bighat

EXACTLY! People who are saying "wait and see" don't seem to realize that Buxton may already be out of the Twins' price range. If the Twins don't extend him now, they may never have a chance. He's a 24 year-old gold glove CF, folks. Who by the way was also voted best defensive player OVERALL in baseball, given the Wilson Award. Buxton stole 29 bases and got caught once. He even drove in a run and swiped a base in the playoff game against the Yanks. I was a Buxton detractor last April during his slump. But his play since then has completely turned me around. Buxton is the real deal, think Andrew McCutcheon with better defense. We should all be clamoring for an extension, immediately. If ya ain't clammorin', stop yer yammorin'!

Would love to see the Twins sign Darvish. With Big Erv and Yu at the top of the rotation, who needs a bullpen anyway!?!?

I don't think Twins fans realize what a luxury Mauer has been for this team. He's no longer the player he was - everyone can see that. But he still finished in the Top 10 in both OBP and BA last year. He played his part in this team's success, like it or not. Mauer's going to give you .285 / 9 / 72 while sitting in the top 5 in the league in on base percentage. When your 2nd baseman's hitting 40 home runs, I think you can take those numbers from your 1st baseman. It's going to take time to develop Mauer's replacement. Mitch Garver didn't exactly set the world on fire during his first cup of coffee, and this Rooker kid won't either. If the Twins can sign Mauer for a hometown discount - something he certainly owes this franchise - they should sign him for a 2-year deal. Let him mentor the new kid, platoon, pinch hit, and fill in defensively.

Did anyone else quietly draw in a short breath of panic when they read "The Twins own (Buxton's) rights for the next 4 years"....haha, I think maybe I was overreacting a bit. But I do agree that the Twins should lock him up, ASAP. He's not just en route to becoming a Top 10 player in the league, he's also just about perfect from a marketing perspective. I loved this list, thanks so much for sharing this with everyone. I have to agree with the poster above me though: Tyler Duffey & Taylor Rogers? Really? Joe Mauer was 7th in the AL in batting average (.305) and 5th in the AL in on-base percentage (.384). Any guy who gets to the plate 500+ times and does that is a very valuable player indeed. I know we Twins fans have become conditioned to think that a reliever who can get batters out is a rare commodity. We need to raise our standards here. Rogers is just a middle reliever doing his job to the tune of a 3.07 ERA. Not exactly a rare find in MLB. Nice to have, mind you, but pretty standard. Duffey, in my opinion, shouldn't even be on this list. Thanks again for the fun read!

Mejia is so frustrating. I'd love to see him speed things up on the hill, it seems like he's out there for 15 hours every start and he gets pulled in the 5th just because of game fatigue. I like the kid and I am also cheering for him to succeed since the Twins flipped Eduardo Nunez for him at the 2015 deadline. Could end up being a steal, just need him to take that next step. Hope it's this year! Maybe the looming 'Ghost of Pineda' will light a fire under a few of the Twins' less reliable starters this year.

Twins won't sign Dozier. It's too bad but it's just the way the cookie crumbles in this case. I don't see the Twins putting up buku cash for a 32 year-old second baseman. I wish they would, but the Twins are about as conservative and cautious as they come in MLB. With Dustin Pedroia heading off into the sunset real soon, I think Dozier will be suiting up in Beantown gear (if not Yankee Pinstripes) after he hits the open market.

I completely agree. This site employed (or employs?) the accuser. There seems to be no way for this thread to be very useful, or to provide any useful discussion. I like to discuss, and even argue about, Twins players and Twins baseball on this site. I don't think that talking about the alleged assault of an employee of this website is a fruitful use of the commenting feature. Especially here.

Couldn't agree more! Escobar is very solid when starting, and an absolute luxury to have when he's on the bench. The numbers speak for themselves, and as others have said, Eddie was a huge part of last year's playoff push. Don't forget that he's a good "clubhouse guy" too, for whatever its worth.

Geez. The Twins brass must be really banking on being competitive in 2019. That's comforting I suppose. This move is almost like acquiring an arm at the trade deadline, except that the trade deadline is 1.5 years away and we have no clue what this team's needs will be in 1.5 years. Very weird. Hard to get super excited about this, but then again it doesn't seem to hurt anything.

Trade our best pitcher? Why are some people obsessed with being in constant rebuilding mode? What's wrong with keeping a few of the good pieces? Santana's the best ace we've had since Johan Santana and there's no reason to shop him unless the Twins are cellar-dwelling at the trade deadline midseason. What's next? Flip Buxton for prospects?

I don't feel too bad about watching any of these names go. Except Rosario. Ouch.

Good for Ron. Kinda bittersweet, we'll be seeing him a ton over the next few years. He's not going to have much to work with over the next year or two, I wonder if he's kind of a "placeholder"? They must feel he's a good manager to work with young players.

I completely disagree with those who want Molitor to come back. Get some new blood managing this team, get a guy who understands today's game and today's players. Get someone who is well liked by players. Thanks for the ride, Molly. Grab your fishing pole and head off into the sunset knowing you got your team to the playoffs in your last year as manager.

Lots of hate for Ervin. I don't like it. Sure, he didn't pitch too great - neither did Berrios or the rest of the pen. Plenty of blame to be spread around...the offense scored 3 in the 1st, but they should have scored more. The offense only put 1 run on the board in the final 8 innings. The Twins struck out 4 times in a row and crucially let the momentum shift to the NYY. Gardener is a Twins killer. I can't remember the last time I saw the Twins get him out. Judge is a monster. The Yankees have no holes in their lineup offensively. Their bullpen is stacked with shut-down guys. They are the better team and they put a whoopin' on the Twins as most thought they would. Erv didn't lose this game for the Twins. The Yankees pitching and hitting is astronomically better than Minnesota's, and they showed that tonight. Go easy on Erv, he didn't have a complete meltdown out there...the whole staff got roughed up. If you were to ask me, Berrios is the one who really blew the game, and he did get the loss. Twins come back to tie it, Berrios quickly gives up 3 runs including that HR to Judge which really put the nail in the coffin. Great season from a fun team - Erv's what got the Twins this far and he did not lose the game last night.

Buxton out, Berrios gives up a HR to Judge.... Are the wheels off boys? Are we watching a team that's finally hit the death throes after great, overachiving season?

Castro's a real liability at the plate.

Attaboy BYRON BUXTON DOING IT.

Can we stop talking about Santana's start and watch the rest of the game, please?

Couple of great ABs by Kepler tonight. GEEEZ Bux up with the bases loaded against a new fresh reliever...hmmm. If only it were Dozier...

2 on, no out! Great job Polanco and Rosario!

To get Judge out and allow Berrios to start the next inning with less pressure.

The umps and ESPN have a lot riding on a Yanks victory it seems. How disappointing!

Santana got hosed on another strike call to Gardener there.

Let's go Erv, 1-2-3. Nice job Mauer not striking out to at least.

For me, it was taking a look at the Twins' bullpen that makes me think Erv should come back out.