Twins Not Looking To Trade For Prospects, Seeking Need-For-Need MLB Move

[Post-Concussive Blues]

On 1/21/2024 at 9:55 PM, JD-TWINS said:

Agree generally.

I don’t see Burnes being nearly as good a fit as Luzardo. Luzardo 3 years of control, minimum, left……Burnes FA after ‘24. I know many may think I’m nuts but I don’t trade to a same league competitor to make them better.

The more I look at a Julien’s stats the more I think his mix of OBP & power is very difficult to replace. Polanco - Rodriguez - couple other guys for Luzardo would be a dream come true.

Can’t trade Lewis!!……I really don’t think trading Julien makes sense either.

Lee was untouchable to me last week & prior but now I think it depends upon the opportunity & the return.

How about Luzardo and Josh Bell for Polanco, Brooks Lee, and Jair Camargo?

Twins would get the pitcher we all covet, and a RHH that can hit LHP at a respectable rate. Bell is a somewhat volatile hitter, and is paid $16.5 million this year. He has negative value, and this would bring down the cost for the Twins.

Miami would get Lee and Camargo, as they need high end middle infield and catcher depth, respectively. Polanco would help them this year and next, and his salary would be offset by Bell’s. They could move Arraez to 1B with Bell gone, making room for Polanco.

While this seems expensive to me, Luzardo would make our team better for the next three years, and the trade would clear our middle infield logjam. I like Lee a lot, but he may be redundant with our current prospects and roster, and prospects are still suspects—no guarantee he pans out.

[SteveLV]

That Marlins trade is too rich for my blood, but anything could happen at this point.

[jorgenswest]

26 minutes ago, Post-Concussive Blues said:

How about Luzardo and Josh Bell for Polanco, Brooks Lee, and Jair Camargo?

Twins would get the pitcher we all covet, and a RHH that can hit LHP at a respectable rate. Bell is a somewhat volatile hitter, and is paid $16.5 million this year. He has negative value, and this would bring down the cost for the Twins.

Miami would get Lee and Camargo, as they need high end middle infield and catcher depth, respectively. Polanco would help them this year and next, and his salary would be offset by Bell’s. They could move Arraez to 1B with Bell gone, making room for Polanco.

While this seems expensive to me, Luzardo would make our team better for the next three years, and the trade would clear our middle infield logjam. I like Lee a lot, but he may be redundant with our current prospects and roster, and prospects are still suspects—no guarantee he pans out.

Would the Twins be willing to cut Bell loose and pay his salary with further decline? The Braves took on contracts and already dropped them. I am not sure the Twins would do that with Bell’s contract and he doesn’t have space for further decline. Kirilloff already had the better bat last year and he should get better,

If the Twins can’t cut that contract loose I would say no. The Twins would be taking on about 22 million in salary in this deal while being relieved of Polanco’s salary. Would it be more prudent to spend that 22 million in free agency while trading Polanco for prospects and retaining Lee and Camargo? 

[terrydactyls]

The longer this off-season drags on, the more I'm starting to think that the front office has chosen the smartest strategy.  Bear with me as I attempt to present my opinion.  And remember, this is my opinion and not a declaration of facts hitherto unknown to the general population.

When the off-season began, I think the front office evaluated the Twins and determined what holes needed filling and looked for targets to pursue in the free agent market.  This was in the pre-budget reduction era and their assumption was they had some money to spend.  Once the ownership announced that payroll would be cut, a new strategy was developed.  If Sonny Gray could be replaced via a trade that would not tear apart the prospect list, they would go that direction.  But it appears that the starting pitcher market is so inflated right now that they are thinking that a trade may not be possible.  And now we have off-season strategy #3 - do nothing right now (unless a team approaches them with an offer they can't refuse.  And this is the strategy I am starting to embrace.  The Twins are heavily favored to win the Central division with the team that exists right now.  They are going to let the season play out until the All-Star game and then reevaluate.  If Lopez, Ryan, Paddock, Ober, and Varland are doing well and Fiesta and Raya (and maybe even Woods-Richardson) are also doing well in the minors, why trade for a starter?  If Correa has bounced back, Buxton is playing some in CF (maybe a slight exaggeration), and the younger position players are performing as hoped, why trade for more offense?  And there may also be teams looking for a Kepler or a Polanco, or even a Sanchez.  This would add to the prospect pool.

Opinion now over and I'm going to take a nap.

[chpettit19]

3 minutes ago, terrydactyls said:

The longer this off-season drags on, the more I'm starting to think that the front office has chosen the smartest strategy.  Bear with me as I attempt to present my opinion.  And remember, this is my opinion and not a declaration of facts hitherto unknown to the general population.

When the off-season began, I think the front office evaluated the Twins and determined what holes needed filling and looked for targets to pursue in the free agent market.  This was in the pre-budget reduction era and their assumption was they had some money to spend.  Once the ownership announced that payroll would be cut, a new strategy was developed.  If Sonny Gray could be replaced via a trade that would not tear apart the prospect list, they would go that direction.  But it appears that the starting pitcher market is so inflated right now that they are thinking that a trade may not be possible.  And now we have off-season strategy #3 - do nothing right now (unless a team approaches them with an offer they can't refuse.  And this is the strategy I am starting to embrace.  The Twins are heavily favored to win the Central division with the team that exists right now.  They are going to let the season play out until the All-Star game and then reevaluate.  If Lopez, Ryan, Paddock, Ober, and Varland are doing well and Fiesta and Raya (and maybe even Woods-Richardson) are also doing well in the minors, why trade for a starter?  If Correa has bounced back, Buxton is playing some in CF (maybe a slight exaggeration), and the younger position players are performing as hoped, why trade for more offense?  And there may also be teams looking for a Kepler or a Polanco, or even a Sanchez.  This would add to the prospect pool.

Opinion now over and I'm going to take a nap.

I think you probably have the timeline of strategies pretty close to how things played out. And I don't think "do nothing right now" is a terrible strategy at this point. But I think if the original plan included the idea that there were holes to fill, and a plan to fill them, then "do nothing right now" probably isn't something we should be thrilled about even if it may make sense. Going from "we need X number of players that are good at Y skills" to "we don't need anyone right now" and being good with option 2 is probably some cognitive dissonance driving us to find a silver lining. I do agree it's not the end of the world if they don't make some drastic move. But it was option 3 for a reason.

[Cory Engelhardt]

3 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

I think you probably have the timeline of strategies pretty close to how things played out. And I don't think "do nothing right now" is a terrible strategy at this point. But I think if the original plan included the idea that there were holes to fill, and a plan to fill them, then "do nothing right now" probably isn't something we should be thrilled about even if it may make sense. Going from "we need X number of players that are good at Y skills" to "we don't need anyone right now" and being good with option 2 is probably some cognitive dissonance driving us to find a silver lining. I do agree it's not the end of the world if they don't make some drastic move. But it was option 3 for a reason.

I know the Twins have a lot of good young position players, and their pitching staff is very good as is. I think most people could agree with that sentiment. 

I don't know that I can say the offseason was anything but a failure if they do nothing though. This team is truly good enough to compete, especially with more help brought in. To not go for it, so to speak, would be a failure.

I don't know exactly what they add, but not doing anything to assist this roster is the wrong answer.

[Parfigliano]

4 hours ago, terrydactyls said:

The longer this off-season drags on, the more I'm starting to think that the front office has chosen the smartest strategy.  Bear with me as I attempt to present my opinion.  And remember, this is my opinion and not a declaration of facts hitherto unknown to the general population.

When the off-season began, I think the front office evaluated the Twins and determined what holes needed filling and looked for targets to pursue in the free agent market.  This was in the pre-budget reduction era and their assumption was they had some money to spend.  Once the ownership announced that payroll would be cut, a new strategy was developed.  If Sonny Gray could be replaced via a trade that would not tear apart the prospect list, they would go that direction.  But it appears that the starting pitcher market is so inflated right now that they are thinking that a trade may not be possible.  And now we have off-season strategy #3 - do nothing right now (unless a team approaches them with an offer they can't refuse.  And this is the strategy I am starting to embrace.  The Twins are heavily favored to win the Central division with the team that exists right now.  They are going to let the season play out until the All-Star game and then reevaluate.  If Lopez, Ryan, Paddock, Ober, and Varland are doing well and Fiesta and Raya (and maybe even Woods-Richardson) are also doing well in the minors, why trade for a starter?  If Correa has bounced back, Buxton is playing some in CF (maybe a slight exaggeration), and the younger position players are performing as hoped, why trade for more offense?  And there may also be teams looking for a Kepler or a Polanco, or even a Sanchez.  This would add to the prospect pool.

Opinion now over and I'm going to take a nap.

I've  been on the do nothing bandwagon all off season.

[chpettit19]

16 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I know the Twins have a lot of good young position players, and their pitching staff is very good as is. I think most people could agree with that sentiment. 

I don't know that I can say the offseason was anything but a failure if they do nothing though. This team is truly good enough to compete, especially with more help brought in. To not go for it, so to speak, would be a failure.

I don't know exactly what they add, but not doing anything to assist this roster is the wrong answer.

Standing still is never a good move. The rest of the contenders are moving forward. Don't have to go out and sign $30 million pitchers or anything crazy, but have to do something. Still think they'll make some moves over the next month or so, but am getting more and more nervous that we're more or less looking at what this team will be come opening day.

[laloesch]

On 1/21/2024 at 3:02 PM, tony&rodney said:

Nothing has really changed in over a year on the trade news front regarding Kepler, and Polanco and Farmer were added to Max this offseason. The Twins are trying win games and flipping productive experienced major league players like Jorge, Max, and Kyle for prospects might help in future years but it will cost wins in this coming season. Thus no deals thus far. The vast quantity of speculations on how to offload Kepler and Polanco for backend pitchers or future players was never going to be a sound strategy favored by the Twins. 

Trades can still occur and Polanco is available for the right price. Right now the Twins are sitting in a better spot to win their division (ALC)  than any other team in the American League is in their divisions (ALE or ALW). The cost for Polanco (or Kepler) is nowhere near the figures put out by BTV. Falvey knows this and so do a host of other teams. A trade will be tricky because either the Twins blink for less than full value or another team feels the need to make a gamble for a productive player and agrees to the price set by Falvey. I'm fine with no trades, but will continue to maintain that any trade must clearly make the Twins a better team this year.

It's not like it matters.  NOBODY is beating the Dodgers this year.

[jorgenswest]

20 hours ago, laloesch said:

It's not like it matters.  NOBODY is beating the Dodgers this year.

That leaves 159 other games on the schedule. I would still try to improve the roster for those games.

[tony&rodney]

2 hours ago, laloesch said:

It's not like it matters.  NOBODY is beating the Dodgers this year.

Is it ok if I remind you that many picked the Mets to go undefeated last year?

Also, don't bet against Kansas City when they make trips to Los Angeles to play the Dodgers in mid June or in late September when the Royals close out the campaign in Atlanta. Houston can verify those odds from last season.

[Riverbrian]

On 1/21/2024 at 8:43 PM, JesusisLord7 said:

I really dislike Falvey as the GM and frankly I don't understand him

If that's the case you have no worries. 

Thad Levine is the GM. 

[dxpavelka]

On 1/22/2024 at 10:13 PM, tony&rodney said:

Arraez? AL batting leader.

with bad knees and very limited defense

[tony&rodney]

7 minutes ago, dxpavelka said:

with bad knees and very limited defense

The Arraez who won an AL batting title followed by an NL batting title, had over 600 PA in consecutive years, and  led Miami to the playoffs last season? Same guy?

If he did that with such bad knees the last two years, what can he do for an encore?

[dxpavelka]

Just now, tony&rodney said:

The Arraez who won an AL batting title followed by an NL batting title, had over 600 PA in consecutive years, and  led Miami to the playoffs last season? Same guy?

If he did that with such bad knees the last two years, what can he do for an encore?

could do the same thing all over again.  Or he could fall off a cliff.  Guess that's why they play the games.

[dxpavelka]

6 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

Is it ok if I remind you that many picked the Mets to go undefeated last year?

Also, don't bet against Kansas City when they make trips to Los Angeles to play the Dodgers in mid June or in late September when the Royals close out the campaign in Atlanta. Houston can verify those odds from last season.

Seems unlikely that anyone, Mets, or Dodgers or anyone else goes undefeated.  Chance are every team loses at least 50 plus games.  Not even a guarantee that the Dodgers win in the post-season.

[JD-TWINS]

On 1/22/2024 at 12:54 AM, harmony55 said:

A projection of 135-140 games a year for Royce Lewis is optimistic for a player who since 2019 has played only 118 games combined across all levels. Lewis' fortunes depend largely on good health.

Lewis & everyone else in the game needs health. How many strong athletic guys in baseball blow ACL’s twice, or then more? How many games would you predict he plays in ‘24?………..get out the crystal ball

He played 127 games in 2019 with 519 AB’s…….ALL of baseball in Minors was off in 2020…….out with knee all of ‘21 - out nearly all of ‘22 with knee……..had a very respectable rookie season in Minneapolis in ‘23.

Twins 2nd & 3rd highest paid players played 86 (at DH) & 80 games in ‘23…….player health is obviously an issue…….highest paid guy played through Plantar Fasciitis most of the year.

In 58 games he had a 2.4 WAR. Do you think Lewis should be a real trade option?

[JD-TWINS]

Not making ANY moves or sign anyone above a flyer reliever or minor league deals would be very disappointing!……..could be in Detroit though, where they traded Lorenzen at the deadline & let Rodriguez walk in FA……to replace them they “are adding” Flarhety & Maeda & are going to make a run at the Division……..the math doesn’t work - Pure fantasy.

[harmony55]

1 hour ago, JD-TWINS said:

Lewis & everyone else in the game needs health. How many strong athletic guys in baseball blow ACL’s twice, or then more? How many games would you predict he plays in ‘24?………..get out the crystal ball

He played 127 games in 2019 with 519 AB’s…….ALL of baseball in Minors was off in 2020…….out with knee all of ‘21 - out nearly all of ‘22 with knee……..had a very respectable rookie season in Minneapolis in ‘23.

Twins 2nd & 3rd highest paid players played 86 (at DH) & 80 games in ‘23…….player health is obviously an issue…….highest paid guy played through Plantar Fasciitis most of the year.

In 58 games he had a 2.4 WAR. Do you think Lewis should be a real trade option?

As consistently stated, the Twins would be unlikely to trade Royce Lewis for Logan Gilbert.

Royce Lewis, the No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft, and Kyle Lewis, the No. 11 pick in the 2016 draft, have each undergone multiple knee surgeries. They share more than their last names.

Royce Lewis indeed had 519 at-bats in 127 games in 2019, the same year Kyle Lewis had 528 at-bats in 140 games.

Royce Lewis posted 2.4 fWAR in 58 games last year after a 12-game MLB debut the previous season. In 2020 Kyle Lewis posted 2.0 fWAR in 58 games after an 18-game MLB debut in 2019.

The past three seasons Royce Lewis has averaged just shy of 40 games a year across all levels; Kyle Lewis has averaged just shy of 60 games a year across all levels.

The Seattle Mariners traded Kyle Lewis to Arizona in November 2022. This offseason the Diamondbacks nontendered Lewis despite his .371/.457/.641/1.098 line in 293 plate appearances last year at Triple A Reno.

Because of his injury history, Royce Lewis has a wider range of possible outcomes than a player with no injury history. Lewis could become the All Star we all hope for ... or fall far short.

Thank you for the feedback.

[Cory Engelhardt]

10 minutes ago, harmony55 said:

As consistently stated, the Twins would be unlikely to trade Royce Lewis for Logan Gilbert.

Royce Lewis, the No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft, and Kyle Lewis, the No. 11 pick in the 2016 draft, have each undergone multiple knee surgeries. They share more than their last names.

Royce Lewis indeed had 519 at-bats in 127 games in 2019, the same year Kyle Lewis had 528 at-bats in 140 games.

Royce Lewis posted 2.4 fWAR in 58 games last year after a 12-game MLB debut the previous season. In 2020 Kyle Lewis posted 2.0 fWAR in 58 games after an 18-game MLB debut in 2019.

The past three seasons Royce Lewis has averaged just shy of 40 games a year across all levels; Kyle Lewis has averaged just shy of 60 games a year across all levels.

The Seattle Mariners traded Kyle Lewis to Arizona in November 2022. This offseason the Diamondbacks nontendered Lewis despite his .371/.457/.641/1.098 line in 293 plate appearances last year at Triple A Reno.

Because of his injury history, Royce Lewis has a wider range of possible outcomes than a player with no injury history. Lewis could become the All Star we all hope for ... or fall far short.

Thank you for the feedback.

Just curious, was Kyle Lewis ever a top 100 prospect or ranked all that highly after getting drafted? I know he was a high pick, and he did kind of breakout a little in the 2020 season, but I'm curious why the comparison here to Royce other than they both were 1st round picks in different drafts?

[harmony55]

3 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

Just curious, was Kyle Lewis ever a top 100 prospect or ranked all that highly after getting drafted? I know he was a high pick, and he did kind of breakout a little in the 2020 season, but I'm curious why the comparison here to Royce other than they both were 1st round picks in different drafts?

In the 2017 preseason prospect rankings, Baseball America, MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus ranked Kyle Lewis No. 34, No. 29 and No. 70, respectively, even though Lewis had torn his ACL and undergone surgery the previous year in his first minor league season.

[nicksaviking]

1 hour ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

Just curious, was Kyle Lewis ever a top 100 prospect or ranked all that highly after getting drafted? I know he was a high pick, and he did kind of breakout a little in the 2020 season, but I'm curious why the comparison here to Royce other than they both were 1st round picks in different drafts?

Royce Lewis would have to take a complete nosedive the next three years like Kyle Lewis did. Closer comp is probably Nick Gordon.

[Riverbrian]

Royce Lewis looks like a superstar to me. Not just superstar but rare superstar that people will sing songs about. The Twins have not developed "Rare" superstar in decades. 

I understand that his injury history makes people nervous because it makes me nervous... However... Royce Lewis looks like a rare superstar and if that is the case...

You don't trade him... You pray for health. You pay him and keep him in a Twins uniform throughout his career and you celebrate when enters the HOF in a Twins uniform on the 1st ballot.

[kroll]

Rebuilding? Geez I hope not. Rebuilding in MLB takes what..... Two - three years.

Get a couple plug-in-play ballplayers and "let's go".

I know it's not that easy but really? Just take a shot at it (championship) what do we have to lose.......another 2, 3, 5 years of " maybe in a year or two". That's what we want......seriously......

 

 

 

 

[tony&rodney]

On 1/24/2024 at 1:51 PM, Riverbrian said:

Royce Lewis looks like a superstar to me. Not just superstar but rare superstar that people will sing songs about. The Twins have not developed "Rare" superstar in decades. 

I understand that his injury history makes people nervous because it makes me nervous... However... Royce Lewis looks like a rare superstar and if that is the case...

You don't trade him... You pray for health. You pay him and keep him in a Twins uniform throughout his career and you celebrate when enters the HOF in a Twins uniform on the 1st ballot.

That would be sweet if Royce Lewis was to blow up into an All Star player and superstar. There can be no doubt that he has worked extremely hard to recover from two excruciating setbacks with the ACL injuries and subsequent surgeries. He did the rehabilitation work needed to get back to MLB and certainly takes nothing for granted due to his journey.

[Fatbat]

Its a smart play by the FO. We have Correa, Buxton, Wallner, Lewis, Jeffers and Julien all rated in the top ten at their positions. Its not time to sell the complementary and depth players unless its a direct upgrade.  It would have been time to throw $$$ at a top FA but that is obviously not in the budget.  How many other teams have the kind of guy that we are after and are willing to sell? The answer is zero. 

[Riverbrian]

9 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

That would be sweet if Royce Lewis was to blow up into an All Star player and superstar. There can be no doubt that he has worked extremely hard to recover from two excruciating setbacks with the ACL injuries and subsequent surgeries. He did the rehabilitation work needed to get back to MLB and certainly takes nothing for granted due to his journey.

It would be sweet and I think possible with health. 

Major league organizations have 290 players in the system. Using rough math to simply lop off the 26 man roster for 264 players that clubs are trying to develop into major league players.

They invest time and money... they pay coaches to coach, they use advanced technology, they have a staff of analysts and therapists and the majority of those 264 players are putting the work in with the goal to become what Royce Lewis has been thus far. Someone with a .900 plus OPS after 257 AB's. 

It has taken decades for this organization to produce someone like Royce Lewis. They put a lot of work in to produce someone like Royce Lewis. This organization lives or dies dependent upon producing players. 

He is under team control until 2029. 

No team can pay the equivalent of his value.   

Royce Lewis needs to go nowhere... he needs to stay in a Twins uniform. 

 

[JD-TWINS]

On 1/22/2024 at 10:39 AM, tony&rodney said:

I believe Arraez was even more popular to Twins fans than Lewis. 

Falvey, Dipoto, and other front office folks look for ways to strengthen their teams. It is impossible to know how various people value any player. We are just guessing. Writers and various sites are also just guessing. People crunch data endlessly to make their arguments and valuations but in the end it is the people in the front office who make the calls and they have guys who crunch numbers who advise them.

I will throw out a guess here and say that the Twins are not interested in a trade of Polanco for Woo. Again, just a guess and many others including Seattle will see it differently.

The one thing I will add is that 30 years old is not the end of the line for an athlete. Mookie Betts is moving to second base full time, supposedly, as a 31 year old. It is always difficult to know when an athlete can no longer meet the physical demands of professional sports. I don't believe Jorge Polanco is nearly done.

Arraez - most of 3 seasons and a batting title………Lewis - 70 games over 2 seasons……makes sense Luis got more thumbs up. To me, Lewis is a potential big time star…….trading him seems like something they just can’t do.

Polanco for any starting pitcher with upside is a WIN. He played 108 games & 80 games the past 2 seasons…….not sure what that has to do with Mookie Betts move to 2B?

It’s difficult to know but there are often, signs.

Julien - Farmer - Gordon - Martin - Castro - Lee/Lewis all able to play 2B is another sign that it’s time to move on from the $10.5M, IMO.

[tony&rodney]

1 minute ago, JD-TWINS said:

Arraez - most of 3 seasons and a batting title………Lewis - 70 games over 2 seasons……makes sense Luis got more thumbs up. To me, Lewis is a potential big time star…….trading him seems like something they just can’t do.

Polanco for any starting pitcher with upside is a WIN. He played 108 games & 80 games the past 2 seasons…….not sure what that has to do with Mookie Betts move to 2B?

It’s difficult to know but there are often, signs.

Julien - Farmer - Gordon - Martin - Castro - Lee/Lewis all able to play 2B is another sign that it’s time to move on from the $10.5M, IMO.

I believe that you have made your point that the Twins should trade Jorge Polanco asap in a bevy of comments. No problem that people have their thoughts. 

Too often I have stated that trading any player, which includes Polanco, makes sense if the deal makes the team better or more complete. Thus, there is no wall here that refutes all ideas related to trades including one that may include Polanco. The original post puts out what has clearly been the Twins position to date - MLB for MLB deals to satisfy needs for each team. Thus the conversation pretty much tells us that trades for prospects or using prospects is farfetched at this time.

Depth was a big reason the Twins faltered badly in 2022. The team was structurally unsound and the trades made at the deadline were well intentioned but just ineffectual due to the lack of depth.. Last season the Twins received way less than expected from several of their starters but depth brought them into the playoffs. Depth will continue to be an important part of how Falvey builds a team. Yes, the Twins have a nice collection of guys to play second base. Falvey would say this is a good thing. Also you forgot to add two players who may contribute this season anywhere on the field, Anthony Prato and Michael Helman.

Falvey is still looking for the trade that makes his team better as is every other team. Patience. The Twins are a far better team right now than they were on Opening Day last season.

[JD-TWINS]

2 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

I believe that you have made your point that the Twins should trade Jorge Polanco asap in a bevy of comments. No problem that people have their thoughts. 

Too often I have stated that trading any player, which includes Polanco, makes sense if the deal makes the team better or more complete. Thus, there is no wall here that refutes all ideas related to trades including one that may include Polanco. The original post puts out what has clearly been the Twins position to date - MLB for MLB deals to satisfy needs for each team. Thus the conversation pretty much tells us that trades for prospects or using prospects is farfetched at this time.

Depth was a big reason the Twins faltered badly in 2022. The team was structurally unsound and the trades made at the deadline were well intentioned but just ineffectual due to the lack of depth.. Last season the Twins received way less than expected from several of their starters but depth brought them into the playoffs. Depth will continue to be an important part of how Falvey builds a team. Yes, the Twins have a nice collection of guys to play second base. Falvey would say this is a good thing. Also you forgot to add two players who may contribute this season anywhere on the field, Anthony Prato and Michael Helman.

Falvey is still looking for the trade that makes his team better as is every other team. Patience. The Twins are a far better team right now than they were on Opening Day last season.

Agree on the opening day roster at this point!

Depth is huge & kudos to the FO for the job well done in ‘23!

Don’t dislike nor disrespect Polanco. Don’t see room for him on the roster with the other options available. Not you, but many just state we “should keep him” - which is fine - but they think all the rest of the guys they like should be on the roster as well. People suggest he should “just play 1B” or Julien “should just play 1B”. They both displace Kirilloff, who still has a pretty decent upside IMO…… 13 spots and need to make decisions on the roster. Julien & Castro will be rostered. Farmer seems to be the alternative to Julien at this point. Gordon has no more options (could be traded or maybe more likely, released?) Lee/Lewis is probably not happening this season but possible later in the summer as more depth. Martin’s ability (on paper) to play CF & IF is attractive as well if he hits at all.

All stuff above that’s obvious - I am just calling for a decision path with those guys……..seems Jorge’s cost pushes him closer to the odd man out. Patience as you say!!

Polanco, straight up, without some prospects will not net Twins a solution for any of their needs…….assuming most see this as real?