MLB: 2018 Minnesota Twins Thread

[BoxsterCy]

Interesting snippets from Sid Hartman's column today (or from whoever really ghost writes it these days).

The Twins will have more money to spend than almost any team in baseball heading into the 2019 season. If the club doesn’t exercise options on designated hitter Logan Morrison and righthander Ervin Santana, their payroll could start at about $24.5 million.

“I believe we have an attractive job and attractive situation here in Minnesota,” Pohlad said. “I feel great about Minnesota, of course. I feel great about the Twins, the organization, the culture, so I don’t think that is going to be an issue, attracting a person.”

What is sad is that the Twins’ season ended on such a high note with all of the Mauer tributes, and 48 hours later, comes the disappointing firing of Molitor.

But now the Twins’ two top baseball executives are on the spot. They have to produce so the team can sell some season tickets next year.

The future is murkier than ever after this season’s record, the question of Mauer coming back or not, young players such as Buxton and Sano underperforming, and now Molitor being fired.

Let’s hope Falvey and Levine have a magic wand they can wave to produce a great 25-man roster and hire a manager who will not only be popular and efficient, and maybe earn a manager of the year award some day.

 

[CTTB78]

Falvey is interviewing David Ross? First he fires a competent manager and now he's going for a guy from Dancing with the Stars. Unbelievable.

 

[BoxsterCy]

Falvey is interviewing David Ross? First he fires a competent manager and now he's going for a guy from Dancing with the Stars. Unbelievable.

The change Sano's lifestyle and fitness campaign is not off to a good start this off season either. Disappointing regardless of what I think is probably a locally sanitized story of what happened. Guessing the the Twin would like it better if he wasn't out at 3 a.m. in a nightclub. I am not optimistic even though on the surface he seemed to handle the demotion to a training facility pretty well.

 

[mj4cy]

Molitor might not have been the only problem but he certainly was one of them.

1. He abused the hell out of some of the RP pitchers. You could just see some of those guys who he trusted fall off because he was using them every night. BY FAR his biggest problem. Absolutely awful bullpen usage.

2. Young team yet he seemed to favor veterans. No reason Mitch Garver, for instance shouldn't have had a full seasons worth of AB's.

3. Always seemed hesitant to go along with new analytics.

Not saying Molitor was perfect, but damn he didn't have a ton to work with either.

 

[CTTB78]

Not saying Molitor was perfect, but damn he didn't have a ton to work with either.

Agree. Falvey's FA signings didn't help Molitor much but the front office didn't want to talk out that much when asked.

 

[CTTB78]

Thank God we avoided Ross, but it's now on to the Woonsocket Rocket. Falvey now has his young relationship building, analytics loving manager.
With all the money he has to play with, let's just hope Falvey does a better job signing FA who produce compared to what he gave Molitor.

 

[mj4cy]

What would you guys consider a realistic yet homerun of an offseason for the Twins?

 

[BoxsterCy]

What would you guys consider a realistic yet homerun of an offseason for the Twins?

Maybe move total salaries to over the league average rather than below average? It is no coincidence that the two teams in the WS have a combined salaries total of $428M. What I expect is they will come in at like $100M, even less than this year with a montra that "Hey, the Brewers almost got there spending only $109M!" In other words, no realistic short term plan for success other than trying to catch lightning in a jar.

 

[CTTB78]

Falvey had to convince Pohlad (who loved Molitor) that he needed his type of guy in order to win. If Falvey is as smart as he is supposed to be, he also realizes it will take money to get the FA to come close to threatening Cleveland. He's had a chance to see what the Twins homegrown talent is like, and other than Berrios, there are few proven guys in the pipeline. His first move has to bring back Escobar, sign a stud starter and closer, and hopefully a power hitting 1B. The Twins payroll has to exceed last year or they have no chance.

 

[BoxsterCy]

Falvey had to convince Pohlad (who loved Molitor) that he needed his type of guy in order to win. If Falvey is as smart as he is supposed to be, he also realizes it will take money to get the FA to come close to threatening Cleveland. He's had a chance to see what the Twins homegrown talent is like, and other than Berrios, there are few proven guys in the pipeline. His first move has to bring back Escobar, sign a stud starter and closer, and hopefully a power hitting 1B. The Twins payroll has to exceed last year or they have no chance.

Too late, D-Backs signed him already for three years at $21M.

https://www.mlb.com/news/eduardo-escobar-agrees-to-three-year-contract/c-299490060

 

[CTTB78]

The way that he's playing, the Twins might be able to re-sign Dozier on the cheap after the WS are over.

 

[mthielen69]

Sign Machado. Sign Harper. Trade for Sale. World Series

 

[riceville98]

Sign Machado. Sign Harper. Trade for Sale. World Series

Nice pipe dream

 

[BoxsterCy]

Sign Machado. Sign Harper. Trade for Sale. World Series

While staying under a team salary of $100M. For the win!

 

[mthielen69]

How much additional revenue from increased ticket sales would those guys bring in? They can be afforded. WORLD SERIES