Josh Willingham+Justin Morneau for Mike Olt

[DaveW]

Boom. Do it.

[LoganJones]

Why would they want to do that? They being Texas.

[DaveW]

Desperation.

 

They need bats, now that they don't have Hamilton or Upton a guy like Willigham would slot in perfectly in that ball park.

[gunnarthor]

That's not a totally insane trade idea. Morneau would do great in Texas and they need a first baseman. And Willingham would obviously be a good fit. Olt's a good prospect but not without concerns, mainly his defense.

[Mr. Ed]

That's not a totally insane trade idea. Morneau would do great in Texas and they need a first baseman. And Willingham would obviously be a good fit. Olt's a good prospect but not without concerns, mainly his defense.

 

If there are defensive concerns then this trade will never happen. Defensive concerns won't work with your fundamentally sound MN Twins.

[Brad Swanson]

If there are defensive concerns then this trade will never happen. Defensive concerns won't work with your fundamentally sound MN Twins.

 

There are no defensive concerns with Olt. Scouting Report: Mike Olt (3B) | Baseball Prospect Nation

 

No chance Texas would make this trade.

[RedBull34]

There are no defensive concerns with Olt. Scouting Report: Mike Olt (3B) | Baseball Prospect Nation

 

No chance Texas would make this trade.

 

And here I am thinking that the Twins should at least get a second piece of some kind in this deal...

[Brad Swanson]

I should say that the deal isn't really unfair, it just doesn't make a lot of sense for Texas. If they really want to trade Olt, they probably can get a better deal. Olt also could just play first for Texas.

[Lesser Dali]

Straight up for Olt - Hecks Nah. Straight up for Profar - Hecks Yah, but that's not going to happen.

 

Since the Twins will most probably be dragging their knuckles on the cellar floor next season - it is best to give Plouffe a solid final look over at the hot corner in 2013, even though most people on this site think he is destined for failure - whats the worst thing that can happen? An error he commits loses the Twins a game. I believe the game(s) he loses for the Twins will be lost in a sea of losses caused by embarrassing awful starting pitching.

[DaveW]

I should say that the deal isn't really unfair, it just doesn't make a lot of sense for Texas. If they really want to trade Olt, they probably can get a better deal. Olt also could just play first for Texas.

yeah it would prob take another piece from the Twins...maybe? I dunno though, Olt is a very nice prospect but is more in the 15-20 range then the top 5 range IMO.

 

Didn't they try to get Upton for Olt and the Diamondbacks declined? (I could be totally wrong on this)

 

I also think Morneau brings some value to the plate as well for them, and you never know....teams do tend to do silly things sometimes when a rival goes out and makes a huge splash.

[Brock Beauchamp]

teams do tend to do silly things sometimes when a rival goes out and makes a huge splash.

 

See Revere, Ben and Phillies, Philadelphia.

[gunnarthor]

There are no defensive concerns with Olt. Scouting Report: Mike Olt (3B) | Baseball Prospect Nation

 

No chance Texas would make this trade.

 

Yep, you're right. My bad.

[LimestoneBaggy]

I don't think I've ever agreed with Dave on something like this, but man I would love that trade. Olt to 3rd, Plouffe to 2nd......give them Dozier if they want a third piece....this also would provide protection from Sano's likely move to first, frees up Parmalee out of lost ville (population 1) and for the craps of it, bring up Arcia and Hicks when the timing is right to keep them under control longer.

 

--> And this is why this would never happen.

[Riverbrian]

I'd be more inclined to go after Perez... even if Olt is considered the better prospect.

[nicksaviking]

I'd be interested but average fan backlash could be quite vicious. It would be hard to argue attendance wouldn't take a large hit losing those two. You also don't often see two established vets moved for one prospect. I'm interested but it would take guts to make that move. Even if Ryan had it in him, this is the kind of move that could get vetoed by ownership due to short-sighted attendance concerns.

[Mike Sixel]

Short sighted? How are attendance concerns not relevant at all? That said, I would consider the trade, because it isn't my reputation and money on the line....

[LimestoneBaggy]

River...you're supposed to agree with me, to prove the Forks stand united.

[lee_the_twins_fan]

This trade makes no sense – for the Twins. A) We're looking for pitching. Why trade our last two pieces of any value for someone who may be a flash in the pan? I'm sorry, but I don't see this happening. And C) Plouffe is not going to second base. Maybe to OF, but not 2B.

[AllhopeisgoneMNTWINS]

And here I am thinking that the Twins should at least get a second piece of some kind in this deal...

 

I dont think the Rangers would make this trade, but I do believe that it would be a fair trade, and I dont think youre too far off to say the Twins maybe should get a lower level pitching prospect with moderate upside.

[JP3700]

Although I like the idea. Corner infield power isn't really a problem right now. With Plouffe, Morneau and Parmelee. Along with possibly Sano, Vargas and Harrison in the future.

 

With the Mariners missing out on Hamilton, my hope is that they also miss out on Swisher and become desperate for that power bat they've been seeking. That's when we jump in with Willingham, and look for a package similar to the Revere deal. Maybe a return of Brandon Maurer and Hector Noesi

[Riverbrian]

River...you're supposed to agree with me, to prove the Forks stand united.

 

oops sorry... My bad...

 

Man I would love that trade... Olt to Third... Plouffe to 2B... Id even throw in Dozier to get the deal done. Could you imagine Olt at 3B and Sano at 1B down the line... Not to mention Rosario at 2B...

 

If that trade doesn't work... I wonder if going after pitching like Perez doesn't make sense as well.

 

lol... Go UND!!!

[johnnydakota]

Ham and Justin ? I want Profar and Olt, even if we had to throw in Florimon and Harrison

[ScottyB]

Heck, I'd go Willingham, Morneau, $7M and Corey Williams/Matt Hauser or Matt Summers for Derek Holland and a mid level pitching or MI prospect.

[diehardtwinsfan]

Not to say that I wouldn't like Olt, but given the team's needs, I wouldn't consider this unless it was for a high upside middle infielder or more pitching.

[TopGunn#22]

I think the Twins are giving up too much in this. Consider: The Rangers are a "WIN NOW" club and they no longer have Hamilton (who has just moved to a divisional rival). You offer Texas Morneau, The Hammer and a decent prospect (not a pitcher) for Olt and Holland. Texas plays in a hitters park where Morneau and The Hammer would flourish. Texas has a full rotation and Holland is on the block. If we spend not one dollar more on free agent pitchers, Holland is better than anyone we could sign. Heck, with the savings from Morneau and Willingham they could overpay for Marcum or Jackson or Sanchez. The key is what prospect do you give up? It has to be someone of value, just not a pitcher. With Parmalee at 1B and Olt at 3B why not give Plouffe a shot at 2B? With that kind of power in the infield, a gloveman like Florimon is O.K. The outfield would need both Hicks and Arcia but so what!!! With a trade like this we would have a solid rebuild in progress! We could find a corner outfielder on the market for a reasonable price. Maybe Benson would be the guy. The key is, Texas needs to WIN NOW. Why wait for Olt to develop when you could get 55 HR's and 180 rbi out of Morneau and Willingham. Finally, our starting staff in 2013 and beyond would be:

Holland

Worley

Diamond

Corriea

Gibson/Hendricks

With Meyer, May, J.O. Berrios, Wimmers, etc...in the pipeline. What top 10 Twins hitting prospect would you include in this package to get Holland and Olt???

[kab21]

1st - Holland was only available when the rangers were trying to sign Greinke. They didn't and now they will keep him.

 

2nd - It's hard to say whether or not the Rangers would do a Willy/Morneau/Olt trade but I would. No, it's not pitching but it's a really good value and currently the only hope the Twins have at 3B in the next couple of seasons (or longer considering Harrison/Sano play terrible defense) is Plouffe. I would prefer pitching but Olt is a really good prospect. There's also the theory that the Twins could spend more money in FA...

 

tbh - I know there is an extreme pitching need but the Twins offense starts getting a little thin until guys like Buxton, Sano, Rosario, Kepler, etc make the jump from Low A or rk ball. I wouldn't overlook Olt just because of the need for pitching. Perhaps Plouffe could play 2nd.

 

By midseason

C - Mauer

1B - Parmelee

2B - Plouffe?

SS - ?

3B - Olt

LF - Plouffe?

CF - Hicks

RF - Arcia

DH - Doumit

[glunn]

It seems to me that Morneau and Willingham might fetch a lot more if the Twins wait until the trade deadline is approaching.

[diehardtwinsfan]

Again, I like Olt... but there's this kid named Sano that will be playing in A+ ball next year and AA/AAA in 2014 who last I heard was a pretty decent 3B prospect. In the mean time, there's this huge freaking vacuum of players up the middle and on the mound. I wouldnt' mind Olt in a Twins uni, but he isn't the guy we should be targeting when we trade Morneau and Willingham. The guys in Texas that we would like want are Profar, Cody Buckel, or maybe Martin Perez.

[Shane Wahl]

I like Olt a lot and I actually think the Rangers would go for that trade given the existence of Beltre. They also have Joey Gallo for the post-Beltre years. But I think the Twins should not be in the business of trading X number of veterans for X-1 number of prospects. I would look for Willingham to Texas and Morneau to Baltimore or something, and in that case, neither one before the deadline. Maybe Justin Grimm for Willingham? Schoop for Morneau?

[DaveW]

Again, I like Olt... but there's this kid named Sano that will be playing in A+ ball next year and AA/AAA in 2014 who last I heard was a pretty decent 3B prospect. In the mean time, there's this huge freaking vacuum of players up the middle and on the mound. I wouldnt' mind Olt in a Twins uni, but he isn't the guy we should be targeting when we trade Morneau and Willingham. The guys in Texas that we would like want are Profar, Cody Buckel, or maybe Martin Perez.

 

Sano's chances of sticking at 3rd base are less then 50%, him being at least an average defensive 3rd baseman is less then 30% at this point, also he is still a long ways off... period. Assuming that he is the long term answer at 3rd base at this point would be a mistake.

 

I love how we haven't had a legit 3rd baseman since Koskie, and suddenly some feel that a half of a season from Plouffe (I think he sticks offensively, but defense is a question), and Sano are suddenly all the depth we need.