Rumor: Gray and Maeda Drawing Trade Interest

[mnfireman]

In the wake of losing the Carlos Correa sweepstakes, it appears other teams may smell blood in the water and are calling about starting pitchers Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda.

Should the Twins decide to start trading pieces for 2023, this could signal a massive mid-offseason pivot that is rare to see in baseball and probably unprecedented in the history of the Minnesota Twins organization.

What do you think? Should the Twins pivot this drastically in a division that once again looks weak in 2023?

View full rumor

[DFlow]

If Falvine came into the offseason with no Plan B in the event that Correa signed elsewhere (which now seems apparent), then we have to pivot fast. Per usual, the Twins misread the market and the last marquee free agent (Rodon) is unlikely to come to MN. We can:

A) Pickup two good bullpen arms (Fulmer/Chafin for 13 mil), sign a middling free agent pitcher to a one year deal (we know how this goes), and sign JD for a one year deal (12 mil plus club option). We raise the floor of the team and if we make the playoffs we get swept out of the playoffs. This is the likely scenario (60% chance of happening).

B) Have some balls and sign Rodon + two decent bullpen arms (same as above). This is the only remaining move that elevates the teams ceiling this year from a FA perspective. We can finally match up pitching wise in October. 5% chance of happening.

C) Flip the guys in the last year of their deal unless they agree to Falvey friendly deals. Start another soft rebuild. 35% chance of happening.

 

[Nashvilletwin]

Of course they are.  Boy, it didn’t take long for the wolves to start circling.

The general consensus around the league must be that the Twins are now up the creek without a paddle. The “we can compete with Correa” illusion has been shattered and there is not much left behind it. The FO wrapped up the team’s entire persona in getting Correa signed, and now that he’s going somewhere else, it’s clear that the emperor is basically naked - a middling staff, no above average position player except Buxton (the few games he actually plays) and possibly Arraez, a depleted prospect list, and a disheartened fickle fan base.

Falvey and Levine will be getting the calls from now until the trade deadline for any player who will not be part of the two-three year rebuild. There is a high likelihood that unless this team catches fire out of the gate, Mahle, Maeda, Gray, Kepler, Polanco and Arraez are gone by August 1.

[weitz41]

Did the Twins get moved into the AL East or NL west because they didn't sign Correa? NO? So we're still in the central? Blow the whole thing up because we didn't get the guy we weren't expected to get to begin with? Sound a lot like the Packer fans I have to listen to everyday this season. R-E-L-A-X...Go shovel some snow. Let the dog go play in the snow. EXHALE. 

[Doctor Gast]

Absolute idiotic terrible rumor, Makes absolutely no sense in any way, It makes me wonder where Hayes got his info. Most likely from teams that want to pick them up on the cheap. FO should slam the phone on any offers like this. That garbage should not have been printed. 

[DJL44]

Gray is eligible for a qualifying offer. Any trade for him has got to be pretty highly priced. Maeda will likely be worth more at the trade deadline than he is right now.

[LewFordLives]

Never say never, but yeah, I think this is unlikely. I have seen nothing to indicate that Falvey is interested in doing a rebuild.

The only scenario I can see them trading Gray is if they acquire another starter and then are blown away by a trade offer for Gray. 

They can always flip them at the trade deadline if they are out of it.

[dxpavelka]

7 hours ago, DFlow said:

If Falvine came into the offseason with no Plan B in the event that Correa signed elsewhere (which now seems apparent), then we have to pivot fast. Per usual, the Twins misread the market and the last marquee free agent (Rodon) is unlikely to come to MN. We can:

A) Pickup two good bullpen arms (Fulmer/Chafin for 13 mil), sign a middling free agent pitcher to a one year deal (we know how this goes), and sign JD for a one year deal (12 mil plus club option). We raise the floor of the team and if we make the playoffs we get swept out of the playoffs. This is the likely scenario (60% chance of happening).

B) Have some balls and sign Rodon + two decent bullpen arms (same as above). This is the only remaining move that elevates the teams ceiling this year from a FA perspective. We can finally match up pitching wise in October. 5% chance of happening.

C) Flip the guys in the last year of their deal unless they agree to Falvey friendly deals. Start another soft rebuild. 35% chance of happening.

 

Actually Plan B was one of the first things they did this off-season.  Farmer will be one of the top 5 bats in this lineup.

[Irishman]

I oppose to trade Gray and Maeda.  Because we don't have any good SP other than Gray, Maeda, Ryan and Mahle. 

 

[Original_JB]

1 hour ago, Doctor Gast said:

Absolute idiotic terrible rumor, Makes absolutely no sense in any way, It makes me wonder where Hayes got his info. Most likely from teams that want to pick them up on the cheap. FO should slam the phone on any offers like this. That garbage should not have been printed. 

Were we reading the same article? I didn't see a single "offer" mentioned, just a bunch of "where things sit right now" facts. The FO would be idiots to not listen to what other teams had to offer; they are not forced to act on them.

[gman]

It wouldn't surprise me if they traded anyone this off season or any other off season, if the trade makes the team better long term. The team wasn't good enough to make the playoffs last season, although they might have if not for all the injuries. What they need is a complete season of play from Kirilloff, Larnach,  Miranda, Jeffers, Ober, Grey, Maeda, Mahli and as much as possible from Lewis, Arraez, Polanco & Buxton. Maybe Julian, and Martin as the right handed utilty outfielder.

[baul0010]

37 minutes ago, dxpavelka said:

Actually Plan B was one of the first things they did this off-season.  Farmer will be one of the top 5 bats in this lineup.

If that is the case, we are in for a long year of losing.

[Irishman]

19 minutes ago, baul0010 said:

If that is the case, we are in for a long year of losing.

That’s I am dreading………….

[Linus]

Does anybody want Falvine overseeing a rebuild?  If they start dumping people the FO needs to go with them. 

[tony&rodney]

It makes sense to listen and have conversations with every team. St. Louis likely is wishing they had another decent starting pitcher. Maybe there is a match there. Miami still needs some bats and has plenty of pitching. Maybe there is a match there. As we saw from the three team trade last week, teams often prefer a specific player from a team. The trick is to line up the pieces, which means to keep an open mind as to the end results.

[jmlease1]

4 hours ago, dxpavelka said:

Actually Plan B was one of the first things they did this off-season.  Farmer will be one of the top 5 bats in this lineup.

Better bats than farmer on the twins roster right now: Buxton, Polanco, Arraez, Miranda, Larnach, Gordon, and Wallner. That's 7 even without considering Kepler (who even in a relatively poor year out-hit Farmer), Kirilloff (who is healthy, and it's fair to be skeptical, is a significantly better hitter), and Garlick (who should only have a part-time role).

Let's not be hysterical here.

I'm sure Gray & Maeda are drawing interest; I expect Mahle is as well. I wouldn't expect the twins to move any of them. But I would listen to offers, especially if the team is looking at the trade market for pitching because they might be able to get some of the prospect capital they need by moving Maeda, for example, to get someone better. Gray is not going anywhere unless the team stinks out the gate and is out of it by midseason, same with Mahle. but of course teams are asking. I'm also fairly certainly we're getting low-ball offers, especially from big market teams who think we should be grateful to send players to them for a used ball rack and the changes in their couch cushions.

[Mike Sixel]

I'd deal anyone they don't think will be here in two years. This team isn't great. They have one star, and he's going to play 100 games. 

[howeda7]

Lol. The fact that this is even a rumor speaks to the ineptitude of this front office. Sure. Blow it up. Trade Gray, Maeda, Mahle, Lopez, Kepler, Planco and hell even Arreaz. With a $60 million payroll it won't matter that you draw 10,000 fans per game and get the worst TV ratings in your history the year before you try and secure a new TV deal. If it means Falvey is fired at the end of the season, it's worth it.

[sorney]

13 hours ago, DFlow said:

If Falvine came into the offseason with no Plan B in the event that Correa signed elsewhere (which now seems apparent), then we have to pivot fast. Per usual, the Twins misread the market and the last marquee free agent (Rodon) is unlikely to come to MN. We can:

A) Pickup two good bullpen arms (Fulmer/Chafin for 13 mil), sign a middling free agent pitcher to a one year deal (we know how this goes), and sign JD for a one year deal (12 mil plus club option). We raise the floor of the team and if we make the playoffs we get swept out of the playoffs. This is the likely scenario (60% chance of happening).

B) Have some balls and sign Rodon + two decent bullpen arms (same as above). This is the only remaining move that elevates the teams ceiling this year from a FA perspective. We can finally match up pitching wise in October. 5% chance of happening.

C) Flip the guys in the last year of their deal unless they agree to Falvey friendly deals. Start another soft rebuild. 35% chance of happening.

 

If Falvine came in with no Plan B, do we really want them in charge of the pivot?!?!

[Beast]

I’d be happier with them blowing it up at this point instead of continuing with their embarrassing charade.

Nobody in their right mind could possibly think this is a competitive roster.  I’m not supporting a half-assed attempt at competing (which is their style).  I’m more likely to praise the front office and support the team for growing a spine, admitting they’ve screwed the proverbial pooch roster-wise, and blow it up.

This isn’t just Correa that P’s me off, as everyone seems to think.  It’s not that they didn’t pay $350 over 13 years.  I get that.  But, they’ve made a series of awful decisions over a number of years that painted them into a corner where the only move was to get themselves into a bidding war they never had a chance in for PR purposes.  Leaking reports of these “offers,” etc.  knowing from day 1 they weren’t willing to enter the same universe as real teams (no, I don’t consider the Twins a real MLB team, they’re a punching bag.  The fall guy.  An NPC).  This was BS from day 1.  

The lead up and sickening bald-faced lip service during the process to try and trick as many fans as possible into sticking around is what pisses me off.  Quit the constant twisting and manipulative PR crap, and just do you damn job.  Then explain to fans what your actual job is and what you’re actually doing.  People respect honesty.  These dirty used car salesman tactics the Pohlads keep troweling out disgusts me.  I have more respect for franchises like the Royals who don’t try to convince their fan base they’re “all-in,” etc.  I never want to hear the terms “all-in” or “compete” or “win” out of these losers mouths every again.

The incompetence is just incredible.  From top to bottom.

 

[RaoulDuke]

6 hours ago, LewFordLives said:

Never say never, but yeah, I think this is unlikely. I have seen nothing to indicate that Falvey is interested in doing a rebuild.

The only scenario I can see them trading Gray is if they acquire another starter and then are blown away by a trade offer for Gray. 

They can always flip them at the trade deadline if they are out of it.

What if someone offered a young pitching prospect with a lot of upside, someone like Chase Petty.

[Mike Sixel]

1 minute ago, RaoulDuke said:

What if someone offered a young pitching prospect with a lot of upside, someone like Chase Petty.

It was a great trade last year. They had the team, it just fell apart with injuries.

Now? Now I'd do the reverse for Mahle (I think they can use an option to keep Gray). They don't have Urshela or CC. We know Buxton won't stay healthy. This team has a very nice floor, but the ceiling is way too low, IMO. 

[USAFChief]

I'm not opposed to blowing it up, in fact I think it probably is the wisest course of action. 

But I'd wait till summer. Both Mahle and Maeda would most likely fetch more then than now, if they prove healthy. Nobody is paying full price for either today, when both are coming back from injury.

If we get to July and it's another lost season, dump it all then. Gray, Mahle, 

Maeda, Polanco at minimum. 

[Mike Sixel]

Just now, USAFChief said:

I'm not opposed to blowing it up, in fact I think it probably is the wisest course of action. 

But I'd wait till summer. Both Mahle and Maeda would most likely fetch more then than now, if they prove healthy. Nobody is paying full price for either today, when both are coming back from injury.

If we get to July and it's another lost season, dump it all then. Gray, Mahle, 

Maeda, Polanco at minimum. 

There is merit in this, though I'm not sure Mahle is at a low point. They can have him throw and get checked out. But I get your point.

[RaoulDuke]

Just now, Mike Sixel said:

It was a great trade last year. They had the team, it just fell apart with injuries.

Now? Now I'd do the reverse for Mahle (I think they can use an option to keep Gray). They don't have Urshela or CC. We know Buxton won't stay healthy. This team has a very nice floor, but the ceiling is way too low, IMO. 

Ya I was happy with the trade at the time just being overly pessimistic now lol. 

It hurts to see the rebuild stuff start to pop up after they spent a ton of prospect capital last year only to have it fall apart. 

[Parfigliano]

14 hours ago, mnfireman said:

In the wake of losing the Carlos Correa sweepstakes, it appears other teams may smell blood in the water and are calling about starting pitchers Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda.

Should the Twins decide to start trading pieces for 2023, this could signal a massive mid-offseason pivot that is rare to see in baseball and probably unprecedented in the history of the Minnesota Twins organization.

What do you think? Should the Twins pivot this drastically in a division that once again looks weak in 2023?

 

View full rumor

 

I hope not.

[bloggymcbloggerson]

anybody can make a call. i just think this is other teams doing due diligence after seeing them get jilted by correa

[adorduan]

1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

I'd deal anyone they don't think will be here in two years. This team isn't great. They have one star, and he's going to play 100 games. 

I like your optimism....

[Mike Sixel]

3 minutes ago, adorduan said:

I like your optimism....

That's me!

[Doctor Gast]

6 hours ago, Original_JB said:

Were we reading the same article? I didn't see a single "offer" mentioned, just a bunch of "where things sit right now" facts. The FO would be idiots to not listen to what other teams had to offer; they are not forced to act on them.

Drawing interest is floating out offers. No offers were mentioned because they weren't any worth mentioning.

Quoting DJL44 "Gray is eligible for a qualifying offer. Any trade for him has got to be pretty highly priced. Maeda will likely be worth more at the trade deadline than he is right now."

Me saying saying "slam the phone down", should not be taken literately because I don't encourage rudeness. I'm saying that we need pitching so why do we want to trade 2 SP at their low value for a bunch of lottery tickets? Maeda has negative trading value, do you know what that means? That means if you want to trade him in exchange you receive one poor lottery ticket & pay the other team around $5MM to take him. In this scenario this FO should have absolutely no interest what so ever in trading these 2 SP, there is no way a trade involving these 2 can benefit us. Those are the facts. Also I'm not interested in trading Kepler for a bunch of lottery tickets either.