2018 Minnesota Twins In-Season Thread

Donate To GopherHole
I would be more than happy to bring back Mauer at a much lower salary. He's still hitting a decent average and I would say that he's an above average first baseman.
 

stocker08 said:
I would be more than happy to bring back Mauer at a much lower salary. He's still hitting a decent average and I would say that he's an above average first baseman.
Click to expand...

With you on that.
 

If they're going to tear it down and rebuild, then build with youth. the core of the '87 and '91 World Series teams came up in the early to mid-80's and grew up together. There were some gawd-awful teams in the mid-80's, but they developed. then, when the team looked like it was ready to contend, management supplemented the home-grown roster with some selective trades and free-agent acquisitions.

I know its always a big IF, but there are some pretty promising players coming up through the farm system - Rooker, Kiriloff, Gordon, Lewis, etc - and some young pitchers that have a chance to develop. So, in 2 or 3 years, when those players get up to the majors, combine them with Rosario, and (the big question mark) Buxton and Sano, and you've got a team. That's when you go out and sign a free-agent or make a deal to add the last piece or two.

going out and signing some big-buck free agent next year accomplishes nothing. maybe it makes the difference between winning 70 games and 75. Big whoop. spend the money when it can make a real difference.
 

Bad Gopher said:
Agree. Going drunken sailor on this would cause more harm than good.
Click to expand...

Drunken sailor? No. But they will have $50-60 million to spend on FA's just for 2019. I'm not sure we could come here, but a player in his mid-20's like Machado is not that scary of an investment, even at the $30 million/year it will take. If not him, at least bring Escobar back and add an OF'er like Adam Jones. Make Kepler/Buxton earn their playing time.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
If they're going to tear it down and rebuild, then build with youth. the core of the '87 and '91 World Series teams came up in the early to mid-80's and grew up together. There were some gawd-awful teams in the mid-80's, but they developed. then, when the team looked like it was ready to contend, management supplemented the home-grown roster with some selective trades and free-agent acquisitions.

I know its always a big IF, but there are some pretty promising players coming up through the farm system - Rooker, Kiriloff, Gordon, Lewis, etc - and some young pitchers that have a chance to develop. So, in 2 or 3 years, when those players get up to the majors, combine them with Rosario, and (the big question mark) Buxton and Sano, and you've got a team. That's when you go out and sign a free-agent or make a deal to add the last piece or two.

going out and signing some big-buck free agent next year accomplishes nothing. maybe it makes the difference between winning 70 games and 75. Big whoop. spend the money when it can make a real difference.
Click to expand...

I don't see this as a tear-down rebuild. We have Berrios. We have Gibson. I still think Romero will be good next year. Odorizzi/Mejia and co. are not awful. That's a decent rotation. We have bullpen pieces. Offense is the issue. They need to upgrade at catcher, bring Escobar back and add a couple more bats for DH/OF. They need at least one of Sano or Buxton to stop sucking. If they do that, there's no reason they can't challenge Celveland.
 


howeda7 said:
Drunken sailor? No. But they will have $50-60 million to spend on FA's just for 2019. I'm not sure we could come here, but a player in his mid-20's like Machado is not that scary of an investment, even at the $30 million/year it will take. If not him, at least bring Escobar back and add an OF'er like Adam Jones. Make Kepler/Buxton earn their playing time.
Click to expand...

It does allow you to throw market value or a tad bit more back at Escobar, which I would do. You need to keep enough payroll flexibility to re-sign and extend the young talent you already have. Beyond that, the normal rules of free agent acquisition apply, first and foremost using it to address areas of need and fill holes. Obviously, if there's an opportunity to add a blue-chip centerpiece-type player who's a low risk to bomb out, you have that ability. You owe it to the fans to put a watchable product on the field and build a bridge to the youth movement. But don't let money burn a hole in your pocket.
 

Bad Gopher said:
It does allow you to throw market value or a tad bit more back at Escobar, which I would do. You need to keep enough payroll flexibility to re-sign and extend the young talent you already have. Beyond that, the normal rules of free agent acquisition apply, first and foremost using it to address areas of need and fill holes. Obviously, if there's an opportunity to add a blue-chip centerpiece-type player who's a low risk to bomb out, you have that ability. You owe it to the fans to put a watchable product on the field and build a bridge to the youth movement. But don't let money burn a hole in your pocket.
Click to expand...

Right. But they have money coming off after 2019 too. Gibson, Odorizzi, Reed and Castro will be about $30 million coming off after 2019. They have large flexibility going forward, even if they pay $30 million in multi-year deals for 2018. Also, how much are extensions for Buxton/Sano really going to cost and will they even be warranted? At this juncture the only extensions I'd even worry about are Rosario and Berrios.
 

howeda7 said:
I don't see this as a tear-down rebuild. We have Berrios. We have Gibson. I still think Romero will be good next year. Odorizzi/Mejia and co. are not awful. That's a decent rotation. We have bullpen pieces. Offense is the issue. They need to upgrade at catcher, bring Escobar back and add a couple more bats for DH/OF. They need at least one of Sano or Buxton to stop sucking. If they do that, there's no reason they can't challenge Celveland.
Click to expand...

If Escobar comes back, I think Sano is moved to 1B. Then him and Rooker (if he's ready) would be your DH and 1B. Unless they would want Escobar to play 2B if Gordon isn't ready.

It'll be interesting what they do.
 

GophersInIowa said:
If Escobar comes back, I think Sano is moved to 1B. Then him and Rooker (if he's ready) would be your DH and 1B. Unless they would want Escobar to play 2B if Gordon isn't ready.

It'll be interesting what they do.
Click to expand...

That's why Escobar is valuable, he can plug in at any spot. I would start with him at 2B, Sano at 3B and bring Mauer back or get another cheaper 1B. If Gordon forces his way in, then Sano can DH/1B. I think Rooker and Lewis are in the line-up by 2020, maybe sooner.
 



waiting for Buxton is hopeless, unless you want to keep a roster spot to pinch run.
 

saintpaulguy said:
waiting for Buxton is hopeless, unless you want to keep a roster spot to pinch run.
Click to expand...

It took Aaron Hicks forever, but giving up on him was a mistake. (Unless Gabriel Moya becomes Glen Perkins).
 

The real issue is whether Falvey and Lavine actually have a plan, or if they're just throwing s**t at the wall to see what sticks.

I hope they have a plan - but at this point, it's hard to figure out. they go out and sign several free-agents, and when none of them pan out, they go fire-sale by the trade deadline.

What I'm saying is this: if you have a plan, and you believe in the plan, then stick to the plan. And it would help if you could articulate to the fans - at least in some fashion - what that plan is.
 

stocker08 said:
I would be more than happy to bring back Mauer at a much lower salary. He's still hitting a decent average and I would say that he's an above average first baseman.
Click to expand...
If I was spending Pohlad money, the corner infield spots would be manned by some combination of Sano, Mauer and Josh Donaldson.
 



STrib: Trades provide Twins farm system plenty of players packed with potential

CBSSports.com’s Mike Axisa gave the Twins a B grade for their work, mentioning in particular sending Escobar to Arizona for righthander Jhoan Duran and outfielders Gabriel Maciel and Ernie De La Trinidad, and trading Pressly to Houston for righthander Jorge Alcala and outfielder Gilberto Celestino. ESPN’s Buster Olney gave the Twins a B-plus.

According to Baseball America, of the 69 prospects dealt over the six weeks before the deadline, Alcala was the eighth-best. The 23-year-old’s fastball has touched 100 miles per hour, and he throws a good slider. Some believe Alcala could wind up as a reliever, but the Twins will develop him as a starter.

Celestino, 19, was the 13th-best prospect dealt. The Twins view him as a good overall player who has a chance to be a good hitter. Houston signed him out of the Dominican Republic for $2.5 million in 2015, so he has been highly regarded.

Duran was next, at 15th. The 20-year-old is effective right now with a mid-90s fastball that has heavy sink but is developing a good curveball. He announced his arrival with authority Monday with seven no-hit innings for Class A Cedar Rapids. While some feel that Alcala is a much better prospect than Duran, the Twins believe the gap is closer than that.

“We got some real power arms back that we feel can creep to the top of the rotation,” Falvey said. “Not to say that would be the only approach this deadline. But when we found opportunities with different clubs whether it’s Jorge Alcala or Jhoan Duran, others, those are guys with real stuff, ceiling and a chance to impact our future in the not too distant future.”

http://www.startribune.com/trades-p...y-of-players-packed-with-potential/489948821/

Win Twins!!
 

short ornery norwegian said:
The real issue is whether Falvey and Lavine actually have a plan, or if they're just throwing s**t at the wall to see what sticks.

I hope they have a plan - but at this point, it's hard to figure out. they go out and sign several free-agents, and when none of them pan out, they go fire-sale by the trade deadline.

What I'm saying is this: if you have a plan, and you believe in the plan, then stick to the plan. And it would help if you could articulate to the fans - at least in some fashion - what that plan is.
Click to expand...

Seems obvious to me what their plan is. They’ve stockpiled a bunch of prospects. The farm system has gone from ranked in the bottom half to one of the top in all of baseball. 2017 was a surprise, so they also made some low risk signings (short term contracts) thinking it could give them a chance to make a run. It didn’t work out so they traded away some expiring contracts for more prospects. Kansas City, Houston, and Chicago recently won championships using a similar strategy. Go young in hope that a bunch develop at the same time.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
The real issue is whether Falvey and Lavine actually have a plan, or if they're just throwing s**t at the wall to see what sticks.

I hope they have a plan - but at this point, it's hard to figure out. they go out and sign several free-agents, and when none of them pan out, they go fire-sale by the trade deadline.

What I'm saying is this: if you have a plan, and you believe in the plan, then stick to the plan. And it would help if you could articulate to the fans - at least in some fashion - what that plan is.
Click to expand...

The amateur drafting has been remarkable. That was a profound weakness of the Ryan regime - so bad that you could have drafted with a random number generator and gotten better results. The guys the new mgmt team has drafted in two years are the top prospects in the organization and are rising quickly.
 

Sid: Twins owner Jim Pohlad on board with team's decisionmaking

Twins owner Jim Pohlad said that he is 100 percent behind Derek Falvey and Thad Levine, whom the team brought in to revamp the organization following the 2016 season.

Pohlad knows fans might have questioned the moves Falvey, Twins chief baseball officer, and Levine, general manager, made at the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline, as the Twins dealt away five players from the major league roster. But more important to Pohlad than what happens on the field is what is happening behind the scenes.

“So much of [bringing in Falvey and Levine] was about building out the organization under them,” Pohlad said. “Obviously the team is part of that responsibility, too, but so much of their job was to really build a great front office that could provide the data and all of the other systems that we felt we needed to improve in.”

Does Pohlad feel like the technological part of the front office has vastly improved? “I’m not some young tech person,” he said. “But I think it was definitely necessary and it has been useful and used.”

When asked if he understands fans being upset about a playoff team from last season selling at the trade deadline, Pohlad said sometimes you have to give up players to get prospects.

“If you want to go out and get something, you have to give something up. The days of trying to outsmart another general manager, they don’t exist anymore,” Pohlad said. “There’s two valuable players, there’s no question, mainly [Brian] Dozier and [Eduardo] Escobar. The other two players we had just gotten this year [Lance Lynn and Zach Duke], so it’s hard to say how valuable [they are]. But we know how valuable Escobar and Dozier have been to this team over the years.”

Now one of the big questions for the Twins front office will be whether to bring back Joe Mauer next season on a new contract.

Pohlad believes a big part of that decision depends on what Mauer wants. “I think we would all agree that that decision is up to the Mauer family, first,” he said. “They have to make whatever decision they’re going to make. We’re willing to work with them in whatever they decide.”

http://www.startribune.com/twins-owner-jim-pohlad-on-board-with-team-s-decisionmaking/490073611/

Win Twins!!
 

Pat Reusse: Moves take Twins from deep to disastrous

The Twins had a foundation when the 2017 season ended with a wild-card loss at Yankee Stadium. Assuming the return of Miguel Sano, the infield was deep enough to have the excellent Eduardo Escobar as an extra piece. The outfield was young and often described on FSN telecasts as having “three center fielders.’’

There were three notable starters in Ervin Santana, Jose Berrios and Kyle Gibson, and the threesome of Trevor Hildenberger, Taylor Rogers and Ryan Pressly to lead the bullpen.

The Twins added a half-dozen veterans — relievers Fernando Rodney, Addison Reed and Zach Duke, starters Jake Odorizzi and Lance Lynn and designated hitter Logan Morrison — to supplement that foundation.

This pushed the Twins to an all-time-high payroll of $130 million in the second year of Derek Falvey’s baseball operation. Lynn was the last of those signings, and it became official March 13.

Twenty weeks later, the nonwaiver trade deadline was reached in major league baseball and the result was in on the Twins’ 2018 roster manipulation:

Disaster.

Escobar and Brian Dozier were foundation infielders and traded — Escobar for three suspects in the low minors and Dozier in a complete giveaway. Joe Mauer might retire, and Sano could again decide over the winter that the low 270s is too lean.

Eddie Rosario is the only foundation outfielder remaining, with Max Kepler unable to hit in the big leagues, and Byron Buxton unable to hit or stay healthy at any level.

Berrios is good and so is Gibson, and Big Erv soon will be gone after a wasted season, and Pressly is gone for a couple more suspects.

There has been bad luck and, more so, wretched roster decisions. Escobar would have signed for $10-$11 million per on a multiyear deal, and Dozier would have been worth more if the Twins hadn’t overplayed their hand earlier, and Sano should not have left spring training in that shape.

There’s also a bullpen that now includes 31-year-old Oliver Drake, when J.T. Chargois (Dodgers) and Randy Rosario (a lefthander with a 1.97 ERA when pitching for the Cubs) were waived for no good reason.

Ninety losses are back in the picture, and a foundation remains that wouldn’t support a mud hut.

Nice work, fellas.

http://www.startribune.com/moves-take-twins-from-deep-to-disastrous/490071541/

Win Twins!!
 

I couldn’t begin to imagine the cold, dark and empty world that Pat must live in.
 


Falvey and Lavine tried something. It didn't work out, so they hit the reset button. And every time you hit the reset button, it basically means another two years at least until the team is positioned to make a run.

If some of the prospects in the minors pan out, there is hope for the future. But, we've been saying that for 10 years. For the immediate future, a lot of it comes down to Buxton and Sano. If they realize even some of their potential, there is hope for the immediate future. If both of them turn into busts, that sets the franchise back 5 years. These guys were supposed to be the cornerstones of the franchise. If they both flop, that is a huge setback. (which, admittedly, is not all on Falvey and Lavine - but IMHO, someone should have been hired as a 24/7 nutritionist/trainer/spy for Sano in the off-season, with orders to zap him with a taser every time he ate something he shouldn't.)
 

GopherJake said:
Refute what he said.
Click to expand...

He’s over exaggerating how bad it is. Escobar can still sign with the Twins. Completely ignores that the farm system wasn’t very good when they took over and in two years they turned it into arguably top 5.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
Falvey and Lavine tried something. It didn't work out, so they hit the reset button. And every time you hit the reset button, it basically means another two years at least until the team is positioned to make a run.

If some of the prospects in the minors pan out, there is hope for the future. But, we've been saying that for 10 years. For the immediate future, a lot of it comes down to Buxton and Sano. If they realize even some of their potential, there is hope for the immediate future. If both of them turn into busts, that sets the franchise back 5 years. These guys were supposed to be the cornerstones of the franchise. If they both flop, that is a huge setback. (which, admittedly, is not all on Falvey and Lavine - but IMHO, someone should have been hired as a 24/7 nutritionist/trainer/spy for Sano in the off-season, with orders to zap him with a taser every time he ate something he shouldn't.)
Click to expand...

See my previous response to your comments. I think this was always their plan. The 2017 run was unexpected so they added a few low risk short term players for this season to see what they could do. Didn’t work out on the field but it helped them increase they prospect depth.

Seems obvious to me what their plan is. They’ve stockpiled a bunch of prospects. The farm system has gone from ranked in the bottom half to one of the top in all of baseball. 2017 was a surprise, so they also made some low risk signings (short term contracts) thinking it could give them a chance to make a run. It didn’t work out so they traded away some expiring contracts for more prospects. Kansas City, Houston, and Chicago recently won championships using a similar strategy. Go young in hope that a bunch develop at the same time.
Click to expand...
 


I think his point is that not every move Falvine has made has been good. Big swings-and-misses on the bulk of the free agent signings. The Morrison move alone was cause for a woodshed beating.
 

GopherJake said:
I think his point is that not every move Falvine has made has been good. Big swings-and-misses on the bulk of the free agent signings. The Morrison move alone was cause for a woodshed beating.
Click to expand...

It's a one year deal for 6.5 million. It means zero for the team's future.
 

Breakin' The Plane said:
It's a one year deal for 6.5 million. It means zero for the team's future.
Click to expand...

Exactly. It was a move that pretty much universally lauded at the time. It didn’t work. Blame the player. Be happy the FO only signed it for one year.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

GopherJake said:
I think his point is that not every move Falvine has made has been good. Big swings-and-misses on the bulk of the free agent signings. The Morrison move alone was cause for a woodshed beating.
Click to expand...
It's a one year deal, and 6.5 mill is pretty cheap for the year he had last year, it didn't work, but it's not like some of the multi year deal This has given with the Wolves

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
 

GopherJake said:
I think his point is that not every move Falvine has made has been good. Big swings-and-misses on the bulk of the free agent signings. The Morrison move alone was cause for a woodshed beating.
Click to expand...

I still think the signings were just fine. They were low risk moves. It’s hard to predict that Morrison and Lynn would have the worst seasons of their career. Bad luck, just didn’t work out.
 

Everyone who responded to me about the free agent signings: I agree - low risk, medium reward moves. But the fact is they did not work at all. That makes them all bad moves. Did they hit on even one of them? Rodney? Kind of?

Reuse is saying, no free pass on that. Me too. Those moves did not work.

Molitor was essentially forced to bat Morrison game-after-game, instead of either 1. A better signing who gave the team a better chance to win or 2. Someone who has a future with the franchise. I couldn’t stand watching his first two months of abysmal PAs, where he couldn’t hit a ball off a tee. Just terrible.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.



Top Bottom