Falvey: "...We're going to target impact pitching."

[USAFChief]

Make it rain up in here, Derek.

 

http://www.startribune.com/twins-thinking-aggressively-when-assessing-roster-needs-free-agent-market/562665252/

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Falvey: "...We're going to target impact pitching."

To be fair, Martín Pérez often provided a certain kind of impact.

[twinkies8791]

all talk...  

[Vanimal46]

Make it rain up in here, Derek.

 

http://www.startribune.com/twins-thinking-aggressively-when-assessing-roster-needs-free-agent-market/562665252/

*Sniffs air*

 

*Pulls grass to determine which direction the wind is blowing*

 

Yep, it's hope selling season! Didn't even wait for the playoff corpse to get cold...

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

This would be a good place to remind readership that the Twins could have Gerritt Cole right now, for the trading price centering around Nick Gordon.

 

Then there was the Syndergaard-Buxton trade rumor at this year’s deadline. That was roundly panned. It’s a couple years yet to be seen if such a hypothetical trade would have paid off, but having Syndergaard this postseason might have made a huge impact. Of course, Buxton is popular among the players and it might not have gone over too well in the clubhouse, and Buxton may yet still contribute in future seasons..

 

Sano was a rumored trade piece as well. When Sano was hitting this summer, I made several posts praising him but also stating I felt the holes in his swing would be exploited in a postseason series. A couple posters engaged in that conversation, but mostly those posts were rebutted or ignored.

 

So in my opinion, these are empty words by Falvey until he actually follows through.

[Monkeypaws]

Falvine are no dummies - they watched their 101 win team swept aside like a toy in the ALDS. 

 

They've moved methodically, and improved this team and its long term future along the way.

 

This is crunch time, and I have faith they will address it.

 

Man the sky is all kinds of blue today!

[Brock Beauchamp]

As long as it's not the kind of impact opposing hitters make with their bat on the ball, I'm on board.

[brvama]

I agree Monkeypaws. For years there seem to be no plan in place to improve this team. Today our FO has a plan and has been following it. I will withhold my evaluation of “exceeds my expectations” until Feb, but for now they are meeting my expectations and following the plan the have laid out to us. Now, the rubber meets the road!

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

This would be a good place to remind readership that the Twins could have Gerritt Cole right now, for the trading price centering around Nick Gordon.

Then there was the Syndergaard-Buxton trade rumor at this year’s deadline. That was roundly panned. It’s a couple years yet to be seen if such a hypothetical trade would have paid off, but having Syndergaard this postseason might have made a huge impact. Of course, Buxton is popular among the players and it might not have gone over too well in the clubhouse, and Buxton may yet still contribute in future seasons..

Sano was a rumored trade piece as well. When Sano was hitting this summer, I made several posts praising him but also stating I felt the holes in his swing would be exploited in a postseason series. A couple posters engaged in that conversation, but mostly those posts were rebutted or ignored.

So in my opinion, these are empty words by Falvey until he actually follows through.

While I was willing to give away a lot for Syndergaard, Buxton isn't that piece. The Twins have a good farm system and a 100-win team, now is not the time to trade away MLB pieces for other MLB pieces unless obvious redundancy is available.

 

And, as we saw in the OF this season, there is no such thing as OF redundancy when Byron Buxton is involved. This team probably wins 105 games and starts the postseason in Minnesota if Buxton is on the field.

[Battle ur tail off]

Great to hear, but like the others, I will believe it when I see it. I have been a Twins fan for a long time and there have been things like this said for years with nothing ever done about it. 

 

As of right now, I see this as damage control brought on by their pitching getting completely destroyed in their playoff series. 

 

Pay some money, trade some prospects, make it happen. Don't waste this core like the previous regime wasted the last one. It is a GREAT core, now supplement where needed and let's make a run at it!

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

While I was willing to give away a lot for Syndergaard, Buxton isn't that piece. The Twins have a good farm system and a 100-win team, now is not the time to trade away MLB pieces for other MLB pieces unless obvious redundancy is available.

 

And, as we saw in the OF this season, there is no such thing as OF redundancy when Byron Buxton is involved. This team probably wins 105 games and starts the postseason in Minnesota if Buxton is on the field.

I wasn’t willing to give up Buxton either, but I think it should be open for discussion.

[SwainZag]

Before burying Falvine with the tired "Twins never do anything" comments, why not give the guy a chance?  They are currently in a position with the current regime they have never been in before, how about we let it play out before determining it "all talk" and "empty words."  Personally, I like the pro-activeness.  There's not beating around the bush, they know we need pitching.......go prove yourselves right boys.

[Battle ur tail off]

 

Before burying Falvine with the tired "Twins never do anything" comments, why not give the guy a chance?  They are currently in a position with the current regime they have never been in before, how about we let it play out before determining it "all talk" and "empty words."  Personally, I like the pro-activeness.  There's not beating around the bush, they know we need pitching.......go prove yourselves right boys.

 

Maybe because they had chances this past season to trade for it and didn't? Or sign guys like Kuechel on a 1-year deal and didn't?

 

It's just been too many times it hasn't happened. Yes, the front office is different, but the ownership hasn't changed. 

 

I hope they do. I have really liked alot of the things they have done and changed around this team. Let us see if the combination of them and the ownership allows them to take a chance for once. 

[USAFChief]

 

Before burying Falvine with the tired "Twins never do anything" comments, why not give the guy a chance?  They are currently in a position with the current regime they have never been in before, how about we let it play out before determining it "all talk" and "empty words."  Personally, I like the pro-activeness.  There's not beating around the bush, they know we need pitching.......go prove yourselves right boys.

All true.

 

I'm skeptical, but it's encouraging to see acknowledgment of the issue, and recognition of the path to improvement.

 

I'll give them until 72 hrs after the WS ends before I bring out any pitchforks. 

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

To be fair, Martín Pérez often provided a certain kind of impact.

I don't like you right now...

[howieramone2]

 

This would be a good place to remind readership that the Twins could have Gerritt Cole right now, for the trading price centering around Nick Gordon.

Then there was the Syndergaard-Buxton trade rumor at this year’s deadline. That was roundly panned. It’s a couple years yet to be seen if such a hypothetical trade would have paid off, but having Syndergaard this postseason might have made a huge impact. Of course, Buxton is popular among the players and it might not have gone over too well in the clubhouse, and Buxton may yet still contribute in future seasons..

Sano was a rumored trade piece as well. When Sano was hitting this summer, I made several posts praising him but also stating I felt the holes in his swing would be exploited in a postseason series. A couple posters engaged in that conversation, but mostly those posts were rebutted or ignored.

So in my opinion, these are empty words by Falvey until he actually follows through.

The rumor was Kirilloff and Lewis for Thor. Buxton was to be the headliner for Stroman. I wouldn't have made either of those deals.

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

Falvine are no dummies - they watched their 101 win team swept aside like a toy in the ALDS. 

 

They've moved methodically, and improved this team and its long term future along the way.

 

This is crunch time, and I have faith they will address it.

 

Man the sky is all kinds of blue today!

 

I hope you're right... There's two names I'm pretty pumped about... Cole and (presumably) Strassburg.  That's impact pitching in my book, and one of those names would be pretty nice.

 

Bumgardner and Wheeler are my tier 2, but neither of those guys really excites me that much as both seemed to have regressed. Perhaps Johnson can figure something out there, but beyond those 4, there really aren't a lot of impact names. 

 

We need at least one of those guys, preferably 2. 

[Steve Lein]

 

The rumor was Kirilloff and Lewis for Thor. Buxton was to be the headliner for Stroman. I wouldn't have made either of those deals.

 

Other way around, but yeah, me neither.

[USAFChief]

 

Other way around, but yeah, me neither.

The rumor was Kirilloff or Lewis for Stroman.

 

https://sports.yahoo.com/twins-reportedly-targeted-marcus-stroman-before-trade-deadline-but-didnt-hear-back-201615870.html

 

Originally the rumors centered around prospects for Thor, too, with the Mets later bringing up Buxton's name, as I recall.

[yarnivek1972]

While I was willing to give away a lot for Syndergaard, Buxton isn't that piece. The Twins have a good farm system and a 100-win team, now is not the time to trade away MLB pieces for other MLB pieces unless obvious redundancy is available.

 

And, as we saw in the OF this season, there is no such thing as OF redundancy when Byron Buxton is involved. This team probably wins 105 games and starts the postseason in Minnesota if Buxton is on the field.

And still gotten swept. No pitching matters.

[Badsmerf]

I don't think many expected a 100+ win season in 2019. The lineup is solid, and guys like Buxton, Sano and Kepler could easily have better years in 2020. Now is the time to add high impact arms. I don't blame them for skipping most of the offers at the trade deadline. Even Verlander only wins one game against NY.

 

Add Cole or Strassburg. Add a tier 2 FA. Keep Odo. Roll with in house options for #5. Could be done with free agency within a week of it opening.

[wsnydes]

It's nice and easy to talk the talk...now go walk the walk.

[twinsnorth49]

Cynicism is understandable as a Twins fan, but that's all it is, cynicism. Hope is better than being bitter and jaded. It may not be better but it's definitely less angry. 

 

I'm willing to give them a chance and see how it shakes out. 

[SomeGuy]

If we had Pineda for the postseason we would have had a good postseason rotation with Berrios, Pineda, and Odorizzi. The FO had us in a decent position starter wise before Pineda did what he did.

 

We weren't going to win many games against the Yankees top scoring offense with only 2.3 runs per game either.

[yarnivek1972]

I’m definitely in the camp that believes this team has offense to spare. I believe they can easily shed and replace Cron and Schoop. Rosario, not as easily, but I believe he should be dangled to help acquire pitching. Rooker needs to play. Gordon (if not traded) is probably the guy who comes up for injured position players using flexibility to move people around. Wouldn’t be surprised if he is tried in the OF next year in ST and at the AAA level. He has enough arm and enough speed that he should be adequate anywhere. He just needs to learn the “instincts” that guys like Kepler and Buxton have.

 

But, bringing this back on topic, what the Twins absolutely cannot do is siphon off some offense and then not improve pitching.

[crapforks]

 

I’m definitely in the camp that believes this team has offense to spare. I believe they can easily shed and replace Cron and Schoop. Rosario, not as easily, but I believe he should be dangled to help acquire pitching. Rooker needs to play. Gordon (if not traded) is probably the guy who comes up for injured position players using flexibility to move people around. Wouldn’t be surprised if he is tried in the OF next year in ST and at the AAA level. He has enough arm and enough speed that he should be adequate anywhere. He just needs to learn the “instincts” that guys like Kepler and Buxton have.

But, bringing this back on topic, what the Twins absolutely cannot do is siphon off some offense and then not improve pitching.

If something clicks and Gordon can play short, 2b, and all 3 OF positions, he is a very valuable major league player. It isn't something I'd thought about before.

 

 

 

*If he can do anything with the bat.

[bird]

 

Before burying Falvine with the tired "Twins never do anything" comments, why not give the guy a chance?  They are currently in a position with the current regime they have never been in before, how about we let it play out before determining it "all talk" and "empty words."  Personally, I like the pro-activeness.  There's not beating around the bush, they know we need pitching.......go prove yourselves right boys.

 

There may have been times when this FO deserved to be criticized for not doing enough, but to accuse them of doing nothing or being "all talk" is silly talk.

 

Like every FO, they're not immune from an occasional regrettable decision. But anyone who pays close attention to ALL of what has been going on would describe their efforts as proactive, even aggressive. Some may define "impact" differently than they do as they assess the offseason moves, and that's fine. For example, the Cron and Schoop decisions were dismissed by some as disappointing.

 

I understand some skepticism, but from where I sit, this FO has been both true to their wordy words and pretty good at swiftly improving things. I'm fairly optimistic.

[Jacks02]

 

Maybe because they had chances this past season to trade for it and didn't? Or sign guys like Kuechel on a 1-year deal and didn't?

 

It's just been too many times it hasn't happened. Yes, the front office is different, but the ownership hasn't changed. 

 

I hope they do. I have really liked alot of the things they have done and changed around this team. Let us see if the combination of them and the ownership allows them to take a chance for once. 

 

You realize that Keuchel didn't go 5 innings in either of his starts for the Braves in the playoffs, and that the Braves lost both of the games he started, right?

 

He was also just 8-8 with a 3.57 ERA during the regular season.

 

Kimbrel had a 6.53 ERA and 1.60 WHIP for the Cubs, who failed to reach the playoffs.

 

I get complaining about the front office not spending money, but in this case, I don't see either of those guys making much of a difference against the Yankees in the playoffs.

[Blake]

 

Cynicism is understandable as a Twins fan, but that's all it is, cynicism. Hope is better than being bitter and jaded. It may not be better but it's definitely less angry. 

 

I'm willing to give them a chance and see how it shakes out. 

I have to believe that money, and wins, talks.

 

A 101 win team has to be more attractive than a 70 win team.

[Battle ur tail off]

You realize we started an Uber driver in Yankee stadium right? You realize he was on a 1-year deal right?

 

You also realize that Kuechel over his career has pretty well destroyed the Yankees right?

 

Looking at the box score, they were both 1-run games that they lost and he fared pretty decent. I didn't say the guy was Randy Johnson reincarnated, but with Kuechel on this roster, there would have been no need for that bullpen game.