Bill Smith of the Minnesota Twins Has Some Work To Do

Accepting anything less than a winning approach to the game is not something a team should do at any level, in any stage of a building process. If you do not show your players that their continued mistakes will not be tolerated, they will not learn. There must be consequences for a clear lack of willingness to learn from one’s mistakes.

What might help mitigate these factors would be some added pop to the lineup, particularly against left-handed starters, as your manager suggested. Craig Monroe has shown signs of life, but clearly is not a guy who can be counted on to produce on a consistent basis against righties. Mike Lamb’s acquisition has been a bit of a bust.

Making a move to acquire, say, Adrian Beltre, might be a worthy endeavor. You lose nothing in terms of defense, and you add a solid, right-handed power bat at a power position. Not a bad move, depending on what you have to give up to acquire him and how much of his large salary you can get the Mariners to eat.

Making this kind of move would signal the exact opposite of the signal sent in the second half of last year, when this team clearly threw up the white flag and traded Luis Castillo to the Mets for prospects. 

This would be a boon not only to the fan base, but I think to the rest of the team. Certainly your stalwarts in the middle of the lineup, Mauer and Morneau, would know that they will not be the only ones carrying the load as this team starts the pennant race in earnest.

More firepower in the lineup breeds further confidence, and the feeling that when it's time to get the job done, nobody can do it better than you. And nobody better stand in your way. 

This is killer instinct.

It starts from the top. Teams that win championships do so because their front office has that instinct—the willingness to make bold decisions to take advantage of opponents’ weaknesses while mitigating their own.

The rest of this division is weak this year. The Twins are pretty strong, Mr. Smith. Make your team stronger. Show that this is not a stepping-stone year, that you’re willing to throw it away if the team does not win as currently constructed.

Some tweaks and a slight shift in thinking could have you, Mr. Smith, as the GM who finally made the Twins a champion.

The first step toward winning a championship is always made from the top. Show your killer instinct, Mr. Smith. Make some moves, hold some guys accountable, and see if you can make this team a contender a year or two early. You might be glad you did.

I think your phone is ringing. You probably want to get that; it might be the Mariners calling back...

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