ChermesZ

You forgot Benj Sampson.

He seems quite involved in CBA talks as well.

It is hard to dislike Tampa for its economic decisions. Player Value is based off the top outliers, not the average player in the MLB. We used to call it ‘Lunds and Byerlys’ value when it came to arbitration. I have heard the millionaires vs billionaires description many times. I dislike both taking advantage of the average joe. All costs going up for fan, whether it is food, tickets, or cable prices, we all pay. I also laud Tampa for not tanking. In no way should big markets be allowed to tank - that’s a joke and a really bad look for baseball. They can and should spend money (and lots) instead of losing on purpose and then spending tons of money when it’s time. (Looking at you cubs, astros, and rangers….). They are worse in my book than Tampa when it comes to economic abuses in the MLB.

With the ticket prices we pay, Mets fans should have to pay $1000 per ticket.

What if 11 mil is market for a good reliever at this point?

I’m ready to pivot too. I’ve been a diehard fan since 1987 (12 yrs old). I went to games in the late 90s where there were less than 10,000 people in the stands. We used to budget one family game a month - for affordability. Now it just isn’t worth it. The cost to experience ratio is way off and the Twins better start listening to their fans before it is too late. What is the financial level where they cannot afford to run Target Field anymore? So to the point, I just can’t take it anymore. I’d probably go with the Cardinals. They seem to try on a consistent basis.

Since we are grading this, I’ll take a teachers perspective. it looks like something that was done with procrastination and last minute desperation. The FO seems to be hoping something comes out of this deal…much like a student hopes for a good grade on something that isn’t quite up to par. in short, this would warrant a bad grade or a redo….the quality of impact is minor and the perception of this is easy to read: sloppy and desperate.

I am also here. When we built the stadium, we were promised a product that would be better. This offseason shows that this was untrue. I'd rather have $6 tickets and a low payroll than $30 tickets and a mediocre team. I didn't go to a game last year and I am not planning on going this year. It is just too expensive for the product that is presented to us. On top of that, they shortened TwinsFest, which I had always attended with my father. Same price, less opportunity for player interactions - and it seems right in line with the Twins philosophy. Thus, we will not be going to TwinFest this year. It would behoove them to listen to their fans - because they are losing them very quickly. I think the game is damaged beyond belief, and both the players and owners are going over the cliff of destruction...blind to it and only caring if they beat each other.

Can we just use the money lost out on Correa on: Giving big contracts to Guardian/Dodger/Ray scouting and development people Raising the pay scale of our minor leagues so that international players are more likely to sign with us (50,000 ones, not big ones) We are never going to play/pay with the big boys, so why not be creative on how we spend the money and not be used for emotional leverage again?

And at one point, they were more popular than football. They have actually been resistant to change the most.

We kept Pagan!

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/12/pirates-win-1-overall-pick-in-draft-lottery.html

Here are a couple of fixes: Yankkes, Dodgers, Cubs, White Sox, Angels, Astros etc. do not get to use the QO - it’s a luxury, not a necessity for them. For smaller market teams, it is a necessity to replace the players signed away by those large market teams. Big markets cannot tank and get high draft picks. It is ludicrous that big markets can lose to get good draft picks…looking at you astros and cubs. The idea there is parity in the league is hilarious. When was the last time one of the top 4 markets didn’t make the playoffs? If we can pinpoint that year, that’ll tell you enough about parity. Top 4 markets: NY, LA, Chi, and Hou. Owners are very much to blame, however, I don’t like it when players are told by agents to get the most they can and not take a discount - to keep breaking record salaries. That can artificially inflate salaries at a rate some teams cannot keep up with. Greed runs both ways.

Very true. However, this sort of thing cannot be normalized from the Twins perspective. If it were Philly or New York, umpires would be punished by the crowd and fans. There cannot be multiple sets of rules based on fan reaction - the MLB umpires need to pony up and say they messed up. Otherwise the silence emanating from them implies they had a ‘perfect’ game.

Mark Carlson and Paul Emmel were the replay umpires.