Cruz-ing Nicely in to 2019. But what's left to do?

[DocBauer]

I had a feeling this was going to happen, but still a bit surprised when it was announced. I have stated repeatedly, all things considered, I'd like to have a deep and talented roster where my DH could be rotating amongst several players. But rosters don't always work that way. In truth, a season from now, thjs could be a reality with the guys on hand, and the likes of Rooker and Khirilloff on board deepening the roster. But this move, especially the terms of it, makes so much sense I'm still a bit giddy it happened. The Twins added a major, experienced, powerful, veteran bat for the lineup. They added a professional bat to influence the young players around him. I know this creates a roster crunch which probably forces someone out, probably Austin, but I can live with that for what he brings to the team.

 

The way baseball is changing, and has been changing, makes me really wonder if the 25 man roster has become outdated. Having a 40 man list and pulling up players on a moments notice to fly on a red-eye is starting to make less and less sense with 12 and 13 man pitching staffs. And we still don't know how many pitchers the Twins will carry in 2019. But as much as I like the Cruz signing, it makes me reflect all the more on the rest of the roster for the upcoming season.

 

I like Adrianza, overall, as a good glove, decent bat, utility/fill in player. And I really like Astudillo, even more, for his even better bat to go along with his versatility. But in trying to build the best and deepest and most versatile roster we can, do we just bank on those guys?

 

In case you hadn't noticed, the infield/utility market is still wide open with quality veterans looking for a home. Even Marwin Gonzalez, super utility player, is looking for a place to land. Somewhat lesser names like Solarte, Beckhom, Lowrie and Flores are looking for work, amongst others. Is this the perfect time for the Twins to pounce on another quality option to build depth and lineup versatility?

 

The bullpen still needs to be addressed, and we all know that, despite some internal options that are good to interesting. Cody Allen makes so much sense to me. Herrera is available if you feel he is healthy. And there are a few others, including some starters who could embrace new life with a pen conversion.

 

Cruz was a major move. I like it! But we shouldn't stop there. What is needed and next in your opinion?

[gunnarthor]

I'd like the Twins to kick the tires on Dylan Bundy. Baltimore is in complete rebuild and Bundy will be 26 next year. His k/bb numbers actually improved over 2017 when he was basically a 3 WAR pitcher. His numbers were bad last year but seem due to a lot of hits that probably shouldn't have happened - he had a .318 babip - and his HR numbers spiked. Get him out of the AL East and a better OF defense and he could be a solid, cost controlled arm with upside.

[Channing1964]

Left handers D.Pomerantz, Keuchel, Gio Gonzalez, Wade Miley, and righty Josh Tomlin are available as are relievers Zach Britton, David Robertson, Adam Ottavino, and Hunter Strickland as well as Allen from the Indians! Besides Marwin Gonzalez we could still get Dietrich from the Marlins(a lefty bat) or Harrison from Pittsburgh.

[Doctor Wu]

I also like Adrianza and Astudillo, but adding a "super utility" guy like Gonzalez or Harrison wouldn't be such a bad move either. I also like the idea of taking a chance on a still somewhat young starting pitcher like Bundy. But mostly, I'm still hoping for a very good impact arm, or two, in the bullpen.

[h2oface]

Marwin Gonzalez and David Robertson.

[AlwaysinModeration]

I'd like the Twins to kick the tires on Dylan Bundy. Baltimore is in complete rebuild and Bundy will be 26 next year. His k/bb numbers actually improved over 2017 when he was basically a 3 WAR pitcher. His numbers were bad last year but seem due to a lot of hits that probably shouldn't have happened - he had a .318 babip - and his HR numbers spiked. Get him out of the AL East and a better OF defense and he could be a solid, cost controlled arm with upside.

Sure. He shouldn’t cost too much, I wouldn’t think. He gave up 41 homers last year, sports a career 4.63 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and gives up nearly a hit per inning. He does have three years of team control, though, and was a highly touted prospect, drafted fourth overall and debuting in the big leagues as a 19-year old, before TJ surgery derailed things.

 

Would Tyler Austin and Lewis Thorpe for Bundy be enough?

[Riverbrian]

1. Think 13 Pitchers. All the data is going to be jumping off the page to get less innings out of starters and this will require a bigger pen. 

 

2. Therefore one less position player plus a full time DH and two catchers minimum and you are down to 1 extra infielder and 1 extra outfielder.

 

Everybody needs to think about those two things. 

 

 

 

[AlwaysinModeration]

1. Think 13 Pitchers. All the data is going to be jumping off the page to get less innings out of starters and this will require a bigger pen.

 

2. Therefore one less position player plus a full time DH and two catchers minimum and you are down to 1 extra infielder and 1 extra outfielder.

 

Everybody needs to think about those two things.

Don’t forget:

Rosario is the back-up infielder.

Austin can play in the outfield.

Astudillo can do everything.

We don’t know if Rocco will want a 12 or a 13-man staff.

[Riverbrian]

Don’t forget:

Rosario is the back-up infielder.

Austin can play in the outfield.

Astudillo can do everything.

We don’t know if Rocco will want a 12 or a 13-man staff.

Rosario playing occasional infield would fulfill a dream of mine so it’s alright with me but... I don’t know if he can.

 

If he can it’s a no-brainer in my opinion.

 

Same goes with Austin in the OF.

 

Which again leads to the question.

 

Why did we not see Austin in the OF in September or August?

 

Why waste time on a short-timer like Forsythe. Rosario could of taken some reps at 2B.

 

It takes just a tiny amount of foresight to see that Austin would either be pushed to the OF or out the door.

 

I know many are fine with the door but nobody knows what Austin is yet.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

Don’t sleep on Big Toe for the super-ute

 

Agreed with RB. 13 pitchers, so there is effectively no bench. 2-3 of those 13 pitchers need to be upgraded.

 

Have there been reports of Castro’s knee status?

 

I would think Austin or Cron would be heavily discussed in trades for a Bundy type. I like that idea, and Bundy fits the target profile of the FO. Not sure how either Cron/Austin fits Baltimore.

 

More likely I think the FO rolls with in house options (maybe Kohl Stewart) for the 5th starter and bolsters the bullpen. Mejia and Gonsalves should both be mid-length/multi-inning appearance pitchers to supplement the expected short starts by Pineda, Odorizzi, and Stewart. I expect Romero to be a short appearance pitcher to help bolster the late innings.

[Channing1964]

I believe in Odirizzi....for the Rays he was always tough....he will be aight...With him, Gibson and Berrios we are ok...we need a couple comeback type starters like Miley or Gonzalez(Gio) as insurance for Pineda and Mejia if they falter. An established closer and a utility guy like Marwin would be icing on the cake man! We have to feel pretty good about our middle relief....at least i dont think Belisle will be out there!

[diehardtwinsfan]

 

Sure. He shouldn’t cost too much, I wouldn’t think. He gave up 41 homers last year, sports a career 4.63 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and gives up nearly a hit per inning. He does have three years of team control, though, and was a highly touted prospect, drafted fourth overall and debuting in the big leagues as a 19-year old, before TJ surgery derailed things.

Would Tyler Austin and Lewis Thorpe for Bundy be enough?

I'm guessing they would want more... just as we would want more if someone came asking about Buxton or Sano. Bundy hasn't been a bad pitcher, and he hasn't developed the way they'd like. but he's young enough to break out at any time and fairly cheap too. 

[Mike Sixel]

Relief pitching. Then more of that.

[IndianaTwin]

 

...In case you hadn't noticed, the infield/utility market is still wide open with quality veterans looking for a home. Even Marwin Gonzalez, super utility player, is looking for a place to land. Somewhat lesser names like Solarte, Beckhom, Lowrie and Flores are looking for work, amongst others. Is this the perfect time for the Twins to pounce on another quality option to build depth and lineup versatility?...

 

 

I've seen a couple references on TD to Beckham. No to his 66 OPS+ over the past four years.

 

And his top similarity score is Don Zimmer!

 

[Channing1964]

here's what the rest if the league be thinks...Even after signing Cruz, are Twins poised to make more moves?

Dec. 27: The Twins reportedly landed veteran slugger Nelson Cruz on Thursday to be their designated hitter, adding more power after already claiming C.J. Cron -- who hit 30 homers last season -- off waivers, and signing Jonathan Schoop to a contract after he was non-tendered by the Brewers. But could the Twins add even more to narrow the gap with the Indians in the American League Central? According to Jeff Joyce of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, they have the wherewithal to do so.

 

"I think one of the intriguing things about the Twins that a lot of people have not paid attention to is their payroll flexibility that they have going into this year," Joyce said. " ... They were able to shed a ton of payroll, especially the Joe Mauer contract, $23 million there. Ervin Santana, they said goodbye to him, that's $13 million there. You started with Brian Dozier there last year, $9 million, Logan Morrison [at] $5.5 million. They shed around $50 million in payroll and they don't have one -- not one -- guaranteed contract [on the books after next season]."

 

It remains to be seen if the Twins are aggressive in further upgrading the roster during the rest of this offseason, but they certainly appear to have the potential to shake things up in the AL Central.

[IndianaTwin]

 

Marwin Gonzalez and David Robertson.

 

I will click "like" on any post that includes David Robertson. 

[IndianaTwin]

 

Left handers D.Pomerantz, Keuchel, Gio Gonzalez, Wade Miley, and righty Josh Tomlin are available as are relievers Zach Britton, David Robertson, Adam Ottavino, and Hunter Strickland as well as Allen from the Indians! Besides Marwin Gonzalez we could still get Dietrich from the Marlins(a lefty bat) or Harrison from Pittsburgh.

 

See previous post.

[Danchat]

I would sign 2 free agent relievers (Allen / Ottavino, or some other guys on that level) and kick the tires on some trades, like for Sonny Gray or Dylan Bundy. I'd rather not chase after a free agent starter this year, as none really interest me at this point. I'd call it a day after that, I'm content with the position players at the moment.

[gunnarthor]

 

Sure. He shouldn’t cost too much, I wouldn’t think. He gave up 41 homers last year, sports a career 4.63 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, and gives up nearly a hit per inning. He does have three years of team control, though, and was a highly touted prospect, drafted fourth overall and debuting in the big leagues as a 19-year old, before TJ surgery derailed things.

Would Tyler Austin and Lewis Thorpe for Bundy be enough?

So last year the Orioles moved Gausman and O'Day for four prospects from Atlanta, only two of them were in the top 30 of their system, the highest peaking at 15. At the time of the trade, Gausman had a 4.43 era (94 ERA+) in 121 innings and about 2 WAR of value. He had one less year of control than Bundy. A package built around Baddoo and Rortvedt would have been a better package than the one that they got.

 

Last year, before he rolled his ankle, Bundy had, in 16 starts, a 3.75 era in 96 innings. I don't know the ERA+ or WAR value of that at the time but he was a better pitcher than Gausman. He was giving up fewer hits than innings pitched, walking few and striking out a ton of guys. After he came back from the DL, he was a different pitcher and it destroyed his season stats (101 hits in 75 innings. 7.60 era in that span although it also had an insane .350 babip). The rumor is that the Orioles new FO wants to see Bundy re-establish his value before moving him. They'll want a deal better than the Gausman deal, ideally hoping he puts up a Cy Young caliber first half of the year and gets a bidding war going. But if the Twins were aggressive now and were willing to put a deal together around something like Graterol and Baddoo or Gonsalves or Thorpe and Javier or such, I'm not sure Baltimore's new FO wouldn't take it now. But it would be a risk. If the Bundy from the second half is all that's left, that's a huge blunder by us.

[oregontwin]

Today we are going to see 12-13 pitchers per staff and too few bench players to allow for sensible substitutions. I've been saying for several years that they either need to limit the number of pitchers a team can carry to 9 or 10 or, alternatively, expand the roster - which will do no good without once again limiting the pitching staff. As a baseball fan I have trouble believing that games are too long, but.... If you want to shorten them some, reduce the number of pitching changes that can occur. Look back on last season's playoff to see how to make a game drag on with endless pitching changes. It might not shorten the games, but I'd rather watch a ball in play than another warmup.

[TwinsTerritory]

Let's think big and try to win the division!

 

1. Sign David Robertson to a 2 yr/$22M deal with a $11M vesting option for year 3.

 

Robertson would solidify the back end of the bullpen and if the third year is a vesting option, the Twins would reduce their risk.

 

2. Trade Nick Gordon, Blayne Enlow, Lamonte Wade and Tyler Austin to the Diamondbacks for Zach Grienke, Eduardo Escobar (and $44.5M to help cover Grienke's salary).

 

I have no idea what the Diamondbacks think they'll get for Grienke or how much money they're willing to eat, but adding Grienke to the top of the rotation with Berrios would solidify the starters and replacing Austin on the roster with Escobar would provide a ton of flexibility that the Twins currently don't have with the Cruz signing.  

 

Line-up

1. Eduardo Escobar 3B/SS/2B

2. Jorge Polanco  SS

3. Nelson Cruz  DH

4. Eddie Rosario  LF

5. Miguel Sano  1B/3B

6. Max Kepler RF

7. Jonathan Schoop 2B

8. Byron Buxton CF

9. Jason Castro C

 

Bench

Mitch Garver C

C.J. Cron 1B

Ehire Adrianza IF

Jake Cave OF

 

Starting Pitchers

1. Zach Grienke

2. Jose Berrios

3. Kyle Gibson

4. Jake Odorizzi

5. Michael Pineda

 

Bullpen

David Robertson

Trevor Hildenberger

Addison Reed

Taylor Rodgers

Trevor May

Fernando Romero

Aldeberto Mejia

[ChrisKnutson]

Now that Cruz is on board, I’d like to see the FO sign Cody Allen and Gio Gonzalez to 2yr deals, and then see what they can get for Austin (or Cron)/Astudillo/Cave/SP depth.

[dgwills]

 

Relief pitching. Then more of that.

After they have that accomplished, they should probably sign one more quality reliever. Just in case.

[sweetmusicviola16]

Sign Britton or Robertson. Add Herrera and Brach. Do 2 year with an option deals and you still have nothing committed beyond 2020.

 

I'm in the camp of wouldn't mind seeing a Marwin Gonalez signing too. But I suspect that not happening based on the current roster makeup.

[Mr. Brooks]

Let's think big and try to win the division!

 

1. Sign David Robertson to a 2 yr/$22M deal with a $11M vesting option for year 3.

 

Robertson would solidify the back end of the bullpen and if the third year is a vesting option, the Twins would reduce their risk.

 

2. Trade Nick Gordon, Blayne Enlow, Lamonte Wade and Tyler Austin to the Diamondbacks for Zach Grienke, Eduardo Escobar (and $44.5M to help cover Grienke's salary).

 

I have no idea what the Diamondbacks think they'll get for Grienke or how much money they're willing to eat, but adding Grienke to the top of the rotation with Berrios would solidify the starters and replacing Austin on the roster with Escobar would provide a ton of flexibility that the Twins currently don't have with the Cruz signing.

 

Line-up

1. Eduardo Escobar 3B/SS/2B

2. Jorge Polanco SS

3. Nelson Cruz DH

4. Eddie Rosario LF

5. Miguel Sano 1B/3B

6. Max Kepler RF

7. Jonathan Schoop 2B

8. Byron Buxton CF

9. Jason Castro C

 

Bench

Mitch Garver C

C.J. Cron 1B

Ehire Adrianza IF

Jake Cave OF

 

Starting Pitchers

1. Zach Grienke

2. Jose Berrios

3. Kyle Gibson

4. Jake Odorizzi

5. Michael Pineda

 

Bullpen

David Robertson

Trevor Hildenberger

Addison Reed

Taylor Rodgers

Trevor May

Fernando Romero

Aldeberto Mejia

We are on Grienke's no trade list. How many years are you willing to tack on to his deal to get him to waive it?

[TwinsTerritory]

 

We are on Grienke's no trade list. How many years are you willing to tack on to his deal to get him to waive it?

 

I wouldn't be willing to tack years on, and maybe that would be the end of the conversation.  However, maybe Grienke would look around and see that Arizona has decided to rebuild and he'd waive his no trade clause.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

I would...Da...like to see...vid...the Twins kick ...Rob...some tires for....ert....a strong....son....reliever.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Deftly acquiring valuable individuals desired, requires observations by every reasonable Twins' scout over nineteen.   Can you solve the simple puzzle? It is written in code to confuse the White  Sox.

[Mr. Brooks]

I wouldn't be willing to tack years on, and maybe that would be the end of the conversation. However, maybe Grienke would look around and see that Arizona has decided to rebuild and he'd waive his no trade clause.

If he's going to waive it without getting anything in return, he's going to waive it for a team that won more than 78 games last year, 4 fewer, by the way, than the Diamondbacks did.

[ashbury]

I would...Da...like to see...vid...the Twins kick ...Rob...some tires for....ert....a strong....son....reliever.

Well... sub... played...liminally... Sir.