I like this core of players. I think they add a second tier starter for sure. Hopefully a late innngs guy to help Rogers. If they don’t add a starter or two it sure does look like the SSDD as in the past. I feel the Thalvine combo is a new era…..! I wish they could bring Cron back……
Twins in on Rendon, and move Sano to 1B? That’d be fun…
IF they won’t spend the $$ for pitching they are definitely not going to spend it on Rendon. I think with Cron gone Sano is already playing first base this season.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN……..WE GOT HIM!!!!!!!
Michael Pineda……..
This is a move I actually thought they needed to make. Yes he will be out half the year but he will be valuable when he comes back. Now go get MadBum and Ryu and I’ll be happy.
I do like the Pineda move. He was the Twins’ hottest thing until he got suspended. For the way he played right up until his stupid suspension 2 years for $20 million isn’t bad at all. But yes, Falvene needs to make a big splash to improve this pitching staff.
Also Pineda is only out until mid May not half the year.
i’m ok resigning Paneda if it means he’s our #5 starter…
Reminds me of when they signed Santana, who subsequently got suspended for half the year, saving them from paying him half his 1st year salary. Pineda is 2 years $20 mil but due to Suspension the first year he will get “only” $7.6m. Bargain bin Twins strike again.
Just LOL if the Twins big offseason plans/moves are to re-create our rotation from last year.
Word is they signed Avila for backup catcher.
Target Field has set up foul ball nets extending most of the way down each side for next season now too. So for those of you that attend the games in person, you can now play candy crush on your phones and drink beer without worrying about a flying object coming your direction. No need to actually pay attention to the game anymore!
I’m a bit puzzled by the Avila signing but I guess they needed a backup catcher. Twins love a “good clubhouse guy with leadership qualities”.
I’m fine with the Pineda signing. If their rotation is XXX, Berrios, Odorizzi, Pineda, Dobnak/Smeltzer/other I’m happy. Now if that shifts back to Berrios, Odorizzi, Pineda, D/S/o, XXX that’s a problem.
Word is they signed Avila for backup catcher.
Sweet! no more 3 pitch strikeouts for Castro with the bases loaded…
Avila will be here to mentor the pitchers. Another clue they intend to stay young. Remember Avila caught Verlander and Scherzer when they were all together in Detroit.
Target Field has set up foul ball nets extending most of the way down each side for next season now too. So for those of you that attend the games in person, you can now play candy crush on your phones and drink beer without worrying about a flying object coming your direction. No need to actually pay attention to the game anymore!
Good
You can read Souhans article in the Tribune for Twins pitching options. Ignore option 1 as it will never happen.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Dutchboy wrote:</div>
Word is they signed Avila for backup catcher.Sweet! no more 3 pitch strikeouts for Castro with the bases loaded…
Funny you mention that. Castro had an OPS of 123 vs RHP last year (means he was 23% better than average). Avila has topped that number once… since 2011. They didn’t sign him for his defense either. Pop time was right at league average, with Castro (and behind Astudillo). Worse at framing pitches too. Avila is slightly better at blocking pitches in the dirt and is a much more patient hitter. Don’t love letting Castro go, but its probably cutting $4 mil (for probably no benefit, who am I kidding) and getting an almost identical player.
doubled up.
If you pencil in Garver for 130 games they aren’t expecting or needing much from Avila. If Garver catches 130 games, hits .265 or better with 20+ homeruns everything will be ok. Like the rest of the team it all depends on if last year was a flash in the pan or if the players can replicate last years performance. Pretty sure they won’t be hitting 300 homeruns again so they need to step up the batting averages across the board.
I’m reading Garver is expected to get 90-100 games at C and a few more at DH/1B. They are guarding against playing him too much. There is a fear that there will be diminishing returns if he’s overworked.
Either way, he had a historic year last year and we can’t expect that same level, though close would be nice.
Im much more worried about Cruz. He’s a wrist injury away from retiring and last year was said no one understood how he recovered so quickly from the injury he had last year. If we trade Rosario, which everyone seems to want to do, lose Cruz to injury and Garver returns to form, we’d be out three players who hit nearly 100 HR’s and drove in many more.
Our trades need to come from the plethora of prospects we have or from a player we don’t lean on offensively, as in Buxton.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Dutchboy wrote:</div>
Word is they signed Avila for backup catcher.Sweet! no more 3 pitch strikeouts for Castro with the bases loaded…
But but but the pitch framing!!!!!! Castro was garbage. I’m sorry Tbro but your analytics just kill me on this. The guy couldn’t hit, throw out runners (not all his fault, our pitchers seem to take a long time to deliver the ball), call games, and by the end of his tenure with Twins he wouldn’t even go to his knees to block balls in the dirt. Just tried to scoop them and I can recall at least a few times where it cost the Twins runs. Glad he’s out of here. When you sign a starting catcher because of his pitch framing abilities without any other real skill you know the team is not serious about winning.
I also think the pitch framing is a double edged sword. The umps can tell when these guys are trying to frame and the all the catchers are now trying to frame more because of this new stat. So they can actually cost the pitchers strikes sometimes when they are trying to frame because they make it so obvious.
I’m sorry Tbro but your analytics just kill me on this. The guy couldn’t hit
Analytics, based off of numbers and statistical facts, are objective. Everyones opinions here, and everywhere else, are subjective.
Carry on. 
It’s winter meeting time so get ready for $250M in payroll to be spent this week…only 65 days until pitchers and catchers report!
It’s winter meeting time so get ready for $250M in payroll to be spent this week…
This is a Twins thread, try and stay on topic.
This is a Twins thread, try and stay on topic.
Absolutely hilarious.
Come on Werm. Pohlads’ got pockets so deep Falvine will be wearing JNCOs to the meetings 
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>moustachesteve wrote:</div>
It’s winter meeting time so get ready for $250M in payroll to be spent this week…This is a Twins thread, try and stay on topic.
Strasburg 7 years $245M. We were never in the running for this guy and i don’t want to pay that money anyway for 1 player but doesn’t bode well for any of the other names left on the market. Cole is getting paid!
Edit – i should say it doesn’t bode well for cheap teams like the Twins having to pay for these players. Certainly bodes well for the players themselves
Strasburg 7 years $245M. We were never in the running for this guy and i don’t want to pay that money anyway for 1 player but doesn’t bode well for any of the other names left on the market. Cole is getting paid!
Edit – i should say it doesn’t bode well for cheap teams like the Twins having to pay for these players. Certainly bodes well for the players themselves
Yeah Cole is going to smash a record. I’m a little worried about Bumgarner. Reported today that he wants 5 years for over 100 million. I want him on our team but I’m not sure he has 3 years of quality pitching left let alone 5. We’ll see.
Bumgarner will never come here. He is a mountain boy from the Southeast, he likes to hit, he has World Series rings, he has money and he will get a lot more where ever he signs. Atlanta is my first guess, maybe one of the Texas teams. I also haven’t heard the Giants rule out re-signing him either. Definitely not the Twins.
Bumgarner will never come here. He is a mountain boy from the Southeast, he likes to hit, he has World Series rings, he has money and he will get a lot more where ever he signs. Atlanta is my first guess, maybe one of the Texas teams. I also haven’t heard the Giants rule out re-signing him either. Definitely not the Twins.
I don’t know. Lots of hunting and fishing opportunities here also. Twins are still “reportedly” one of the top three teams going after him. I did lose some hope when I heard him say he wants to hit though…..
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
