Three Top-Tier Left-Handed Starting Pitchers the Twins Should Consider Signing

[Cody Schoenmann]

Four of the Twins' five rotation spots are occupied for the 2024 season. With the fifth spot up for grabs, should the Twins pursue one of these three top-tier left-handed starting pitchers?

Image courtesy of Orlando Ramirez - USA TODAY Sports

The Twins haven't had a left-handed starting pitcher to be optimistic about since the departure of Francisco Liriano during the 2012 Trade Deadline. Despite that, the Twins are in a unique position this offseason, planning to fill their last rotation spot through free agency, trade, or a young right-handed internal option in Louie Varland, Simeon Woods Richardson, or David Festa. 

Though the Twins will likely seriously consider pursuing right-handed pitching free-agent options like Sonny Gray, Kenta Maeda, Michael Wacha, and Lucas Giolito, they may pursue the first optimism-inducing left-handed starting pitcher since Liriano left over 10 years ago. 

There is a surplus of second and third-tier left-handed starting pitching options the Twins could pursue in Wade Miley, James Paxton, and Hyun Jin Ryu, but there are three top-tier options the Twins should seriously consider signing.

Here are three top-tier free-agent left-handed starting pitchers the Twins should consider signing:

Blake Snell - 32 G, 180 IP, 31.5% K%, 13.3% BB%, 44.4% GB%, 2.25 ERA, 3.44 WHIP, 4.1 fWAR - San Diego Padres 

The first top-tier left-handed starting pitcher the Twins should consider signing comes in the form of soon-to-be 2023 NL Cy Young Award-winner Blake Snell. 

The most crucial characteristic of Snell's to note is that he is a highly volatile pitcher whose performance level undergoes extreme transformations. For example, from March 30 to May 19, Snell had a 5.40 ERA, 5.52 FIP, 18.8% HR/FB, 73.2% LOB%, and 27 walks and 48 strikeouts over 45 innings pitched and 202 total batters faced for the San Diego Padres.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Snell's performance improved significantly, and he pitched himself to a 1.55 ERA, 2.92 FIP, 8.2% HR/FB, 90.3% LOB%, and 74 walks and 191 strikeouts over 139 IP and 559 total batters faced from late-May to the end of the 2023 regular season.

Despite the extreme fluctuation in performance during the 2023 season, Snell is usually a predictably formidable left-handed pitcher who can dominate lineups at a rate very few can achieve.

Snell's pitch mix includes the following:

(*Percentages indicate how often Snell threw each pitch.)

• 4-Seam Fastball - (48.6%)
• Curveball - (19.8%)
• Changeup - (18.4%)
• Slider - (13.1%)

Like most pitchers, Snell relies heavily on his 4-seam fastball, but he is unique in how equally distributed his off-speed pitches are. Snell's nearly identical curveball and changeup usage mixed with not-far-behind slider usage leaves hitters guessing, especially when he is ahead in counts.

Snell is a high strikeout and swing-and-miss pitcher, evidenced by his 94th-percentile K% and 98th-percentile Whiff%. This archetype would fit perfectly with a Twins starting rotation that broke their single-season franchise strikeout record during the 2023 season. Snell's high K% and Whiff% are his greatest strengths as a starting pitcher. Unfortunately, the monkey's paw, of sorts, of Snell's high strikeout rate is that he gives up an immense amount of walks, evidenced by his 4th-percentile BB%. 

When assessing the risk of offering a 30-year-old pitcher a five-year contract worth over $100 million, teams must take Snell's volatile nature and high walk rate into account. Now, this type of financial commitment to a soon-to-be two-time Cy Young Award winner is nothing to large market teams like the Yankees and Dodgers that can afford this deal to blow up in their face (SEE: Carlos Rodón). 

Unfortunately, the Twins don't live in a world where they can take risks like this. Risk is a vehicle by which privilege reinforces itself, meaning only the privileged can take risks, and only risks are rewarded. The Twins can afford to have one behemoth contract, and that contract belongs to Carlos Correa. The Twins will have to be savvy and calculated with every other move they make, and signing Snell to an egregiously bloated contract would be neither savvy nor calculated. 

In a world where self-imposed spending restrictions didn't exist, Snell would be a perfect fit for the Twins. The Twins need a frontline start to complement Pablo López, and Snell is precisely that. 

Snell is signed to Boras Corporation, which famously has a great relationship with Derek Falvey, and this iteration of the Twins front office has expressed interest in trading for him in the past. However, to think the Twins have a legitimate chance of signing him this upcoming offseason is merely a hoop dream and nothing else. 

Jim Bowden's Contract Prediction for Snell: Five years, $122 million ($24.4 million AAV)

Eduardo Rodriguez - 26 G, 152 2/3 IP, 23% K%, 7.7% BB%, 3.30 ERA, 3.66 FIP, 3.0 fWAR

The next left-handed starting pitcher the Twins should consider signing comes in the form of former divisional foe Eduardo Rodriguez. 

When healthy, Rodriguez is a force to be reckoned with. Similarly to Snell, Rodriguez is a left-handed pitcher who can overpower hitters through his deep assortment of offspeed pitches. 

Rodriguez's pitch mix includes the following:

• 4-Seam Fastball (45.4%)
• Cutter (19.3%)
• Changeup (18.9%)
• Sinker (9.3%)
• Slider (7.2%)

Similarly to former Rays great starting pitcher David Price, Rodriguez uses his sinker and cutter to paint the outside corner of the strike zone as an east-to-west pitcher. Rodriguez also uses his elite changeup as a knockout pitch for left and right-handed hitters.

Now, the first two things that come to mind to those who follow baseball when Rodriguez's name is mentioned are his extended three-month leave of absence from the Detroit Tigers during the 2022 season and the fact that he exercised his no-trade clause to block a trade from the Tigers to the Dodgers during the 2023 Trade Deadline.

These two occurrences have made some unfairly hypercritical of Rodriguez, his desire to win, and his love for baseball. These critiques are unfair, as we have minimal context as to why Rodriguez left the Tigers for three months in 2022 and blocked a trade to the Dodgers in 2023. 

When assessing whether or not the Twins should pursue Rodriguez, it is unfair to put much weight on these two occurrences. There is little reason to suspect Rodriguez wouldn't start a satisfactory amount of games for the Twins, as he has started a combined 108 games over the past four seasons.  

Nevertheless, this iteration of the Twins front office has expressed interest in both signing and trading for Rodriguez in years past. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic even reported that the Twins discussed acquiring Rodriguez from the Tigers during the 2023 Trade Deadline before talks fell apart after he blocked a trade to the Dodgers.

Much like Snell, Rodriguez would be a risk worth taking for the Twins, but it is doubtful the Twins front office would be comfortable pulling the trigger on a five-year deal worth roughly $100 million. 

Jim Bowden's Contract Prediction for Rodriguez: Five years, $90 million ($18 million AAV)

Jordan Montgomery - 32 G, 188 2/3 IP, 21.4% K%, 6.2 BB%, 3.20 ERA, 3.56 FIP, 4.3 fWAR

The final top-tier left-handed pitching free agent comes in the form of World Series champion Jordan Montgomery.

Montgomery is a top-tier left-handed starting pitcher, but he isn't on the same level as Snell and Rodriguez talent-wise. In fact, Montgomery is the exact opposite of Snell in that he is a low-walk, low-strike-out pitcher, evidenced by his 34th-percentile K% and 82nd-percentile BB%.

Montgomery effectively deceives hitters with his large assortment of offspeed pitches that complement his low-to-mid-90s sinker. Here is Montgomery's pitch mix:

• Sinker (42.6%)
• Changeup (23%)
• Curveball (22.2%)
• 4-Seam Fastball (10.7%)
• Cutter (1.6%)

Montgomery separates himself from Snell and Rodriguez by not being as reliant on his traditional 4-seam fastball. Montgomery instead uses his lower-velocity but higher-movement sinker to get hitters to chase to set up his wide-array offspeed pitches, a coup de grâce for hitters behind in the count. 

Montgomery's ability to masterfully manage games and keep his team's head consistently above water by maneuvering out sticky situations was on full display against the Houston Astros. Montgomery picked apart the Astros' right-handed dominant lineup and was seemingly the only immovable object that could stop the impenetrable force that is the left-handed power-hitting phenom Yordan Alvarez. 

Montgomery continued his elite postseason performance into the World Series, cinching the red-hot flame that was the Arizona Diamondbacks' offense and helping the Texas Rangers win their first World Series in franchise history. 

Montgomery, represented by frequent Twins collaborator Boras Corporation, will likely demand a five-year contract worth around $100 million like Snell and Rodriguez. The Twins are unlikely to hand a contract out that large, and spending that much money on a middle-of-the-rotation type pitcher riding the high of a great postseason feels like a misallocation of funds. 

Jim Bowden's Contract Prediction for Montgomery: Five years, $127 million ($25.4 million AAV)

The Twins will look to find a fifth starter for their final rotation spot this upcoming offseason. Whether it will be done by acquiring a pitcher through trade, signing a free agent, or promoting a young internal option has yet to be decided. Regardless of what the Twins do, deviating from the franchise norm and pursuing a top-tier left-handed starting pitcher like Snell, Rodriguez, or Montgomery could be in their best interest.

Should the Twins consider signing a top-tier left-handed pitcher? Would you prefer Snell, Rodriguez, or Montgomery? Comment below.

 

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[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

What's the largest contract the Twins have given to a free agent pitcher? Is it still Ervin Santana at $40MM / 4 years? Market's obviously changed a lot and I don't know how that contract would translate to the current market. But I would be absolutely shocked if the Twins are even in on any one of these pitchers. Would absolutely love #2 or #3 though.

[Karbo]

I don't see them spending that much money at this time, and I can't blame them, with the talent they seem to have coming up through the system.

[Cody Schoenmann]

4 minutes ago, Twins_Fan_in_NJ said:

What's the largest contract the Twins have given to a free agent pitcher? Is it still Ervin Santana at $40MM / 4 years? Market's obviously changed a lot and I don't know how that contract would translate to the current market. But I would be absolutely shocked if the Twins are even in on any one of these pitchers. Would absolutely love #2 or #3 though.

Yes, the largest contract the Twins have given to a free agent starting pitcher was the Santana contract. They gave him 4 years, $55 million ($13.75 AAV). 

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

8 minutes ago, Cody Schoenmann said:

Yes, the largest contract the Twins have given to a free agent starting pitcher was the Santana contract. They gave him 4 years, $55 million ($13.75 AAV). 

Thanks. Couldn't recall the total value of the contract.

[tony&rodney]

Any of these three would be nice to have as Twins for the next few years. Any of them should be a potential boost for the team.  Thing is, i'm not too sure that the Twins will sign a pitcher to a big contract from free agency. I have no objections whatsoever.

[Heiny]

Damn the torpedos.  Full Snell ahead.  Why?  Because we have a window open to us for the next several years.  Snell for the next 4-5 years puts us in the position to jump through that window.  The pie is just on the other side of the window and I'm getting hungry.

[Cory Engelhardt]

My guess is they spend money on hitters, and they spend prospects/capital on trading for pitching.

But any of these names would sure be fun :)

[Mike Sixel]

Just now, Cory Engelhardt said:

My guess is they spend money on hitters, and they spend prospects/capital on trading for pitching.

But any of these names would sure be fun :)

What position are they spending on for hitters? There is one good CF available....don't need 3B, SS, 2B or C. Likely not spending on DH. They might need a corner OF, if they deal Kepler, but that seems unlikely.

So, 1B and CF? Where are they spending real money (assuming they don't sign Bellinger)?

[Cory Engelhardt]

12 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

What position are they spending on for hitters? There is one good CF available....don't need 3B, SS, 2B or C. Likely not spending on DH. They might need a corner OF, if they deal Kepler, but that seems unlikely.

So, 1B and CF? Where are they spending real money (assuming they don't sign Bellinger)?

Could be a lot of places, but you are right in that corner OF and 1B make the most sense given where their roster is. And there are certainly needs for right handed bats, arguably at both corner OF and 1B right?

Doesn't have to be Bellinger. He would look good here. But they do need more oomph in the lineup.

[Mike Sixel]

17 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

Could be a lot of places, but you are right in that corner OF and 1B make the most sense given where their roster is. And there are certainly needs for right handed bats, arguably at both corner OF and 1B right?

Doesn't have to be Bellinger. He would look good here. But they do need more oomph in the lineup.

But he's the only good CF out there......I guess that's my question...where are you spending on hitters and not pitchers? This might be the year they break the pattern, given the needs and choices. Are you really spending BIG on a 1B if you have AK and Julien and Larnach and Severino as options? Maybe? 

[cmoss84]

Would love the Twins to make a run on Soto and Yamamoto. And Frodo. And Toto.

[Cory Engelhardt]

11 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

But he's the only good CF out there......I guess that's my question...where are you spending on hitters and not pitchers? This might be the year they break the pattern, given the needs and choices. Are you really spending BIG on a 1B if you have AK and Julien and Larnach and Severino as options? Maybe? 

Well, 

Can Kirilloff ever play 100 games? Is Julien good defensively anywhere? Can Larnach play? Severino struckout 36% of the time at AAA last year, so is he a full time option?

If I can get a full time regular at 1B, I do that. I figure out the rest later on.

[Mike Sixel]

9 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

Well, 

Can Kirilloff ever play 100 games? Is Julien good defensively anywhere? Can Larnach play? Severino struckout 36% of the time at AAA last year, so is he a full time option?

If I can get a full time regular at 1B, I do that. I figure out the rest later on.

Fair. That's one hitter....and I don't necessarily disagree....

[Mike Sixel]

Also, any of those pitchers would be great....and I think they might do this this year (but I'd say 50/50)

[terrydactyls]

Interesting article.  An in depth analysis of three top tier LH pitchers; all of whom the Twins will never sign (according to you).  And I agree.  Which leads me to ask:  why write this article?  Perhaps a better article would be:  Which Starting Pitcher Should The Twins Target In A Trade?  I invision the gist of the article to be a look at what non-contending teams are willing to trade a very solid starting pitcher (with some control) in return for 2-3 AAA players ready to hit the big leagues (i.e. Severino, Martin, Helman, Bechtold, Enlow, Sands, Winder, Prato, SWR, to name some possibilities).  And before anyone suggests it, I'm too lazy.

[Nashvilletwin]

No chance Twins go 5 years $100MM+ on any of these three.  Given the pitching pipeline, I’d think a two year deal with a slight overpay for Gray is way more likely. Even a one year deal with an option for Maeda is a better fit given current circumstances.

’24 is going to be a bit of a transition year as we await Lee, Rodriguez, Jenkins, Martin, and Rosario.  But a transition year when we should be fully capable of contending.  The Twins will reload their starting staff in ‘26 when the window is wide open and the position players are still on relatively cheap contracts.  

[Patzky]

1 hour ago, terrydactyls said:

Interesting article.  An in depth analysis of three top tier LH pitchers; all of whom the Twins will never sign (according to you).  And I agree.  Which leads me to ask:  why write this article?  Perhaps a better article would be:  Which Starting Pitcher Should The Twins Target In A Trade?  I invision the gist of the article to be a look at what non-contending teams are willing to trade a very solid starting pitcher (with some control) in return for 2-3 AAA players ready to hit the big leagues (i.e. Severino, Martin, Helman, Bechtold, Enlow, Sands, Winder, Prato, SWR, to name some possibilities).  And before anyone suggests it, I'm too lazy.

Everyone has a Christmas list until Santa is back up the chimney. 

[PatPfund]

The Twins just don't do this sort of thing, and frankly for good reason. I do think they will add at least one big upside SP, and it is most likely to be through trade. Ryu or Maeda are more likely in the FA range the Twins live in, and adding a couple arms to create pitching depth worked well last year.

[Aerodeliria]

IMHO, 1st base is the easiest position to cover, so I am not worried about chasing down a first-baseman. CF is far more important, so for position players, that is the only one I would be concerned about. As for the other infield positions, the Twins should be more than covered. Julien was starting to play much better at 2nd as the season progressed. He actually made a couple of fine plays against Toronto. He'll also start to hit lefties better if he's given the chance IMHO. That's a natural progression for hitters with his approach. 3rd is also covered by Lewis and Castro can back up any of the infield positions with more than adequate play. To me, that makes Polanco expendible. I would think that his trade value is pretty good--better now than at the deadline because anything can happen, so I would go after a centerfielder, and, as I have often said, how about Nootbar? He's not a homerun hitter but he gets on base.

As for pitching, sure the three aforementioned pitchers would be great to land, but I wonder how many folks really think the Twins are going to go all in on the open market. I suspect that even the estimates for salary are low, so that puts the Twins out of play. I'd be happy to be wrong, but I just don't see it.

Maybe trading for a lefthander like Kikuchi is something the Twins could do, but chasing down a big money pitcher? I'll believe it only after the mystery pitcher has signed on the dotted line.

[DocBauer]

Ervin Santana remains the largest, single contract ever handed out by the Twins at 4yrs and somewhere in the $40-45M range, as stated above.

The current FO largest FA deal, I believe, remains Michael Pineda, signed on a "get well" deal with time and money following his rehab season. Something they might still consider for Mahle, and very much similar to what they've done with Paddack.

They like to aquire rotation talent via trade; Maeda, Gray, Mahle, Lopez, Paddack, for promise, potential, and no albatross contract. They also like to develop young arms from within; Ober and Varland being the first real options there, though others have auditioned. Or a combination of trade and youth like Ryan. And I have a hard time arguing with most of their results and their payroll. 

So far, larger deals have been made for Donaldson, Cruz (though it wasn't a HUGE deal or long), and Correa. 

BUT, in 2018 and 2020 they took a serious shot at Darvish and Wheeler. IIRC, Darvish was 4yrs and around $20M, but they never got too far on Wheeler as he made his intentions to stay on the east coast quite clear very early, so what they were willing to offer is open to debate. They've been linked to a handful of other FA arms in the past, but again, where any interest and potential offers that might have been offered is up to conjecture.

I DON'T think they would pass on a large FA contract if it made sense. IF we accept the proposed speculation of Rodriguez for around $19M-ish per, I don't think they would balk at that number. And they've been tied to him before, so they obviously like him, and probably see him perhaps raising his game a bit with their tutelage. 

Where they have issues, is not just $ per season, but the length of a deal. Their sweet spot is 3 and 4 years. They don't trust a 5 year deal or more, believing the total return won't equal the investment. And I'm not debating that, just stating facts.

The whole "ownership is cheap" mantra is, or should be dismissed. The payroll has, generally, raised every year the current FO has been in charge. And they have pretty much ranked 17th in all of MLB just about every single year. Which is in keeping with general market size and proported revenue.

There are tendencies for players, coaches/managers/ and FO/ownership in sports. The Twins have NOT cut spending in some time. And I don't believe they want to this offseason either. This team/organization is in great shape, and right about where you'd want it. Even if they kept payroll the same in 2024 as in 2023, they'd still have room to play with. 

And while I agree with other posters that the lack of a TV deal in place for next season, and beyond, comes as no surprise and the Twins have surely been working on this for some time now...the truth is, it's still a complete unknown unless there is something around the corner already agreed on that nobody knows about.

I'm not saying the Twins ARE going to cut payroll. I remain 50% hopeful they've been planning ahead enough and are willing to "go above" their comfort level enough to keep status quo for now, and 50% they might cut at least a little. Hell, I might even be 60/40.

So it's NOT poor speculation to think they might surprise us. Especially when so much of the total roster is young and under control. 

In the MLB fantasy world, I'm not unconvinced that my #1 option wouldn't be Nola. But since we are talking LH options, Snell scares me. He's produced OK but not great for his career save 2 outstanding seasons. But those 2 Cy Young type of seasons will drive up his market.

I like Rodriguez better than Montgomery. I like a higher K rate and "getting it done" for a longer career, despite being slightly younger. And I can just see the Twins salivating over re-working his slider in to a sweeper, lowering his sinker, etc, and him taking a step forward. At 31yo, if he could be signed for 4-5yrs at an AVERAGE of $20-21M per, I'm not so sure the Twins wouldn't jump. You get him for 3-4 prime years, and could front load some of the deal while most of the lineup is still inexpensive.

It's probably, unfortunately...no insult to the players themselves...going to be Maeda back, or a 2yr deal to Giolito on a rebound deal, maybe with incentives.

But it's at least 50/50 the next rotation arm comes in some sort of trade. 

I do think a lot of people are under valuing Varland. A lot! But I absolutely want the Twins to go to camp with at least 6 SP.

 

[DocBauer]

5 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

What position are they spending on for hitters? There is one good CF available....don't need 3B, SS, 2B or C. Likely not spending on DH. They might need a corner OF, if they deal Kepler, but that seems unlikely.

So, 1B and CF? Where are they spending real money (assuming they don't sign Bellinger)?

Kiermaier for CF based on early reports and "things that make sense". He's still a very good defensive OF, as good as Buxton, MAYBE a hair better than Taylor, though debatable. Rocco is familiar with Kiermaier, and he's probably a better "hitter" than Taylor. 

I'm fine with either player as a short term to back up Buxton HOPEFULLY healthy enough for 60-80 games and another couple dozen as a DH. But there's enough talent in the system that I don't see any way the Twins pay $20M+ for Bellinger. And $20M would go to a SP anyway.

But you CAN'T approach 2024 just hoping Buxton is going to be great. You need another quality option, and either of these guys provide it. Castro can fill in, but is better used in his utility role, and Martin has made me a believer after his strong finish in '22, his strong AFL following, and a great '23. But let's give him a little time to settle in, shall we?

I know there's a lot of doubters out there when I say this, but there's a couple potential darkhorses in the system that could really surprise in 2024. Helman was invited to ST last year, but was hurt. Spent half his season hurt from an initial hamstring in ST, to a concussion, and then a dislocated shoulder. But after his breakthrough 2022, he had a shot to help the Twins this past season. And his projected 2023 numbers, when healthy again, were as good or better. He's a RH Castro. And Keirsey is so under the radar as another late bloomer it's almost sad. He should have been at AAA earlier than he was, still has a lot to prove, but he's considered a legitimate CF defensively who can run, and has finally overcome some early injuries, like Helman, that he MIGHT be a mid season 4th OF who could fill in and be a semi-platoon CF with Martin if Buxton is hurt, and things wash out. I'm NOT bragging up these guys. They have to prove themselves still. But there is at least some potential there instead of running out a Refsnyder or Celestino there on an emergency basis.

After that, the Twins could be looking to add a RH bat who is OK against RH pitching, but can rake against LH arms. Personally, I like Hunter Renfro for about 350-400 AB to cover both OF corners. He was pretty solid with the Angels, stunk after his DFA, but might be a perfect fit as a quasi full time RH bat off the bench that should come in around $8M I'd think.

And there are different directions to go, of course. The Twins could invest in an even better OF if Kepler was moved. They could offer Rhys Hoskins a pretty big payday at 1B. And he's a nice rebound player. 

But the Twins are stuck in a weird but awkward place where there is so much talent and depth in place you don't want to REPLACE anyone, but you don't want to ignore possible upgrades as well.

#1 Priority is a SP arm. And we can debate all day long about what that means and how to obtain it. But $ needs to be spent here in some capacity. Along with, possibly, trade capital as well.

Where do the Twins spend $ other than a SP?

#2 Priority is CF...unless you want to just turn it over to the kids and run with it and see what happens. Unless it's Kiemaier or Taylor, it's a waste and run with the kids. But I'd rather have the veteran for now.

#3 Maybe, for the 1st time in a couple of years of need, they finally spend $5M or so on a solid RH OF who can make life miserable against LH arms and be OK against RH ones. Maybe they spend a bit more. And there are options. But MAYBE, they ONLY focus on the 1st TWO priorities and just open up competition for Martin, Helman, Williams, and some cheap milb signings.

But yes, there IS some $ to be spent. If at all possible, to augment the roster and "tweak it". 

OMG...must have had a worse day at work than I thought. LOL. Even for ME this was a too long answer. LOL

 

 

[Jim wyllie]

I say this is the off-season that the fo needs to go for it.  Cost be damned.  I say bring back gray, sign snell.   Then aquire Chaz Mccormick to give us a centerfielder.  And perhaps Tommy pham to bolster the corner of.   

[Doctor Wu]

I like the idea of signing Kiermaier. Renfroe still scares me. He looks solid one year and then horrible the year afterwards. I'd rather go with a Taylor or Kiermaier, or even give Austin Martin or Nick Gordon another shot. 

[Trov]

Personally, I would not be willing to sign any one of them to a 5 year deal or more.  They are all 30, and many pitchers have a fall off after 30.  They start to lose velo and unless they figure out how to pitch with less velo they have great regression.  None of them have the track record to think they will be on HOF path, and mainly just those are guys that pitch well into mid to late 30s. They are all buyer beware type guys. 

[JD-TWINS]

MONTGOMERY!

Durable 30 years old with recent success in post-season.

Consistent career numbers.

He gets guys out and doesn’t need elite stuff to get it done.

4 years at $24M/yr with a 5th year player option that gives him security & some flexibility to make more $$ if he chooses.

[rv78]

As I said elsewhere. I don't think the Twins will sign any of these 3. A possible Maeda reunion and a flyer on Giolito is exactly this FO's way of adding pitching if it isn't by trade. I'd like to see Rodriguez get signed by the Twins and dollar wise he makes sense if they can get it done for $20M or less. Problem is it may take a 4 or 5 year deal and the Twins don't hand out those kind of deals to Free Agents. 

I have been critical of 3 deals done by this FO in the past few years and 2 of them now tie this FO from really improving this team. Extending Buxton and still having to roster another CF to play for him was a costly mistake. Signing Correa was the 2nd mistake when there are so many other options this team could have used and with SS being covered by the likes of Lewis, Lee going forward, an expensive long-term contract to a Correa wasn't required. The 3rd was a waste of $11M to Gallo which had to be the worst decision ever made by this FO. Talk of Buxtons contract of $15M isn't a burden or out of line to what he brings to the table but having to add a replacement in CF and that players contract too is really his true cost. Add all of those together, $50+ million per year. See that a guy like Taylor helped the Twins to the playoffs, not Buxton. See that a Lewis or Farmer or both could have provided just as much as a Correa at SS for a ton less money. if anyone thinks that Buxton and Correa were the reasons why this club made the playoffs they are smoking wacky-weed and drinking hooch. 

[Blyleven2011]

Lefthanders over 30 doesn't scare me me in the least , in the past we have had many successful left handers pitch late into their 30's ...

Montgomery  has decent career numbers  and only has a total of 755 innings pitched in MLB  , controls the zone well  , of the three lefthanders mentioned Montgomery  would be my option  ...

Rodriguez didn't pitch in 2020 , was he injured ??? , had personal problems first year with Detroit and injured this year , also opted out of his contract  ...

Snell , I'm not sure what you would get , he hasn't been the Same pitcher since leaving Tampa  though this year was pretty good  ...

I really don't see the team signing any of them due to cost but one never knows exactly what the FO will do except they are slow at making decisions  and playthe waiting game ...

[MABB1959]

There is definitely improvement that needs to happen.  They won the ALC and the wild card series that is a nice break for once but unless all the players get hot in the play-offs I don't think they will get much farther this year.  Except for Sonny Gray who will most likely be gone the Twins don't have any players on the upcoming awards.  I thought Lewis could have made at least one list. 

Time to bring up SWR and Martin and see if they can make it.  Not even sure they have any trade value.

They need a power hitter at 1st and DH

IMO just too many unknowns 

[specialiststeve]

20 hours ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

My guess is they spend money on hitters, and they spend prospects/capital on trading for pitching.

But any of these names would sure be fun :)

I would say exactly the opposite should happen. 

Should trade both Polanco and Kepler as have cheap inhouse replacements that would be close to them in production at the smidge of their cost. If possible send out Bux also but that contract I don't see anyone touching. If they could trade one or all for pitching that would make the most sense... Call Miami again? :) 

With that money use toward a quality left hander. All three have had ups and downs and some injury history so is a bit dicey but ... my order would be Snell, Montgomery then Rodriquez.