DocBauer

Not to be petty, but anyone else get a little sick to the stomach when the between innings commercials show Anderson, or anyone from the Dirty Sox appear? Lol

More proof how a healthy Arraez is such an important part of this team. Love how Rocco seems to have really accepted that and is using him in crucial spots instead of placing him low in the lineup. I know he wasn't 100% at times in 2021, but never understood dropping him to the bottom third of the lineup so much last year.

That inning wasnt perfect, but it was important for Duff. He needed a rebound after Saturday. Like last year, I'm betting the velocity and control will come with a little more time to ramp up.

Great pitch!

Correa to blow open the game?

My imagination or did nobody touch 2nd base? Are we allowing ghosting again? Or am I going blind?

AK off the snide. Time for Sano to vet a hit

Not sure I can stick around tonight, but wanted to jump in and say howdy. Couple quick hits: 1] LOVE Watkins and agree with putting pressure on the other team to make a perfect play. BUUUT...I think he's been too aggressive tonight. 2] BUNDY! That was a great 1st start! 3] More proof Arraez should be in the lineup just about every day. 4] This Buxton kid is pretty good at baseball.

I am always in favor of BPA, period. That's what you do with your 1st rounder, especially when you're drafting as high as the Twins are this year. I don't believe in drafting for need, however, if you "score" 2 players nearly the same, go with need. No way to know how the draft will proceed once the time comes, but there are a pair of really good looking catchers available and it would be a good bet that at least one of them will be available for the Twins. There are some good defensive catchers in the system. Some have surprising athleticism and can even play other positions. Some have power potential. Some even have decent hit potential. And we drafted a couple fairly early last year. But there is nobody in the system that you can point to and say: "a couple years, he's going to be really good and ready." My interest and hope is one of the catchers, who have bats and power, to be another Jeffers, hopefully. Need meets talent and opportunity in this draft.

I have to begin my thoughts by making a couple of precursor statements: 1] Rogers has never been a/our "closer". He was/is a high leverage "fireman". And that's NOT to diminish him! Modern analytics...and just history and basic logic of watching baseball...has shown a diminished value in a SAVE. A save with a 2 or 3 run lead in the 9th with a "closer" facing the bottom 3 of an order is not as great as a "fireman" facing the heart of the order before that to keep the game in check. I could be wrong, but I think it was Cleveland pen and Andrew Miller, recently retired,who really changed this perception a few years ago. Tampa has also embraced this change in recent years with great success. So it's not about a pure "closer" in the old sense, it's about having high leverage arms who can make things happen in the late innings as needed. 2] Being a broken record, I've been stating over and again that the pen could be just fine with a healthy Rogers AND a quality RH version to work along side him. I never asked for or expected some $10M+ 3yr deal. There were enough proven arm on the market to add for somewhere around $5M-ish on a 1or 2yr deal to add so Duffey could just be a reliable arm, Alcala could continue the transition to dependable late option, Thielbar could just keep doing what he's been doing, and the middle innings could be in good hands with the arms available, whether or not the Twins transitioned Duran to the pen on a temporary or permanent basis. Instead, we traded Rogers and only signed Smith as a veteran middle guy to fill the role that Clippard was so good at. For those who want to debate WAR or F-WAR, or any other metric in regard to the pen in 2021 and how it finished, and it finished strong WITHOUT Rogers, Colome was part of that and pitched well after May. Duffey, still here, figured it out and was still good despite a lowering of K numbers. Minaya and Coulombe were also part of that 2nd half pen. I was surprised Minaya wasn't protected, and glad he's back. Also happy Coulombe is back and doubt he won't be part of the team in 2022. And I get roster crunch and players you want to hang on to for potential, but we were lucky that both of these solid vets decided to re-up. NONE of my comments have ANY weight after 2 games to open the season against a good Mariners team. Let me be perfectly clear about that! This was 2 games! Duffey could be as good as ever after today, though he, like everyone, has bad moments. We should actually be pretty excited about what the first 2 games showed us. Despite less than ideal weather, just first appearances, the pen has been solid. Ryan and Gray weren't necessarily on top of their game, but they were OK. I am not going to hang Duffey out to dry for 1 game where he looked bad. But I AM going to hang the FO out to dry in a few weeks for NOT adding ONE quality late inning arm to add to the pen with or without Rogers still around. As to the OP in general: Romeo/Cotton: They're both here on a temporary term because the Twins want to see what they can do, vs Minaya. Romero hasn't thrown yet. Cotton did well today. I don't trust either, but I'm inclined to like what Cotton did when healthy last year and still surprised Texas just let him go. Both are on a short lease. Coulombe is not on as short of a lease. He's had a decent, OK of a career. But overall, by the numbers, his 2021 Twins term has been one of his best seasons. When does Moran develop enough to make him obsolete? For that matter, a healthy Smeltzer had a great ST. Coulombe may be a part of 2022, and he's off to a great start with his ST and 1st appearance, but when is he replaced by someone younger? For right now, I like him as a mid innings pitcher. Thielbar struggled early in 2021, like everyone, and that should be commented on, but like Duffey, he figured it out and suddenly was very good, yet again. And he still looks good. I actually have a lot of confidence in him. His ML lifeline may be limited, we'll see, but he sure figured out the whole complicated "pitching" part of MLB. I trust him in the 6th and 7th innings. But as good as he's been, he shouldn't be an 8th inning guy. Smith is Clippard in retro, and partially Thielbar. Proven and can do the job in the mid innings. Awesome. Pagan is a guy I admit to know nothing about, except for BB Reference and what I've read here. Great 2019 and mediocre since. Apparently, despite a poor 2020 and final 2021 numbers, he has an arm. His reported 2021 had him on a quality trajectory of a season with a low 3 ERA before he collapsed in his last 10÷ games. I took a few minutes to actually look at his numbers. I don't know that we got some kind of surprising stud back, but you also have to look at the numbers. By all reports, he took his career numbers in to August and then had a meltdown his last few appearances. He can either climb back up, or, succumb to his late 2021. He's a WC, and I sure wouldn't put him at #3 on the list at this point. But he could surprise. Duffey is NOT the #2 guy unless he suddenly finds something else. He's been a stalwart, and sort of re-invented his approach in 2021 to finish strong. And that actually comes from a Rogers comment. He's good, and I bet he will be good, But I'm doubting his "fireman " status at this point. I hope I'm wrong. But I think Alcala and Duran will prove to be the STUDS of this pen for 2022, at least eventually. And I don't doubt the middle relief has some great options, including Winder to get his feet wet. But pen wise, I'm optimistic but scared. Right now, we have arms and velocity and options. And we might be OK. I hope we are. But just like the rotation, I'm afraid we lost an opportunity to add an arm who could have made a difference.

A nice list and I can't disagree with any of your choices, but man, at each stop there some very good choices to sort through. I'm going to cheat and go with a pitcher and position player. AAA: I absolutely agree with Lewis. I'm going with Balazovic for the pitcher, just ahead of Winded and Duran as both have "graduated", at least temporarily, to MLB and I'm not sure that both don't spend a lot of 2022 with the Twins. AA: Martin showed some very good things for a rookie missing 2020 and jumping straight to AA. He showed hit and OB ability that is very intriguing. But there is so much room to hit even better and to add power, with a healthy wrist and some adjustments. To me, it's a virtual tie between SWR and Canterino for breakout pitcher. Taking nothing from the super talented SWR, I'm going with the older Canterino being healthy and charging up the system and prospect rankings. A+: I am so very tempted to also select Severino as my player pick. The talent is there, and his huge jump after jumping from Ft Myers tells me he's ready to take the next step. But I can't ignore the bat and power of 3B/1B Encarnacion-Strand. In a toss-up, I'm going with CES. Povich just has to be my choice for breakout pitcher here. A-: I am also going to jump on the Hajjar bandwagon. Just makes too much sense that he's the guy. But position player wise, how do you pick from Rodriguez, Miller, Rosario and even Cavaco? Healthy and a year of maturity, Cavaco could surprise. No matter how talented and no matter all the initial glowing reports on Miller, he's a rookie. Rosario was the short season top player last year. But I am going to go with Rodriguez. His second year state-side and "used" to pro ball and Ft Myers now, he's my breakout position player.

I think this is great for both Winder and Duran, as long as they are USED. With the abbreviated ST, teams are going to need to use a lot of pitchers as nobody is fully ramped up yet. I honestly will not be surprised if, like 2020, the 28 man roster is extended. Three weeks still might not be enough to truly get everyone up to speed. It sounds like long enough, but it sounded OK in 2020 as well. And then they made the 2020 28 man roster a fixture. And in 2021 we saw a plethora of injuries across MLB and milb due to the craziness. Routines being disrupted can have long term affects. But, we'll see what happens. Despite the short ST, Winder looked great, and ready. The Twins might go with a 6 man rotation with Paddak, or piggyback, or do both. But Winder is ready and belongs. But he can't sit on the bench for 3 weeks and barely throw and then be put back at St Paul and expected to immediately stretch out. And you don't screw with a talented arm. If anyone gets hurt or fails badly initially, he might stick beyond May 1st. But please, don't screw with his development. Some say Duran is no longer a SP, that he's just destined for the pen. They may be right. He could end up being an outstanding BP closer/fireman. But if he harnesses a 3rd pitch to offset his FB and splinker, he could make the same kind of transition to the rotation that Santana did. But I am OK and excited to see him be healthy and build up his arm and repertoire and experience as part of the pen for 2022. I'm happy for Celestino but concerned about his development. He was pushed way too early in 2021 out of emergency and then took his ability and what he learned to finish 2021 at AAA strong. I really wanted someone else to bridge the gap from him being our #4 so he could develop and really, really be ready. As of now, he needs to be ready...errr...now. If Rocco does what he has done in the past...mix his lineup and play everyone...Celestino will play a lot, covering 3 spots and PH and PR, and even being a defensive replacement late in games at times. If that happens, then Celestino can continue to develop at the ML level. I still wouldn't be shocked if the Twins came up with a veteran OF, and I don't mean Upton, via waiver or cheap trade, to give Celestino some additional AAA time to further develop. But man, it would be awesome for him to be at least a 1/3 playing time option who ran with the opportunity to develop and respond.

And I'm not going to disagree with you. And I can certainly understand our FO not wanting to make a 7yr commitment to a SP. There is a sound logic behind their reasoning. But they were willing to go 7yrs for Buxton, for a lower yearly guarantee, but more per if and as he hits incentives. Now, a healthy Buxton is amongst to top 5% of players in all of MLB to be sure. But if there was ever a time to make an extended deal with a SP, Berrios should have been that arm. He was only 27yo at the time of the trade, a model of consistency and health and work ethic. And he has remaining upside yet. I think a strong argument could be made he ranks in the top 25% of SP in MLB when you take all of that in to account. I know opinions vary. And I'm not trying to hijack the thread by any means, but I think the context of my thoughts do address this trade and the need for it. To take it a step further, even with the Berrios trade done and over, we needed SP, and there was money available for 2022, even with Donaldson on the books still. And I understand the FO was locked in on a Buxton extension last fall. But there was opportunity and finances available to make a solid, quality signing for 3-4yrs for a FA SP that wasn't necessarily a TOP FA that was as good as Paddack might be. And they could have/should have been able to multi-task the Buxton negotiations AND still jump on opportunity to add an arm before the lockout where we wouldn't have to have made this trade to begin with to add to the rotation at this point. And again, I hate using revisionist thinking, but this was all in play before the lockout, when the "hot stove" even began. So it's not just 20/20 hindsight viewing. I just think it behooves us to fully examine WHY this trade was necessary when there was real opportunity a couple months ago. And I'm NOT trying to be a downer about what we gained, and the potential of what we gained, or be a downer on the Eve of opening day, but I think a thorough examination of where we are and how we got there is more than fair for us as fans. I have largely been a big supporter of our FO for everything they've done on and off the field. But as much as I support them, like them, understand moves that have and have not worked out, I've always tried to be honest and fair in my evaluation of them. That being said, their offseason has turned out OK. But I re-state I think the FO have handled this offseason haphazardly, seemingly uncertain what direction they were going to take, and I'm optimistic this is a pretty good team with some potential, especially if a few things break right. But I do think they've missed some opportunities early that could have made this offseason even better.

To be honest, I have very mixed feelings on this trade. And with the dust PROBABLY settled now to begin the season, I'm very confused by the various actions and in-actions of the FO. As to the trade itself, Paddack is a "C" level SP at best at the moment. But I absolutely understand/agree he could be at "A" if they can figure out what happened to make his FB suddenly so hittable. The change and curve look nice, he's young, under control, inexpensive, has experience, and has already flashed how good he could be. I get it. I'm very, very hopeful. But while I no longer conform directly to traditionally defined roles in the pen, preferring "firemen" or "high leverage" arms vs the old fashioned, traditional slotting system, I felt thr Twins needed another quality arm to join Rogers and Duffey and Thielbar to seal the back end of the pen. That way, you aren't relying too much on Alcala and Duran and others at the moment. They brought in a good middle man instead, and now the back end of the pen has been weakened. I'm not saying we have crap in the pen or it might not work out, or guys might not step forward, but I already felt we might be 1 arm short and now we may be 2. And I don't know enough about Pagan to even comment, so I will let that go. While I dont want to be a hypocrit by doing something I always state can't be done fairly, with everything that has taken place, I just can't help look back and wonder why we didn't just keep homegrown and super reliable Berrios for 7yrs and then trade for Gray. Wouldn't that be a better 1-2 punch? I'm crazy excited to have Correa over Donaldson, even if it turns out to be 1yr. But even with Donaldson being a bit of a question mark, would the Twins be better today with him and Garver and Rogers and a fill-in SS for 2022? I'm just asking the question because I'm excited, I like a lot about this team, I love still having a bunch of young kids getting ready to debut, but this while offseason plan feels really haphazard to me and I'm honestly not sure if this team is better from a pure roster construction standpoint. Keep in mind, I generally like and support our FO most of what they do and have done. This whole offseason has just felt there wasn't any real plan in place. Good luck to Rooker. I think this is a new opportunity for him he probably needed. No way you take a talented young arm like Ober, who has a future here, out of the rotation to make room for a veteran flier.

All the best for him! The guy could barely hit, though he had a few here and there that made a difference. But he was an excellent catcher for everything a catcher was supposed to be: handling a staff and leading a staff. If he could of hit even a tiny bit better, he might have been recognized as a Boone equivalent. I hope someone, hopefully the Twins, will snap him up in a heartbeat as coach or instructor.

I'm not disagreeing with you. But the moves made also allowed Correa to be here, for at least one season. We downgraded 3B for an upgrade at SS for one of the best players in the game. Despite some controversy that follows Donaldson, which I think is overblown, he provided leadership in his own way, PLUS offensive production and quality defense, even though his range has started to slip. I would LOVE to have both Donaldson and Correa for 2022, but it wasn't going to happen. Donaldson may just stay healthy the next 2yrs and provide excellence for the Yanks. But for the Twins, or most teams, to bet on that for his age 36-37yr seasons is impractical. The Yankees can afford to take that chance. Urshela may or may not equal Donaldson defensively in 2022, combined with Arraez, but you also have to factor the vast improvement both offensively and defensively at SS with Correa, while still having solid defense andoffense from 3B. BTW, the move of Donaldson also opens up opportunity for Miranda. So back to the original OP, I am still surprised/stunned the Twins didn't promote Miranda to end 2021. I can only surmise they wanted him to end the season on a positive note and get ready for 2022 because the new RIDICULOUS limited September rules regarding promotions would have limited opportunity. Come the lockout, and the abbreviated ST, how much time could Miranda have to prove he's ready? And he's not the only one affected of course. But when you aquire a solid, veteran ballplayer to fill a spot, what makes more sense? Throw the good veteran away who could be good, or just trust the rookie, no matter how good he could be? IF the Twins get the 2019-2020 version of Urshela, the Twins fleeced the Yankees (his 2021 version wasn't that bad). From the OP, it would be easy to be flippant and just say "he had a bad year. So what "? A late bloomer who had two good/great years and a mediocre 3rd year shouldn't be dismissed in any way. But I do believe he's a good place setter for Miranda. And then, we're talking about depth, and potential trade depth piece, whether it's Urshela or someone else. When is having too much talent on hand a bad thing?

In general, I believe in the building of a pen philosophy the current Twins have. I say "current" because if you recall/look back, you would see that the best Twins teams over the years employed a similar philosophy. They used re-treads and converted SP, not necessarily their own, and a few career BP guys to create quality pens. Even Nathan was a SS turned RP, who became a stud All Star caliber closer. Same with Eddie and Perk. But I do believe baseball has changed, and the pen has taken on a larger role in today's game. But I think the general philosophy the Twins employ is solid. If we want to be really real, pretty much everyone STUNK in 2021 for the first month. It was like a dark comedy. But Rogers settled down. Duffey settled down and was just as affective some adjustments despite some downturn in his peripherals. Thielbar's numbers were OK, but his performance was not. But he also turned it around. Alcala turned in a great last couple of months. If I wanted to be slapped around, I could remind everyone that Colome was actually pretty good once the initial chapter of his horror story was done. Hell, we could even talk about how well Coulombe and Minaya threw, and lucky to have them both back as non roster options. I GET fear about Rogers or Duffey or Thielbar suddenly regressing. I GET Alcala suddenly regressing after his strong finish. I GET all the question marks. But those question marks will always be there year to year, even for some of the best pens. It's a strange and unique and volatile spot. I'm OK with the Smith signing as a carbon copy Clippard signing who could be invaluable. But I would have spent a couple $M more on a more proven late inning guy to help Rogers instead of banking on Alcala and Duran. Speaking of, there is the real possibility Alcala WILL keep developing and embracing his role and make a huge difference. And Duran has even MORE stuff and potential. And if Duran can take all of his stuff and potential and turn out to be a LIGHTS OUT closer, I'm fine. But I still have hope that this will be a transition season, similar to Santana, where he gets experience and grows and slides back in to the rotation again. I think the arms and depth are there for the Twins to make a really good pen for 2022.

Interesting comment made by Tom on his Monday video concerning the FO not adding someone of greater value before the lockout. If you haven't listened, he used the term "sequencing" in regard to events. His general belief is that the Buxton extension was finalized just before the lockout...with hope but no guarantee Donaldson might be moved...and there were too many unknowns at that time to invest in a FA at that time, and not enough time to make a move. (I'm somewhat paraphrasing here). He has a point. Still, unless the FO really didn't feel relatively certain the extension was going to take place, they absolutely had need and payroll room to add JUST ONE solid, quality, proven arm that wouldn't break the bank. And that is my one big disappointment for this off-season. (Still would have dropped a couple $M on a viable RH hitting OF as well, but different topic). My version of the BAD is rather obvious, we currently have a rotation that with defense, quality offense, a couple bats very close, and a potentially excellent pen, the Twins could have a wining team and make the playoffs. But an awful lot would have to go right to actually win in the post-season. The GOOD is based on hope and speculation and depth. I like Gray. I like Ryan and Ober a lot. They are gamers, smart, and have solid stuff. I know we're banking on them a bit, but this is the kind of young rotation infusion we've needed and been waiting for. I've seen enough "flame outs" to know early results guarantee nothing. I've also seen plenty of poor initial performances from young pitchers to know that good/great performances may be ahead. But I'm very encouraged by both of these guys to be AT LEAST solid parts of the rotation, with potential. And I feel like depth is being provided by a number of arms where we don't have to go in to panic mode. Barring a last minute move, or an in-season move at some point, Bundy and Archer are fixtures for the time being. Call me crazy, but I'm somewhat optomist here. I think I feel a little better about Archer. It's my understanding he's 100% healthy for the first time in about 3yrs. Reports are that his workouts in Arizona were filmed, and came with a flood of electronic data from velocity to spin rate, etc. Of course, scouts were also visibly in attendance, and I'd bet the Twins had someone there. Bundy, despite the loss of velocity from his prospect days due to injury, was pretty solid in his Baltimore days, playing for a bad team. I don't expect him to again be his career best 2020 version. But if he could just be a solid veteran who is a mix of his Orioles and 2020 Angels season, he would/could at least be a solid rotation piece. Am I mis-remembering, or did I read that despite a poor 2021, he actually pitched well his last few starts? I am not clinging to blind hope that Canterino and SWR just blow through AA and AAA to make a difference in the 2nd half of the season. Nor am I holding out hope that Maeda makes a tremendous recovery to help a playoff push late in the year, though all of these things COULD happen. But I absolutely DO think Winder and Balazovic have the potential to make a difference before all is said and done. I think it's OK to say "with a little bit of luck" at times, because health and experience and good coaching can help make "luck" happen. So with "luck" at least one of Bundy and Archer will prove themselves as worthy. And with a little bit of that "luck", this rotation will be solid for at least a couple months to buy time for Winder and Balazovic to get ready to contribute. I'm hopefully optimistic right now.

Two things to begin with: 1] Milb systems and rankings are ALWAYS fuid from year to year with promotions. 2] Milb talent can improve or regress from year to year, which comes back to development, not just draft position. I am so tired of saying this but 2020 affected so many things, for EVERYONE, not just the Twins. I can't wait for a full milb season to take place so prospects can have a full, hopefully healthy, season to just be who they might be. I mean, 2020 affects even 2018 draftees because they barely played, then had a full year, then lost a full year, then are still catching up. I believe there is a tremendous amount of fluidity in the minors for ALL teams that will begin to even out in 20202. Which comes back to scouting and development, the way it's supposed to be. Just had to get that off my chest. Getting back to the OP, Winder and Duran are not guaranteed of anything, but they have opportunity. IF the Twins handle this right, both could/should make a mark in the pen and potentially the rotation over the course of a full season. No question Winder is a future SP, SOME question where Duran fits. Duran could just be a STUD RP, but the window remains open for making a Santana type move in the future. No question he is a lightening rod arm to see what happens. As far as Winder, just don't do a "Dobnak" and bounce him too much to confuse him and ruin his potential. Miranda and Celestino are going to be fine, same as Larnach, and they will all be up and find themselves as part of the Twins future soon. They're just going to "cook" a little longer at St Paul, and that's fine. Do we really believe Lewis and Martin are going to debut in 2022 and remove rookie status, as the OP suggests? I think Lewis at AAA, with Palacios, and Martin at AA is perfect. Does everyone forget Martin went from college to nothing to AA? How about he gets a little time to hit without a bum wrist and work on his power game and still play some infield before, probably, moving to the OF full time. And he's probably going to finish 2022 at AAA I'm sure. But I'm not certain Lewis and Martin finish in the ML and "lose" rookie status. But let's say they do. Next, we assume how many pitching prospects debut and go beyond "rookie" status. Winder and Duran will hopefully do that in various ways and usage for 2022 and getting ready for 2023. I still believe Strotman will see time in various roles, potentially. But to just guess/bet Balazovic and SWR and Sands will surpass rookie status is blind faith that the Twins will just stink, and need to premier young talent, or there wil at least be opportunity in the pen to help the team to make a push. But for 2023 and beyond, prospect wise? 3yrs ago nobody knew who Balazovic was. 2yrs ago nobody knew who Winder was. A year ago, nobody knew who Varland was. Henriquez, Canterino, Gross, SWR, Gipson-Long, Povich, Hajjar, and others I'm not even mentioning could be top pitching prospects for 2023. Sabato, Encanacion-Strand and Julian and Steer, Julian, Holland, Mack, Miller, others I'm forgetting. Wallner, Urbina, Rodriguez, Gary Jr., Rosario, OF options. I know full well I'm leaving out and missing other pospect options. But to believe the Twins are on a precipice of adding great talent to the roster very soon and leaving the system barren is not right, IMO.

With one possible exception, I think the roster is set right now as is. A question remaining is keeping Coulombe and making a move to keep him while risking losing someone on waivers. I'm OK with Bundy or Archer, but never would have ran with both of them. There is actual upside with both of them for different reasons. But I would have been more pro-active before the lockout, even without knowing if Donaldson was going to be moved, and target someone I had greater faith in for 3yrs and about $14-15M per KNOWING I had need, availability, and the money to do it. Gray, combined with Archer/Bundy and basically everything else that took place I'm OK with what and who and when and why. Smith is fine for the middle of the pen, but it feels like we have those guys already. I would have loved to have seen a little better signing for the backend up the pen. The last big issue, as I seee it, is the 4th OF spot. And that's where I see some unfinished business and a possible inexpensive move. The 4th OF doesn't even have to cover CF with Kepler and Gordon on hand and Cestino close by and getting ready. But they never should have gone to camp just expecting Rooker or Garlick to emerge. A smaller Fa signing or trade should have been made to ensure we had a viable RH bat 4th OF. An earlier FA SP signing, a back end arm, a better 4th OF option pushes the payroll in to the $130's, more than affordable. And if incentives are earned that pushes the payroll further, you can bet the team would be thrilled by that. I like an awful lot about this team despite the comments I just made. And im generally a FO supporter.. I think there a NUMBER of really good kids who are ready/nearly ready to make a difference and take on jobs. We have the depth to still make a trade later on based on need and record. And I'm excited to have baseball back! The whole world is just better when it's base baseball season. I'm just perplexed/disappointed a couple more/different moves could have made this offseason even better without doing anything to break the bank or sacrifice the future. GO TWINS!

Disappointed Moran didn't have a better spring and force his way on the roster, not only for his potential, but also because he's on the 40 man. Smeltzer and Coulombe have each pitched well enough to be kept. (Coulombe was also good last year). But I'm not convinced the Twins want to sacrifice/risk losing someone for a 40 man spot for 3 weeks of an extra LH right now. A 3rd LH would be awesome, and part of me wonders if a small trade might take place that might open a spot. But I'm saying no for now. Glad they weren't tempted to keep Cave. He doesn't fit the roster right now. Rooker should be the guy for now over Garlick for the last OF spot because he's on the 40 man and you don't want to risk losing him for nothing. And Garlick has like 1 hit all camp. So he's done nothing to deserve a spot at this time. Still won't be shocked to see a waiver wire pick-up when rosters get trimmed. Just might be a surprise available that fits.

I think we have to remember, based on a few previous comments, that "incomplete" is accepted for now for the Twins, and ALL teams. Grades will be re-visted again at the end of the season. One very important factor involved with all of this speculation and re-tool is the Twins have some really, really nice young position players ready, or nearly ready, that might not factor in to the day one roster. And more than that, they have a NUMBER of arms ready or just about ready to contribute in the rotation and pen. In fact, we have so many young arms, we could end up with a numbers crunch next year as things stand now as there will be others that will have to be added. So we have to remember the FO is finally/hopefully about to deliver promises of a re-vamped pitching program the next year or two, along with promised sustainability for the franchise as a whole. Me being me, no way I don't address this OP in detail now that I have time to do so. Let's re-visit what's been done so far. And this is real and honest stuff gang. THE GOOD: 1] Locking up one of the greatest talents for the bulk of his career on a "cheap" deal that increases if he's healthy and productive. Butts in the seats, publicity, winning, great numbers, ownership will GLADLY pay Buxton his incentives if he earns them. We're talking about one of the top 5 overall talents in the game. 2] The trade of Petty for Gray was brilliant. Hey, I don't like the idea of moving that talented and young of an arm. You want to dream, right? To the Red's credit, they are re-bulding in their own way, and are willing to take a risk here. And maybe Petty stuns and turns out to be really good. But history is WAY on the Twins side here for a really good SP for 2yrs, maybe more if re-signed. 3] I don't dislike Donaldson in any way, except for being overly brash at times. His bat is still high quality. His range has decreased, but he sure can "pick it" at 3B for what he gets to, and the arm is still viable. I didn't WANT the Twins to move him for all he could bring. But part of moving him, by initial thoughts, was also adding a prospect potentially, and eating a portion of his contract. I didn't like that and questioned a true value outcome. Being able to lose his entire remaining contract was something I didn't see happening. And yes, it cost us a quality defensive catcher in Rorvedt with at least SOME power/offensive potential. But in the long run, this probably turns out to be a win, not just for the Correa signing, but potential financial flexibility going forward. While I was ABSOLUTELY not looking to "dump" Donaldson, he does carry a certain risk 4] Urshela is, at least, intriguing, as an addition. He's a quality defensive 3B, an OK SS cover player, and he has bat potential. My general attitude is...based on other roster moves we get to in a moment...he's a fine placeholder who could be an outstanding 10th man in a month or so to allow for Miranda to take over. I said something in a different post that when you look at the ultimate delta of things...finances, production, future value, etc...if we get a combination of the 2019-2020 Urshela, we fleeced the Yankees. If we get the 2021 version of Urshela, combined with Miranda plus financial considerations, even still including Arraez as part of the infield equation, we probably still win, overall, unless Donaldson suddenly achieves MVP consideration. 5] I am NOT wanting to include Sanchez here. I have nothing against him. I believe he DOES provide some experience as a player who has been there, done that. AT WORST, he's that BTDT player who can "play" at catcher and has power and a career OB% above .300 which not everyone can say. I can live with him as the #2 catcher for a year with hopes and prayers that a new team, new approaches, less pressure, new coaches, a familiarity with players on the roster, and a reported willingness to learn/grow/adapt will make him a better catcher...at least to a medium level...and MAYBE he learns to hit to an at least an acceptable degree again. 6] Correa! There is nothing to be said here except for that. He's 6th for the time line. But this signing, even if for 1yr, changes 2022. And it also changes the face of the entire Twins franchise in a higher degree than the Donaldson signing did. 7] So far, agree or disagree with what they've done, they have moved only Petty, and nobody else. The system is still deep. Ryan and Ober SURPRISED everyone and bring optimism. NOT exactly excited by Bundy and Archer, but they absolutely could surprise, at least one of them. Hopefully! And the system in still in place for now. And honestly, begrudgingly, there is hope for at least one of these two to be at least solid. THE BAD: 1] DESPITE a plethora of arms in the system acquired via draft and trade and filled with potential, the FO KNEW they were a year behind their initial plan for all their arms. And if they didn't want to make a HUGE 5-7yr deal for someone, OK. BUT there were so many arms available via FA they could have signed SOMEONE for around $13-15M for around 3yrs on the vast market available to KEEP all prospects while KNOWING you had $ available to spend even if you couldn't move Donaldson So despite all that, massive opportunity available to you, you just "gave up" and settled on nothing but Bundy? Tell me how that limited vision looks now with all that has taken place? Wouldn't it be much smarter in the future to identify the ONE guy/position you NEED and be aggressive and THEN play the slow card? Or is that just to obvious to fit in to modern day alanytics? How nice might our rotation look with Gray and maybe DeScalfini or Cobb on a cheap 2-3yr deal for around $12-14M instead of Bundy and Archer fliers? And that's assuming we aren't just banking on our prospects and Ryan and Ober Is Pineda at $5M a worse risk than Archer? However it ultimately works out, I think the FO BLEW a chance to add a quality SP via $ versus prospect capital, to front the rotation along with Gray. They SHOULD have been smart early and just spent some damn money they could afford. 2]NOBODY in their right might mind, was hopefull enough to expect Celestinto to be ready for the 4th OF spot after being thrushed in to CF job, or 4th OF job, so early in 2021 when EVERYONE got hurt. It doesn't matter how well he responded when going back to St Paul to finish the season. He needs time to develop. He could have a good to great future. But he's just not ready. He needs a little more time. His talent and production at AAA should fill us with hope. Doesn't mean he's ready. Rooker has been given opportunity, hasn't taken hold of it yet. Maybe he will. Thought he would after 2020, but it seems he's digressed since. He may be on a short lease, but he probably gets 1 more shot before being traded or designated. . Garlick is a filler kind of player, not even on the 40 man. And I think we all know Celestino, Larnach, and Martin are important pieces of the future OF. And ALL of them could be part of 2022, especially 2023 and beyond. And it's OK if Gordon and Kepler back up Buxton for days off in 2022. The Twins FO didn't have to sign a true CF 4th OF option. But there was NOBODY to sign or trade for on the cheap to just be a decent bat, decent corner defensive OF to spell Kepler and AK? HUGE mistake, IMO. 3] Joe Smith is a solid and probably undervalued signing. And he might be a "Clippard" kind of pitcher. And Alcala might be ready to step forward. Duran might be even better, but I'd rather see him working in the Saints rotation. And MAYBE he will do a Santana conversion to the rotation. OR, maybe he's just destined for the pen. And maybe, for now, Smith is really the smart play. But it sure seemed there were a few quality arms out there that didn't break the bank that could be better to add to Rogers and others to raise the bullpen floor. Again, the FO better be right. 4] This whole Sanchez being a primary DH is WRONG unless he re-disovers himself, or Roccco just figures crap out. For some reason, Rocco falls in love with certain players being in certain spots. And he has to grow and learn from that. And if he can't, the he's the wrong guy to lead our team. Because there are some things SO OBVIOUS that if you can't adjust and figure it out, maybe you aren't the right guy. I give the FO a B÷ and agree with Ted's OP overall. The bitch is, if our FO was a bit smarter, a bit more smarter and daring, we'd be looking at a solid A to A÷ if they weren't so damn conservative.

With little exceptions here and there, I have been a plaudit for the FO. I think they've done a pretty amazing job from re-vamping the ENTIRE past singular coaching strategy to being more focused on the individual, to coaching hires...some who have been pilfered...to a more modern analytic system that makes sense. Even a few moves they've made didn't turn out, but made sense at the time. But I'm calling them out right now! Even uncertain if they could move Donaldson, they KNEW they needed to add to the rotation. The payroll was low enough they could have easily added ONE of many quality, solid arms out there in November for an easily affordable $14M ish deal for 3yrs. I GET that we're looking at a ton of young arms getting ready. But if you want to truly be competitive, you AT LEAST, sign one solid arm that doesn't break you. Opportunity will present itself during a 162 game season. That's all they had to do. THEN, post lockout the world turns and stuff happens and we are where we are. We have Gray with pitcher X and Correa and a rotation and pen and lineup that looks like a 90+ win team with a real chance. And STILL opportunity for the young arms. And I'm ignoring brining in a RH hitting OF to balance the 2022 lineup on the cheap which could actually make a difference. Our FO SHOULD have been smart enough to realize they might, or might not move Donaldson. But payroll says they should have easily been able to sign a single quality SP beyond a flier like Bundy or Archer. There are a couple of good/great arms about ready. I get that. But for 2022 and being ",competitive ", I think ego got in the way and they might have blown a chance. I sure hope I'm wrong.

Honestly, I HATE doing the whole retro thing because ultimately it doesn't matter. But I think we have to at this point to fully appreciate and conceptualize where we are at. The FO wanted to move on from the Donaldson deal for the future of the team. They didn't know if they could, but they wanted to. It was in the best interest for the team, if not both parties. The original signing wasn't stupid, it made sense at the time, but it was also time to move on, if possible. The bitch is, even if "unknowing" whether they could move Donaldson or not, the FO knew they still had a good ballplayer on hand and NEED for SP. They also knew they had $ to spend on a SP regardless of Donaldson. The didn't HAVE to make a 5-7yr deal. There were several, quality SP available on 3-4yr deals that could keep our team in contention while still working the system pre and post lockout. It didn't take a rocket science expert to realize the time was ripe to strike for just a solid, quality #2 type pitcher that wouldn't break the bank, with hopes for additional moves beyond the lockout. An "F" grade that turns in to a "D+" for brining in Bundy. And that grade jumps to a strong "C" and maybe even better if we get some combination of the Baltimore Bundy and the 2020 version of him for 2022. What does Archer bring? The same thing as Bundy. Every year an arm either figures it out, or gets healthy enough to be what they were, or could have always been. The Twins have TWO of those arms right now, hoping to find themselves again. If ONE of them does this, combined with Gray and Ober and Ryan, the Twins could really surprise. I blame the FO for not being aggressive enough to sign ONE ARM early that was better than Bundy. But I have to also applaud them for signing a "come back" arm that could have real surprise potential. What both Bundy and Archer provide, beyond hope, is a couple of experienced arms who can "hold the fort" in the short term to give Winder, Balazovic, Sands, SWR, and others time to get ready. Hell, a fully healthy Canterino could blow past everyone and be up sometime in 2022. So Archer and Bundy have the ability to raise the floor, and one of them could raise the ceiling. At worst, they can provide time. And I don't blame the Twins for over paying to Oakland, or anyone else at this point. NOTE that so far NOBODY has been willing to give the A's,Red's, Marlins, etc, what they are asking. This offense could be great. There is real potential for the pen. There are some serious arms about to join Ober and Ryan in the rotation as well as the pen. This team should be ready to compete. I'm just hoping like heck we get a surprise and maybe a surprise deal that doesn't hurt too much to push us over the top.

Projecting what I think, not necessarily what I want: CATCHER$ Jeffers and Sanchez. I like Rocco. I don't find a lot of fault in what he does, though I do argue about his batting order construction at times. And I just can't buy in to his comments about Sanchez spending at least a fair amount of time at DH. It just doesn't make any sense unless he suddenly, almost miraculously finds his "old self" at the plate. It's OK he's playing daily in ST in attempt to work on things. But Arrzez needs to play, Sano needs to DH when AK plays 1B. And there are half days off for others. Despite maintaining a .300 OB% while hitting near the Mendoza line, and still having big HR power, Sanchez hasn't hit in 3yrs. Now, he can improve to the .230-ish level, OK, maybe I can see some DH time. And despite a fresh start and supposedly great attitude to work on defense, his best attributes as a catcher/player is experience and power. I have nothing against Sanchez. By all reports he's a great guy with a great attitude. And I cross my fingers and hope for the best. But he shouldn't be in the lineup daily unless we see a serious turnaround. Goday begins at St Paul and is only minutes away. INFIELDERS: Sano, Polanco, Correa, Urshela, Arraez, Gordon. IF the Twins get the 2019/2020 version of Urshela, they really fleeced the Yankees, all things considered regarding Donald's $ off the books, the opportunity to sign Correa, etc. If they get the 2021 version, they got a good glove,, decent bat utility player who should be working hard at 1B and 2B, which he's played sparingly in the past, to become a really good utility player. If they get a combination of his past 3yrs offensively, they STILL fleeced the Yankees in the deal, and they should STILL work him hard at 1B and 2B because they just might have a super utility infielder on their hands. I'm leaving Miranda off making the club initially, but they're going to have to make room for him SOON. I don't believe the Twins are playing a service time game with Miranda. For whatever reason, limited roster expansion in 2021, I think they just wanted him to finish strong without pressure. Now, while playing almost daily, he's been fine and hitting. But with a short ST to get ready, I think he starts the year with the Saints and is a 1st call up. Gordon will, hopefully, do what he's always done previously and improve at least a little bit with the bat. He provides speed and OK defensive versatility and can even give Buxton a day off. For the 100th time, Arraez needs to be in the lineup almost daily as one of the best hitters/OB guys on the team. OUTFIELD: Kirilloff, Buxton, Kepler and ? Celestino and Larnach are going to go the wire as the 4th OF. The problem is both could benefit from another month or two at St Paul to get their legs under them. And the other problem is that Rooker would be a great choice to at least begin the season as a RH bat but hasn't done anything to make a move to make the roster. If you twist my arm, I'm going with Larnach as of now. I wouldn't be shocked if the Twins pick up a waiver wire OF to begin the season. POSITION PLAYERS: I'm at 12. We need 13. No way they keep both Larnach AND Celestino. Just don't think there enough AB for both.. Assuming, for now, no camp invite or waiver wire addition to the 40 man, it comes down to Rooker, Miranda or Goday. Rooker has been out, and has a week to prove he deserves to go north. Miranda looks good, but can they find daily AB for him? Maybe. Hopefully. I'm going to reverse my earlier opinion and Goday is the 13th man to start the year. STARTING PITCHERS: Gray, Bundy, Archer, Ober, and Ryan. Not much to say here that hasn't been said already, and I don't want to rehash woulda/coulda/shoulda. Like him or not, believe in him or not, a healthy Dobnak provides depth here that is now missing. Honestly, none of the invites provides interest much less confidence. The good news is a plethora of young arms that will get opportunities during the season. It's a double edged sword as young pitchers don't always acclimate immediately. But then again, some do, witness Ober and Ryan in 2021. Every...single...year...there are guys who suddenly figure it out, or suddenly get healthy again. Archer is the latter. Could it happen? Bundy is the former. He's NOT the top HS prospect from YEARS ago. His Orioles career was a mixed bag, but solid, and it was thought escaping Baltimore he might do well. He was outstanding in 2020 before a bad 2021, though he finished strong from all reports. Do we at least get some combination of his previous years? If so, smart move. I remain hopeful but skeptical for both Archer and Bundy. But maybe this is the year where we guess right on a reclamation project? Aren't we due? Crossing my fingers. BULLPEN: Rogers, Duffey, Lewis, Alcala, Thielbar, Moran, Cotton, Romero, Jax, Stashak. I'm going status quo with the OP because it just makes sense at the moment. I really like the Lewis signing even though that's not the direction I would have gone. Even before all the trades and freeing up $, I felt there were a couple strong arms to be had in the $5-7M range that were absolutely affordable to team with Rogers for the back end of the pen. I have to conclude that not only were they confident in Rogers and Duffey being ready to go, but they believe Alcala is about ready to assert himself. Further, and I don't like it to some degree, I think they have decided already that Duran's future is as a power arm capable of some great things in the pen, at least in the short term. And maybe the Twins will do a classic Cardinals move and play him in the pen for now and transition him to the rotation later. But as much as I feel I unwrapped the biggest Christmas gift to only be somewhat disappointed, can you imagine a 1-2 punch of Alcala and Duran mixed with Moran and a couple of other live arms for the future of the pen? Duran might sneak in here, but he's been mostly pitching late innings in ST. He's going to AAA to start the year. Minaya and Coulombe have done exactly what they did in 2021, pitch solid. But they aren't on the 40 man, so they are going to wait until needed at some point. Cotton looks pretty good. Still not sure why the Rangers let him go. Lot of potential in that arm. Jax has a decent FB and great slider and smarts. The Twins aren't going to give up on that easily. They also like Stashak, and believe a fully healthy version will get him back to where he was before. But make no mistake here, Jax and Stashak in particular have to PROVE IT. And if they don't, guys like Duran will come up soon. And they could very quickly lose their 40 man spot to others. If you want a wild card for the pen, look at Smeltzer.