3 Immediate Priorities for the Twins Once the Lockout Ends

[jmlease1]

22 hours ago, Nick Nelson said:

Trades have consistently proven to be a better and safer method of acquiring impact pitching than free agency over the years. 

Those reasons remain uncompelling to me. The idea that starting Niko Goodrum at shortstop (or some other marginal FA behind Simmons/Iglesias) in order to keep Polanco at 2B is absurd. People are REALLY buying that much into the Twins' stated logic about his injury risk and such? Again: the guy was a starting SS for back-to-back division winners before last year. 

Well, I'm advocating for spending our budget on Trevor Story, so...

But I will say that I do believe that Polanco is more likely to stay healthy at 2B than at SS. I don't know how much more likely that is, but it's a non-zero number. The bigger issue for me is that I see Polanco as being a consistent all-star quality 2B, because in addition to his excellent hitting, his defense plays there, going from being a below-average defender at SS to a good one (very good one?) at 2B. If I can get 5+ WAR out of a player by playing them at a particular position, I want to do that, even if the net WAR is the same by playing them somewhere else and having a different player fill behind. all-star quality performances raise a team's ceiling; going the other way raises a team's floor. But it's much easier to raise the floor than to raise the ceiling.

[Battle ur tail off]

It really is sick how many SS the Twins have drafted, held in such high regard and never developed. You have Nick Gordon, Royce Lewis and now you have the Martin kid all in your system at once, all about the right age to debut, and we aren't talking about any of them even having a shot sticking at SS.

Honestly, if none of those guys are ready to play up the middle in the big leagues, then it is time to package them up for players that can or pitchers that excite someone. 

My plan, START one of them. Let's see what you've been working on guys. 

[Battle ur tail off]

Also, don't give me a bunch of garbage starting pitchers and stopgap SS. If you are going to do that, again, use your minor league system. There are no starters left that are any good. Trade for one. I'd pivot to the bullpen and sign the very best pitcher left on the market. Actually, sign two of them or trade for another. 

Paying mid level or washed up talent every year just doesn't make sense to me. Why not use your minor league system? Surely this can produce our #3-5/6 starters every year can't it? Why pay 35-40 year old guys to come in here and suck up payroll? Use it on only a few very high end players and fill the gaps with your system.