3ToedSloth’s 2025 Payroll Blueprint:

[3ToedSloth]

Trade Simeon Woods Richardson, Zebby Matthews, Luke Keaschall and Marco Raya to the White Sox for Garrett Crochet. Trade Christian Vazquez and a C level player to someone just to take the whole contract. Same for Chris Paddock. trade for mid level prospect (with some possible upside) for mainly taking the salary. 

I think the Twins would be willing to go to 135M in payroll.

• C: Ryan Jeffers ($4.70M)
• 1B: Jose Miranda ($0.80M)
• 2B: Royce Lewis ($0.80M)
• 3B: Brooks Lee ($2.30M)
• SS: Carlos Correa ($36.00M)
• LF: Trevor Larnach ($2.10M)
• CF: Byron Buxton ($15.00M)
• RF: Matt Wallner ($0.80M)
• DH: Edouard Julien ($0.80M)
• 4th OF: Emmanuel Rodriguez ($0.80M)
• Utility: Willi Castro ($6.20M)
• Utility: Austin Martin ($0.80M)
• Backup C: Kyle Higashioka ($7.00M)
• NA: Dead Money Here ($0.00M)
• SP1: Pablo Lopez ($21.50M)
• SP2: Joe Ryan ($3.80M)
• SP3: Bailey Ober ($4.30M)
• SP4: Garrett Crochet ($2.90M)
• SP5: David Festa ($0.80M)
• RP: Jhoan Duran ($3.70M)
• RP: Brock Stewart ($0.80M)
• RP: Griffin Jax ($2.60M)
• RP: Jorge Alcala ($1.50M)
• RP: Cole Sands ($0.80M)
• RP: Michael Soroka ($7.00M)
• RP: Louie Varland ($0.80M)
• RP: Kody Funderburk ($0.80M)
• NA: Dead Money Here ($0.00M)

Payroll is 0.46% under budget

[Greglw3]

It seems like a lot to give up for Crochet but it’s a trade that would be hard for Sox to pass up on and pitching of that caliber is ultra important. If they could pair that with using their whole int signing pool for Sasaki, Twins could be hard to beat!

I like Miranda at 1st base. It’s good for the payroll and I still like his upside. Not too many players, much less a sophomore, have stroked 12 consecutive hits!

I also like E Rod in a place where he would probably get 400 AB, minimum.

I, too, had Lewis at 2nd and Brooks Lee at third. I think it’s probably better suited for their respective arms.

[tony&rodney]

23 years of control versus 2 years and with a team in the division makes this a tough trade. The White Sox would probably want Jenkins or EmRod instead of three pitchers. The Sox have some pretty good pitching prospects and young guys who were in MLB last summer. I, too, like Emmanuel on the MLB roster.

[Mike Sixel]

Zero chance I make that trade. It is a massive over pay. No chance. 

[chpettit19]

Crochet making it clear he wouldn't pitch in the postseason without a contract extension, thus making it far harder to trade him turned me off to any idea of trading for him (very unlikely the Twins would've been the ones to do it anyways). I get the arm health concerns with moving from the pen to the rotation, but choosing to stick on an historically awful team instead of getting moved to a playoff team isn't a good look to me and I'd be very nervous about paying him. He wanted an extension last year and I'm not sure why you wouldn't think he'd want one after a trade now. Twins aren't trading for Crochet.