The Twins’ miserable start to the season is the result of a “total system failure” rather than any individual’s performance, club owner Jim Pohlad tells Chip Scoggins of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Pohlad says that GM Terry Ryan “is the right guy” to run the baseball operations department, while skipper Paul Molitor “has our total support.” The owner rejected the idea that more money would have done much good, saying: “I don’t believe that the money thing has been a constraint on the team’s success.” And he doesn’t seem to believe that the choices made with the funding were ill-considered. “We’ve been at this for a little while … the owner can’t do a whole lot,” he explained. “But what could Terry do? Or what could Paul do? I just don’t know at this point. It’s just a total system failure, so to speak.”
Here are a few more stray notes from around the game:
- Things haven’t been quite as ugly for the Diamondbacks, but Arizona probably had higher expectations after its major winter moves. The fault doesn’t lie at the feet of manager Chip Hale, the organization’s chief baseball officer, Tony La Russa, tells Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. La Russa rejected the notion that Hale’s job is at risk if Arizona can’t pull itself back together. He joined GM Dave Stewart in noting that righty Shelby Miller has been “pushing and pressing too much,” with the rest of the staff otherwise doing well enough. “There are a lot of reasons to be optimistic,” said La Russa. “We’ve got some good depth and a lot of versatility on the roster. Some of our young guys have really showed up well.”
- We’ve heard a lot of chatter about Tim Lincecum, but another veteran right-hander — Kyle Lohse — is also preparing to sign. He put on a showcase of his own today, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports on Twitter. While Lohse doesn’t have Lincecum’s relative youth or Cy Young pedigree, he has been a rather solid and durable pitcher for quite some time and remains an interesting possibility for teams in need of rotation depth, even at 37 years of age.
- Commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters today that he hopes to reach a new CBA before the end of the playing season this year, as Bruce Levine of 670thescore.com was among those to tweet. He certainly seemed to present an optimistic view of the negotiating path that has begun between the league and union.
What’s up with pitchers doing so well pitching for Braves and when traded are not nearly as good (Miller, Wood, Avilan, Johnson)?
Coaching? Idrk…
Less pressure in Atlanta last couple years. Guys do well and then get traded into higher performing teams.
I try to catch at least a couple twins game each week just to hear Blyleven call the games he’s so good, one of the best IMO. Something he’s NOT doing is critiquing to poor state of Twin’s pitching (once again) and that’s really a disservice to the fans. The only starter who is throwing and looks competent is right now and one can expect that to end any start now from his career long track record, the rest have looked exactly like what they are..A mish-mash of aging veterans(Santana), or kids lucky to be in the big leagues
Twins have thrown FA money at some of the oddest of FA over the last several years.. Take a look. Santana, Nolasco, Carl Pavano, Suzuki..Hughes. Really now how can Ryan’s job be “safe” when he has gone after that motley crew? I understand they have been very successful on the IFA and rule 4 draft front, but wouldn’t that be as much credit to the scouting front as with him?
I think Mr Pohlad needs to rethink his position on Ryan.
The Twins are a rebuilding team in reality last year set expectations too high, the odd signings are probably the outcome of being in a newer stadium they can not really full out tank like the Phillies/Braves have done. Hughes and Suzuki gave them good years they should have been looking at trades instead of extensions, but that is easier to say in hindsight.
When Terry Ryan took the helm back from Billy Smith, he was explicit about a “2-year rebuild plan”. We’re now going into year 4 of that, and there’s no return to competition in sight.
There’s no polishing this turd.
You can’t polish one, but you can roll it in glitter.
These have failed at that too.
Of course it isn’t Hale’s fault. It is the two guys who put this team together….Dave Stewart and Tony LaRussa. That is as long as Tony stayed awake and sober.
how is terry ryan the right guy? just look at his free agent signings and trades. phil hughes 1 good year and give him an extension and he has sucked last year and this year, kurt suzuki had one good year so the give him an extension and he has been trash, ervin santanta suspended, ricky nolasco…(dont have to day anything else about him) trades span for meyer who cant get the ball over the plate, willingham and mornoue trades for nobodys and he put together a pitch to contact bullpen
Not only have the FA signings, extensions, and trades been an unmitigated disaster – but they’re showing zero ability to develop former “Top Prospect” players (from Hicks to Sano to Buxton) into impact MLB performers.
Ah yes, he’ just pushing too hard. It’s not mechanical or physical or that he’s just not that great, he’s just feeling the pressure
I am completely baffled how someone can acknowledge the very real “total system failure”, and then go on to say “What can I do, I’m only the owner” and stand behind his management team.
I can’t even begin to express the level of disgust and contempt I have for Pohlad. I have never heard the owner of any business or leader of any organization advocate for the status quo and throw up their hands saying “what can I do about it” in the face of system-wide failures within their organization.