Doomtints

#5s typically don't pitch full seasons, nor do many #4s.

#3 pitchers are in actuality the 100 ERA+ guys. That's average.

Gray led the league in earned runs last year. His stats on the road were worse than his stats at home. His W-L is inflated from being on a good team. I'm skeptical of his WAR value.

Good points, but I'm responding directly to the "high risk / high reward" comment. He projects to be average to average+.

Everything I see projects him to be a #3 starter. If accurate, this would be a pointless risk. A proven #3 would cost a similar price or less.

He will be pricey, he's managed by Boras. He will be sore, he's working through a shoulder injury. If he ends up with the Twins, it probably means other teams passed on him. Reports say he is deceptive and can hurl it fast. If the Twins get him, just make him the closer.

I know.

And although Houston is a big city ... baseball actually considers Houston to be a "small market" team!

I feel like the 51% thing was said ten years ago and when Big Pohlad was still running the team. Has this been said since then? I don't know what the operational costs for the team are, but the Twins organization has a LOT of employees. Only the Twins could say if 51% is sustainable for them. But ... employee wages are 100% tax deductible ... what is the tax burden for professional sports teams? I'm sure the Twins are smart enough to pay at least what their tax burden is in wages. If not...ugh. The younger Pohlad complained a bit about being harassed by the IRS after his father's death. One thing to note is that if you pay very low wages, the IRS will harass you! I worked at a company where the owner was taking in 88% profit (insane!) and we kept getting letters from the IRS wanting to prove we were paying such low wages to our workers. The wage audits came in every quarter, the IRS was never satisfied. They were clearly wanting to change the owner's behavior (he sold the company instead). The audits weren't a burden on him anyway, it was other people who had to do them....

There were some pretty angry people this season when the Twins sold at the trade deadline because we raised our expectations. Let's try to not get upset when they don't spend $140-$150M!

The Twins got the best years of Young's career so Twins fans don't have a lot to complain about there. He wasn't good before the Twins and he wasn't good after, but as a member of the Twins he was OK until that last season when he wasn't alone in throwing in the towel.

Good question. I have no idea -- looking at free agents in the very early stages isn't something I find enjoyable. It feels like looking at a luxury catalog or lottery numbers, especially when teams keep their cards close to their chests. In other words, anything I pine for isn't likely to happen. But Donaldson for 2-3 years? Sure. It would have to be a couple of years for the Twins to pick him up anyway because someone else will give him multiple years. $16M is also too low to land him...so if the budget is $16M for a player, yes, the Twins could find someone else (and would have to). But, as I said, let's go for the gold.

Not bad, but I would personally go for some longer deals so the Twins aren't rebuilding every year. Josh Donaldson for 1 yr/$16M is fine, but why not a younger guy for 3 yr/$48M? The payroll for the year lands in the exact same spot. It takes more than one year, usually, for a team to gel. Plus, first basemen are probably the least risky position to staff for when it comes to injuries. Go for the gold!

Here is what I want the Twins to do: 1) The Twins spend a little more to get younger players 2) The Twins shore up the pitching There will never be another time when the Twins have this much money sitting on the table. Use it! The Twins have AMPLE options for serviceable players making the minimums (with all the ups and downs associated with those types of players). Now's the time to feed the other end of the team. The Twins haven't been in this position since the late 80s.

If you watch or listen to some other feeds ... The Rangers, the White Sox, etc. etc., I think many of you would realize how you have some of the best broadcasters in the game. Twins fans are blessed. To be honest, I pay very little attention to what broadcasters say anyway. I put very little of my attention into the jibber jabber, just enough to start listening if I hear something interesting. But I will say I notice a huge drop off when listening to nearly any other team's broadcasters.

After one year in the majors and 21 games with the Twins, it's interesting to see that some people have Field completely figured out. The Twins have better options and this was the right move. I don't see any reason to go into it deeper than that. He might end up being a good player.

I didn't watch the game (I'm trying not to watch football this year) but the metrics are strange indeed. The Vikings put up 1998-2001 numbers but only scored 20 points? And they allowed 30 with such a good defensive performance? Very odd game. The Vikings can beat the Saints, for sure. Maybe they'll meet in the playoffs.

They're really just there to sell things, the announcers are an extension of the commercials. Sure, they call the game and act excited, but they also work in the sponsorships. Otherwise, they are just trying to keep people "tuned in."

In the 1980 NFL season, one of the networks had some issues manning the booth for one game. This game ended up with no commentators. People liked it and there was talk of this becoming a thing. Alas, it never became a thing. In some markets, the local affiliates had a local sportscaster call the game. In other markets, there was just no commentary.

Only one player at each position (except OF) gets the gold glove. Was Mauer ever "the best" defender at 1B? Of course not. Besides, Dozier was gifted a gold glove last year. The panel wasn't going to gift two Twins infielders at the same time barring some amazing double play stat going on (in which case the award wouldn't be a 'gift'.) Having said all that, the Gold Glove is (mostly) a popularity contest and the award doesn't mean a lot these days anyway. The Platinum Glove is something to be proud of, though.

Pohlad has soft spots for people and this negatively affects the team. We got stuck with Molitor because Pohlad wanted to be nice to him, now we might end up with a Joe Mauer who can no longer hit. If the sum universe of available first basemen is zero, sure, keep Mauer for another year. If all of the other middling hitters are traded and Mauer is the sole mediocre hitter left, sure, keep him for another year. The Twins are in a unique place financially to make upgrades right now. If they build around Mauer for a year just to be nice they making their job for 2020 onward all the more difficult.

Kepler may be young, but he was in the minors for the maximum amount of time and he has now been in the majors for three seasons. Next year will be his sixth year of professional-level baseball. It took him three seasons to figure out rookie ball, but he was very good most of the time after that. Kepler has been a successful player when you consider the incredibly long odds he had to make it to the majors at all. He is a success story. If this is his ceiling, he did pretty well for himself. Not a star, but a capable baseball player. If this is his "ceiling" he will find a place to play for a few years even if the Twins move on. Dependable guys have a place in this sport. If a team is going to choose between a 96 OPS+ player who is 26 and one who is 32, they will chose the 26 year old every time, especially if the younger one can hit a few dingers and play solid defense. Plus, he'll be a hell of a lot cheaper. Kepler is probably the type of players the Rockies brass salivate over. He hits the ball in the air. Make the trade, Twins.

Most readers figure out Sarcasm within the first 25 characters.Ergo, time to bail on this Thread

Ya'lls website jinxed the Twins.

All of this will be more clear later on. I would imagine they will add players before they have to cut anybody, but you never know. Depending on who is added will give clarity to who will be cut.