Twins call on Reds closer

[Roaddog]

Saw it on Morosi's Twitter earlier. Some reason my phone won't let me post the link.

[Cory Engelhardt]

Saw it on Morosi's Twitter earlier. Some reason my phone won't let me post the link.

I saw this too. He would not be cheap but would be a great addition to the pitching staff. What would he cost?

[Roaddog]

Raisel Iglesias

[Roaddog]

I'm not sure. Start with a SS prospect and go from there.

[Thrylos]

His deal is pretty interesting.  Signed thought 2020 for $4.5, 5, and 5M, but he can opt for arbitration and potentially cost more.  Will be 28 soon.

 

He was once a starter, did decently, and has 3 pitches.  Wonder whether the Twins are looking at him as a starter.  Cinci will be looking for long term assets, so this might be a good match

[gunnarthor]

Sounds like the Reds want a big return for him - https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/11/twins-interested-in-raisel-iglesias.html.

 

Probably want a couple top 100 prospects back, I'd imagine. 

[nicksaviking]

I'm interested but I'd rather attempt to blow the Rays away for Chris Archer first before using all the assets on a reliever.

[Seth Stohs]

Morosi's tweet said that the Twins are doing "due diligence" on Raisel Iglesius... 

 

My guess is they are doing 'due diligence' on a ton of free agents and a bunch of players who could be acquired in trades... 

[nytwinsfan]

I'd probably trade Gordon and say Felix Jorge, Zack Littell and/or Tyler Jay.  Not sure that gets it done though.

[Mr. Brooks]

I'd probably trade Gordon and say Felix Jorge, Zack Littell and/or Tyler Jay. Not sure that gets it done though.

No way I give up that much for a relief pitcher. They are way to fickle year to year, and give you less than 80 IP per season.

[Roaddog]

I'd be ok with Gordon and Jorge, and filler. No way I trade Jay even with his injuries

[jorgenswest]

They might need to give up two of their top 10 prospects. That doesn’t sound smart but the top 10 isn’t what it used to be.

 

How would our top 10 rank relative to our system of a few years ago when it was among the best in baseball? I don’t know if too many would have made that top 10. Of course it is difficult to compare because we know the failures (Meyer, Stewart, Pinto) and it would be hard to put those aside. I know that Sickels had Berrios 6 pre 2014. Lewis would make the top 10 but he can’t be traded. Gordon likely be in the 8-10 range among Pinto, Polanco and Kepler.

 

I think they must be willing to trade from the top 10 to get good pitchers in their prime.

[Winston Smith]

BA has the Twins farm system #19. Trading two top 100 guys would drop them into the mid 20's probably. I would think spending money on free agenets is a better way to go.

[sthpstm]

I've been assuming the twins would call and wondering if in their conversations Homer Bailey might come up as a way to lower the prospect cost...

[nytwinsfan]

 

No way I give up that much for a relief pitcher. They are way to fickle year to year, and give you less than 80 IP per season.

fine, but you aren't going to get him for less than that.

[jorgenswest]

BA has the Twins farm system #19. Trading two top 100 guys would drop them into the mid 20's probably. I would think spending money on free agenets is a better way to go.

I am not sure I care any longer where the system ranks.

[Mr. Brooks]

fine, but you aren't going to get him for less than that.

I'm okay with that.

[Twins33]

They might need to give up two of their top 10 prospects. That doesn’t sound smart but the top 10 isn’t what it used to be.

How would our top 10 rank relative to our system of a few years ago when it was among the best in baseball? I don’t know if too many would have made that top 10. Of course it is difficult to compare because we know the failures (Meyer, Stewart, Pinto) and it would be hard to put those aside. I know that Sickels had Berrios 6 pre 2014. Lewis would make the top 10 but he can’t be traded. Gordon likely be in the 8-10 range among Pinto, Polanco and Kepler.

I think they must be willing to trade from the top 10 to get good pitchers in their prime.

Just FYI Lewis can be traded. Ruled changed in 2015 (may have gone into effect in 2016). A player drafted can be traded after the World Series is over. They can't be traded before then, even as a PTBNL.

 

Here's a link for it: https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/05/all-drafted-players-now-eligible-to-be-traded-after-world-series.html

[jorgenswest]

Didn’t know about Lewis. Thanks. Very reluctant to trade him. He would have to be part of a deal that returned a starting pitcher.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I hope the Twins are feeling out almost every young, cost-controlled arm on rebuilding teams but I don't like the idea of offering up a significant chunk of the farm system for a reliever.

 

A starter? Sure, those are hard to find in free agency. Relievers, less so.

 

If you overpay for a bum reliever, you're out maybe $25-30m over 3-4 seasons. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

[jimmer]

 

I'd probably trade Gordon and say Felix Jorge, Zack Littell and/or Tyler Jay.  Not sure that gets it done though.

hope they don't do THAT!

[Winston Smith]

The Strib says they have talked to all the other teams so far. This may be nothing at all.

[darin617]

As nice as it would be to get a closer who is under team control for a few years the Twins need to address the starting rotation first in my opinion.

 

I honestly feel the Twins are being used by the Reds to drive up the price. Just think about it, the Twins were a wild card team and a closer might push them closer to being a division leader. The Reds want to be linked to a possible contending team to drive up the price.

[kab21]

Easy pass if the price is two top 100 prospects like some suggest. I could see doing something like this (at a much lower price) at the middle/end of the offseason if the Twins can acquire a top starter through FA (unlikely) but that is where I focus any trade chips.

[The Wise One]

Pretty much any half dozen prospects older than 22 should be the bait for trade.  Any of these prospects  that have reached their peak ranking should be traded while somebody else thinks they are valuable

[Roaddog]

It may be nothing, but it is good to see they are focusing on the players they should be.

[MN_ExPat]

 

They might need to give up two of their top 10 prospects. That doesn’t sound smart but the top 10 isn’t what it used to be.

How would our top 10 rank relative to our system of a few years ago when it was among the best in baseball? I don’t know if too many would have made that top 10. Of course it is difficult to compare because we know the failures (Meyer, Stewart, Pinto) and it would be hard to put those aside. I know that Sickels had Berrios 6 pre 2014. Lewis would make the top 10 but he can’t be traded. Gordon likely be in the 8-10 range among Pinto, Polanco and Kepler.

I think they must be willing to trade from the top 10 to get good pitchers in their prime.

Ok, how is Stewart a failure (and Meyer was pitching in the Majors last year), because I would love a definition of that??   He's only 22, missed a good portion of this last year due to injury, and has progressed a level of the organization every year.   How is that a failure?

[gunnarthor]

 

They might need to give up two of their top 10 prospects. That doesn’t sound smart but the top 10 isn’t what it used to be.

How would our top 10 rank relative to our system of a few years ago when it was among the best in baseball? I don’t know if too many would have made that top 10. Of course it is difficult to compare because we know the failures (Meyer, Stewart, Pinto) and it would be hard to put those aside. I know that Sickels had Berrios 6 pre 2014. Lewis would make the top 10 but he can’t be traded. Gordon likely be in the 8-10 range among Pinto, Polanco and Kepler.

I think they must be willing to trade from the top 10 to get good pitchers in their prime.

BA was the low man on the Twins system, I believe Klaw was the high one (having us 11th before the draft). My guess is the system is top 10 now and most write ups this offseason will have us there. The Twins added a lot of talent in the draft and they had a lot of big performances in the low minors from 2016 picks.

 

As to how it compares, guys like Lewis and Gordon would have been ranked in our top 10 regardless of when. Jason Parks at BP famously wrote that the Twins 11-20 in 2014 would have been better than the Angels 1-10. BP gave the Twins 8 guys in the top 101 both years (Gordon was one of them).  Right now, the Twins probably have 4 consensus top 100 guys (Gordon, Lewis, Romero and Gonsalves) with a few others making some lists (Sickels will probably have Rooker in his top 100, Baddoo probably makes Klaw and/or fangraphs list).  But the 2014-15 system certainly has the advantages of being both top heavy and deeper. Only Lewis might end up in the Sano, Buxton, Berrios elite rankings. But Gordon is in that second tier where guys like Meyer, Kepler and occasionally Stewart were ranked. Romero and Gonsalves would have made the backend of those top tens instead of the front end.

 

On the other hand, our 11-30 might be more or less even with the group back then (depending on who is in that group). Right now, guys like Baddoo, Thorpe, Miranda, Rortvedt, Graterol, Littell, Enlow, Marte are outside it. Some will slip into most top 10s as the offseason lists come out but others won't. So the current system has some sneaky good depth. 

[bird]

 

BA was the low man on the Twins system, I believe Klaw was the high one (having us 11th before the draft). My guess is the system is top 10 now and most write ups this offseason will have us there. The Twins added a lot of talent in the draft and they had a lot of big performances in the low minors from 2016 picks.

 

As to how it compares, guys like Lewis and Gordon would have been ranked in our top 10 regardless of when. Jason Parks at BP famously wrote that the Twins 11-20 in 2014 would have been better than the Angels 1-10. BP gave the Twins 8 guys in the top 101 both years (Gordon was one of them).  Right now, the Twins probably have 4 consensus top 100 guys (Gordon, Lewis, Romero and Gonsalves) with a few others making some lists (Sickels will probably have Rooker in his top 100, Baddoo probably makes Klaw and/or fangraphs list).  But the 2014-15 system certainly has the advantages of being both top heavy and deeper. Only Lewis might end up in the Sano, Buxton, Berrios elite rankings. But Gordon is in that second tier where guys like Meyer, Kepler and occasionally Stewart were ranked. Romero and Gonsalves would have made the backend of those top tens instead of the front end.

 

On the other hand, our 11-30 might be more or less even with the group back then (depending on who is in that group). Right now, guys like Baddoo, Thorpe, Miranda, Rortvedt, Graterol, Littell, Enlow, Marte are outside it. Some will slip into most top 10s as the offseason lists come out but others won't. So the current system has some sneaky good depth. 

 

 

The depth in our system isn't lost on the other clubs. Rebuilding clubs are going to be keenly interested in picking up the phone if Falvey calls. I wouldn't necessarily assume the talks with the Reds mean a whole lot.

[whosafraidofluigirussolo]

 

I hope the Twins are feeling out almost every young, cost-controlled arm on rebuilding teams but I don't like the idea of offering up a significant chunk of the farm system for a reliever.

 

A starter? Sure, those are hard to find in free agency. Relievers, less so.

 

If you overpay for a bum reliever, you're out maybe $25-30m over 3-4 seasons. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

 

Agreed, and this year in particular, relief pitching seems to be a relative strength of a free-agent market that's fairly weak otherwise.