TopGunn#22’s 2025 Payroll Blueprint: TopGunn Shake It Up

[TopGunn#22]

I think 2025 is a good opportunity to shake things up.  I'm willing to trade to not only move a significant amount of payroll off the team, but to include some highly ranked minor league pieces to entice other teams with deeper pockets to accept ALL the salary we're sending out.

TRADE:  Duran, Castro and Paddack along with $3.5 million in International Pool money to the Dodgers for catcher Dalton Rushing and oft injured RHP Dustin May. 

TRADE:  Vasquez, Larnach and Top Ten OF prospect Gabe Gonzalez to Marlins for LH SP Jesus Luzardo.  Luzardo is signed for 2025 at $8.6 million but we would have him for two more years at arbitration salaries.

TRADE:  SWR, Alcala and Marco Raya to Baltimore for 3B/1B Jordan Westburg. 

SIGN:  Tyler O'Neill 2-years $14 million per.  Amed Rosario IF/OF 1 year $2 million and IF Jose Iglesias 1 year $1.5 million.  

I'm essentially removing about $30 million in salary and adding about the same back, just reallocating it across the roster. 

The team beefs up it's already formidable rotation without moving Jax.  Jax becomes the primary closer with Duran moving on to the Dodgers.  He can handle it.  He's more consistent.  We add a Gold Glove caliber, 30 HR thumper in LF who hits RH.  This solidifies the OF of Buxton, O'Neill and Wallner with Keirsey as the 4th OF until E-Rod and Walker Jenkins are ready.  

Royce Lewis and Jordan Westburg become the Twins corner infielders for a decade.  It doesn't matter to me which position each plays.  The Twins will figure this out.

We also add a couple of veteran glove men who at the plate make consistent contact and have some speed.  Each of Rosario and Iglesias are signed for one year while guys like Keaschall and Eeles and Helman prove they are ready or not.  Each also gives us a veteran at SS/2B/3B to support Westburg, Correa and Brooks Lee.  

Rushing will back up Jeffers but also get some time at DH and maybe even 1B to get him more AB's.  All reports say Rushing's bat is ready for MLB.  Let's get him AB's.  

IF...and it's a big if, the trades make sense and they open up a FA signing like O'Neill, the Twins are primed to be competitive with a lineup and rotation like that, and a BP that could be pretty darn good, all while waiting for the next wave of hitters (E-Rod, Walker Jenkins, Keaschall) and pitchers (Matthews, Morris, Soto) to make their way to the big leagues.  It should also help the Pohlad family maximize their selling price and leave the new ownership group with a sense they made a good purchase.  

• C: Ryan Jeffers ($4.70M)
• 1B: Royce Lewis ($2.30M)
• 2B: Brooks Lee ($0.80M)
• 3B: Jordan Westburg ($0.80M)
• SS: Carlos Correa ($36.00M)
• LF: Tyler O'Neill ($14.00M)
• CF: Byron Buxton ($15.00M)
• RF: Matt Wallner ($0.80M)
• DH: Jose Miranda ($0.80M)
• 4th OF: DaShawn Keirsey ($0.80M)
• Utility: Amed Rosario ($2.00M)
• Utility: Jose Iglesias ($1.5M)
• Backup C: Dalton Rushing ($0.80M)
• NA: Dead Money Here ($0.00M)
• SP1: Pablo Lopez ($21.50M)
• SP2: Joe Ryan ($3.80M)
• SP3: Bailey Ober ($4.30M)
• SP4: Jesus Luzardo ($8.60M)
• SP5: David Festa ($0.80M)
• RP: Caleb Ferguson ($1.5M)
• RP: Brock Stewart ($0.80M)
• RP: Griffin Jax ($2.60M)
• RP: Connor Prielipp ($0.80M)
• RP: Cole Sands ($0.80M)
• RP: Dustin May ($2.1M)
• RP: Louie Varland ($0.80M)
• RP: Kody Funderburk ($0.80M)
• NA: Dead Money Here ($0.00M)

Payroll is 0.38% under budget

[Greglw3]

1 hour ago, TopGunn#22 said:

I think 2025 is a good opportunity to shake things up.  I'm willing to trade to not only move a significant amount of payroll off the team, but to include some highly ranked minor league pieces to entice other teams with deeper pockets to accept ALL the salary we're sending out.

TRADE:  Duran, Castro and Paddack along with $3.5 million in International Pool money to the Dodgers for catcher Dalton Rushing and oft injured RHP Dustin May. 

TRADE:  Vasquez, Larnach and Top Ten OF prospect Gabe Gonzalez to Marlins for LH SP Jesus Luzardo.  Luzardo is signed for 2025 at $8.6 million but we would have him for two more years at arbitration salaries.

TRADE:  SWR, Alcala and Marco Raya to Baltimore for 3B/1B Jordan Westburg. 

SIGN:  Tyler O'Neill 2-years $14 million per.  Amed Rosario IF/OF 1 year $2 million and IF Jose Iglesias 1 year $1.5 million.  

I'm essentially removing about $30 million in salary and adding about the same back, just reallocating it across the roster. 

The team beefs up it's already formidable rotation without moving Jax.  Jax becomes the primary closer with Duran moving on to the Dodgers.  He can handle it.  He's more consistent.  We add a Gold Glove caliber, 30 HR thumper in LF who hits RH.  This solidifies the OF of Buxton, O'Neill and Wallner with Keirsey as the 4th OF until E-Rod and Walker Jenkins are ready.  

Royce Lewis and Jordan Westburg become the Twins corner infielders for a decade.  It doesn't matter to me which position each plays.  The Twins will figure this out.

We also add a couple of veteran glove men who at the plate make consistent contact and have some speed.  Each of Rosario and Iglesias are signed for one year while guys like Keaschall and Eeles and Helman prove they are ready or not.  Each also gives us a veteran at SS/2B/3B to support Westburg, Correa and Brooks Lee.  

Rushing will back up Jeffers but also get some time at DH and maybe even 1B to get him more AB's.  All reports say Rushing's bat is ready for MLB.  Let's get him AB's.  

IF...and it's a big if, the trades make sense and they open up a FA signing like O'Neill, the Twins are primed to be competitive with a lineup and rotation like that, and a BP that could be pretty darn good, all while waiting for the next wave of hitters (E-Rod, Walker Jenkins, Keaschall) and pitchers (Matthews, Morris, Soto) to make their way to the big leagues.  It should also help the Pohlad family maximize their selling price and leave the new ownership group with a sense they made a good purchase.  

• C: Ryan Jeffers ($4.70M)
• 1B: Royce Lewis ($2.30M)
• 2B: Brooks Lee ($0.80M)
• 3B: Jordan Westburg ($0.80M)
• SS: Carlos Correa ($36.00M)
• LF: Tyler O'Neill ($14.00M)
• CF: Byron Buxton ($15.00M)
• RF: Matt Wallner ($0.80M)
• DH: Jose Miranda ($0.80M)
• 4th OF: DaShawn Keirsey ($0.80M)
• Utility: Amed Rosario ($2.00M)
• Utility: Jose Iglesias ($1.5M)
• Backup C: Dalton Rushing ($0.80M)
• NA: Dead Money Here ($0.00M)
• SP1: Pablo Lopez ($21.50M)
• SP2: Joe Ryan ($3.80M)
• SP3: Bailey Ober ($4.30M)
• SP4: Jesus Luzardo ($8.60M)
• SP5: David Festa ($0.80M)
• RP: Caleb Ferguson ($1.5M)
• RP: Brock Stewart ($0.80M)
• RP: Griffin Jax ($2.60M)
• RP: Connor Prielipp ($0.80M)
• RP: Cole Sands ($0.80M)
• RP: Dustin May ($2.1M)
• RP: Louie Varland ($0.80M)
• RP: Kody Funderburk ($0.80M)
• NA: Dead Money Here ($0.00M)

Payroll is 0.38% under budget

 Very creative! I like this ne a lot! You have several things in common with me in that I brought in a new LF (Profar) and traded Larnach.  I also signed Iglesias and have been eying Amed Rosario for months now!

We’re both using Keirsey Jr. and added two bats, you with O’Neill and Westburg and me with Profar and Winker. Your Marlins trade is plausible and likely a good pickup. Did he have injury issues last year? He seems to have had two terrific seasons in ’22 and ’23 and his "peripherals" last year were good.

I added a guy but went for the gold in Sasaki, with the Twins and a few other teams having the most at 7.555 MM to spend on him. Then I brought Jax into the rotation, which could move Pablo Martinez to #3 but if all healthy, maybe a WS winning rotation.

I’m all for your plan, it would be exciting and lead to a better record, I think!

[tony&rodney]

Good job of creating some change. 

Dalton Rushing can hit, but he is still pretty rough behind the plate. There is promise there though. I'm more focused on acquiring one or both of Jeferson Quero and Kyle Teel. I would overpay for both. 

Luzardo has great stuff but the injuries have put him in a no box for me. I would enrich Miami's farm system for Alcantara though and maybe the Marlins like the salary relief if offered enough quality and quantity.

Love O'Neill but wonder about price and his health. I'm ready for EmRod now. He is ready too. The Twins will play him or trade him. I'm playing him.

Westburg was a guy I wanted early on but was a little concerned about his strikeouts, lack of walks, and speed. Still, he is worth acquiring. I would like to believe that Simeon Woods Richardson should be sufficient to return Westburg, but don't know where Baltimore gets a better offer.

I enjoy reading other folks' ideas.

[Brock Beauchamp]

Kudos to having one of the most fun blueprints I've read across any of the four sites thus far.

[Doctor Gast]

I'm with you TopGun, I'm ready to blow things up. But I'd go a little bit younger route instead of Profar with trading Larnach. I'd expect Falvey to again take a non-proactive approach to this offseason so I expect a worse team than last year (it breaks my heart to suggest this but I'm a realist) so why pay Correa & Lopez all that money & not even come close to the postseason. I'd take a different route than you giving all that international money to LAD to get Sasaki, I'd try to land the young Sasaki ourselves. I'd trade Jeffers & anybody else to land Keel from BOS, BOS is in win-now mode. And at the deadline trade Correa (at this time he'll be more than ready to waive his non-trade clause) & Lopez for a top-of-the-line SS prospect. Give Lewis an extension and trust that he will eventually take that leadership role. I'd keep Vazquez to mentor Keel, and use Vazquez exclusively against LHPs. Let Vazquez walk in '26 w/o worrying about taking a loss trying to dump his salary. We have no hope to go to the postseason with Falvey, hope & luck are a heck of a way to run a team.

I really like Rushing but I'm afraid that LAD would again ask too much & again Falvey can't say no even though we'd again have the leverage. Even though Rushing is more of a slugger, I like Keel much more overall & lean more toward going the BOS route.