, I think he's proven he can go 1st to home on a double in the gap. He makes up for some of the lack in speed with his deftness on the basepaths. So, put me on the "bat Mauer first" train. I think it best takes advantage of a couple of his greatest skills: getting on base and baserunning.

Think of it this way - the strike zone is a box you're throwing into. The average SP is taller than Berrios for a reason - if you release the ball at the top of your motion, it goes into the strike zone with a sinking motion. If you compare Berrios to pitchers 4 or 5 inches taller, it will naturally come in flatter, which is theoretically easier to track and to hit. However, nobody said Berrios is destined to fail because of this disadvantage. It is only that - a disadvantage. Guys like Johan had enough other tools to offset that. I wouldn't get too stuck on the word disadvantage. All these guys are working with disadvantages. They just need to overcome them.

I just wanted to say I like what you're trying to do; as a previous commenter stated, any effort to improve defensive metrics helps. I can't offer any help or helpful critique, but thank you.

Great read. And very accurate. If the Twins aren't spending yet because they plan to add significantly once the kids are up, fine, then you have a plan. But they have the money - I don't want to read anything about "small markets" or "budgets tapped out". This team could afford a lot more salary.

Wow, what a burning #HotTake. So basically, the argument boils down to not the manager, but that we need one of the top 10 pitchers in baseball. Awesome. I agree completely. Any ideas on how we do that? I'll look for more of your content in the future.