bighat

It wasn't worth it, but there's a lot to unpack: First, the pandemic timing couldn't have been worse for this deal. The contract was pretty big for a player moving into his mid 30s. It was clear that the Twins were counting on HUGE numbers from Donaldson during his first 2 years of the contract: 2020, and 2021. They'd settle for decent numbers in 2022-23, even if it meant overpaying an older player a bit. Unfortunately along came Covid-19 and the first year of the deal was almost completely snuffed out. Even Los Angeles or New York would have felt stung by the horrible timing of this signing, for a team like Minnesota it was horrific. Next, I think the Twins had plenty of information on Donaldson's character and they were totally on board. They figured this team needed a firebrand, a sparkplug, someone with a bit of an attitude - and why not? Being nice guys wasn't getting them any playoff success, it was worth a shot. What they didn't count on was that Donaldson's attitude could be toxic if allowed to go unchecked. With Toronto he had other big personalities like Joey Bautista, and more big names like Edwin Encarnacion. The Blue Jays were kind of a team filled with "bad boys" (at least on the field) and Donaldson's red-assed behavior didn't seem to affect them much. Alas, when he became the focal point of the team in Minnesota, it just didn't seem to be a good fit long-term. One specific incident I remember was when he hit a HR in Chicago and then was immediately kicked out after showing up the umpire. Yeesh. On the flipside, it's also worth pointing out that there were several articles when Donaldson joined about how helpful he was with young hitters in Spring Training. Injuries also muddied the waters on the Donaldson signing. Opening up a season, his first hit of the year went for a double in Milwaukee, which was fantastic but he strained his calf on the play and was out for a month. Pretty brutal. Whether it be bad luck or lack of preparation, either way it was just damn unfortunate. One huge positive was that the Twins showed MLB that they would indeed be able to compete with the rest of the big boys for the biggest free agent names in baseball. They then went out and got Correa two years later, so the Twins have signed the most coveted free agent bats in baseball 2 of the past 4 years. Players and agents are taking notes, it helps the reputation. Overall the Donaldson signing wasn't worth it, but it wasn't a complete failure. The fact that this team was able to get out from under that contract and flip Josh for a starting catcher and a solid infielder certainly eases the pain. The Twins could have been handicapped long-term by this signing, but they saw a chance to cut bait and should be applauded for doing so. All too often teams hang on to sunk costs and pay a much steeper price.

Well, some of us were whining about the lack of offense and we got what we asked for. Pitching looks very rough right now, time for Archer to go 5 innings at least, c'mon man. How about 6? It'll be nice to get Gray on the mound tomorrow and see if he can go 7 again. Correa and Polanco going yard, we needed to see that and let's hope there's more where that came from. Yankee fans have to be missing Sanchez by now. They might not say it, but look at the numbers coming out of New York from the catching position....yowza.

Disagree. It's not Rocco's fault this team can't hit a baseball with a man in scoring position. It's not Rocco's fault they're averaging 2 runs in 80% of their games this year. It's not Rocco's fault that Buxton went 0-for-30 (!!!!). The problem isn't the pitching (yet) or the manager. It's anemic hitting on a historic level.

Possible overreaction incoming, but...... Yeah, this team straight up can't hit. The past 2 weeks they've been the lowest scoring team in all of baseball and they've been playing the Tigers and Royals and their no-name pitching staff the whole time. And we know what happens when they face good pitching: Kershaw and Verlander both almost no-hit this team. Yes, the Twins bullpen is all smoke and mirrors but Duffey, Pagan and company would have a much harder time blowing a game if the score was 7-0 for a change. The majority of this team's wins this year are 2-1 victories against Detroit, KC, Baltimore and Oakland. There are at least 6 teams in the AL that are much better than Minnesota. I think this fast start might be a mirage and the playoffs might be a pipe dream - a .500 finish would be a miracle and I think we should probably start to adjust our expectations. Oh and Buxton's feel-good story has taken a pretty dark turn while we're at it. Yikes. I'm starting to feel sorry for the guy out there.

This was an awesome read - thanks for posting. Hilarious! I think all of us who tuned out and then tuned back in that day have a story to share. Yours was awesome.

They've been struggling for sure, but IMO they have too much talent to hover around .500 for much longer.

Yep - and they honestly can't hit worth a lick. Averaging 3 runs per game against KC and DET during this stretch, going against perhaps some of the worst pitching staffs in the AL, isn't encouraging. NYY, Tampa, LAA, HOU, TOR, and CHW are all light years better than theTwins as things stand today. It's not really even close.

Too true. Don't get me wrong, terrible teams don't win 6 in a row -- but this team is nowhere near as talented as many are giving credit for. As for Pagan, I think at some point he's got to take on a different role in this 'pen. Like the low man on the totem pole role, only pitching in blowouts type stuff.

Yep, he's one of "those guys" LOL. Great effort by Gray, this is the guy we traded for. Spectacular effort. Unlucky stat line for Arraez, should have had a HR in there, that line drive off the limestone overhang would have been gone in many parks. Way too many ducks left on the pond tonight. Kepler and Jeffers both had the bases loaded with less than 2 outs and couldn't get a run home. Very uninspiring effort from the offense yet again, averaging 3.5 runs per game against a very shaky Detroit team at home. Where's the beef? Buxton down to .211. Count me in as officially worried. The good news is that Correa is looking more and more like a guy who can carry this team all by himself.

Pretty bad hitting tonight with men on 3rd and less than 2 outs. Leaving a lot of meat on the bone tonight. Runners LOB is off the charts.

C'mon Gary run into one here.

BRUTAL luck there for Arraez.

With Bux on deck and a floundering starter at 85 pitches....

Let's face it: No matter how much anyone hopes otherwise, Ryan Jeffers will never be more than a .211 hitting catcher who might hit 9-10 HRs per year - and that's working as the primary backstop. He's serviceable but I think it's safe to start eyeing other prospects in the organization.

A lot of comments about Bux on this thread and rightfully so. Some think he's playing hurt, he should rest more, etc. I wonder if the opposite is true? It's pretty hard to get into a groove if you are sitting every other day. It's also hard to make adjustments if you're not in the lineup every night. It's taken Bux a bit longer than normal to recognize the new approach from pitchers simply because he's not able to get in there and adjust. Then again, a slump is a slump and it happens to everyone. Buxton took a 93 MPH fastball last night, it was left up and right down Broadway. Three weeks ago he crushes that into the upper deck. He just doesn't seem to be seeing the ball well right now. More food for thought: this slump seems to be coming out on the heels of a really great in-depth feature on MLB Network and an article in the New York Times praising Buxton with the title 'Best Player in the World'. Buxton is notoriously low-key and isn't a fan of too much attention. Is it possible he's started feeling some anxiety and/or pressure as the hype machine has gone into overdrive? Honestly I just think the guy just needs to play 3-4 straight games for goddsakes. Let him swing his way out of the doldrums.

Has Archer always been such a slow worker? I don't recall this feature before, albeit I haven't been paying attention to most of his starts thusfar.

Well that escalated quickly.

So far in 2022 it looks like there are a handful of great teams, a handful of somewhat competitive teams, and a whole bunch of bad teams. The Twins fall in that second category. They're decent, but not great. They could get hot at the right time and make some noise, but I'd still bet on the Angels, Astros, Yankees, and Rays over the Twins. The White Sox could join that group as well if they get their act together.

I disagree, as I think they'll have Maeda on a very strict pitch count when he first comes back. Like you though, I am excited for him to possibly make a comeback this year.

With so many players contributing, it's been easy to overlook Max Kepler, who's been a very steady force and worthy of recognition. This past week Max has gone 6-for-16 (.375) with 5 walks, 5 runs, and 3 RBI. His season average is up to .260 and he's looking more and more like the Max Kepler we all know and love. His re-emergence as a solid hitter in the middle of this lineup is key, and he's been virtually injury-free and is one of just a couple guys out there playing every day.

Very impressive win from the B-Squad!

YES!

No, and this isn't the first time it's happened. When Buxton sits, he's sitting. Period. That's what Baldelli has said, that's what Buxton has told the media as well. None of us really expected him to PH this game.

Larnach looks unbelievably lost at the plate right now.