goulik’s 2025 Payroll Blueprint: Goulik's Blueprint

[goulik]

I am trading a lot of guys away for prospects and shaking this thing up! Traded away: Castro Vazquez, Paddock, Miranda, Julien, Alcala. (Miranda and Julien are more about shake up then anything but we will need room eventually for younger prospects and they just are not in my long term plans) I will get what I get for them. If there is any way to bring someone back as a major league piece for minimum salary I will do it but I won't bring back anyone that costs a million dollars or more. If I can get some real value I might chip in some prospects but Jenkins, Rodriguez, Raya, Morris and Mathews are non starters unless you're blowing me away with a cheap controllable win now option.

With the freed up resources, I am bringing back Carlos Santana for 1 year at $5.25 million and I am signing Tanner Scott for 4 years 60 million to shore up my LH reliever problem.

For now I am bringing up Keirsey, Helman, Severino, and Camargo. I know, I know, I am not excited either but in the wings I have Emmanuel Rodriguez, Luke Keashel, Payton Eeles, and Walker Jenkins looking to push aside anyone that falters in a starting role. Who knows, maybe Tanner Schobel or McCusker will get a shot in 2025 also? Maybe even someone acquired with the aforementioned trades will emerge.

Remember, opening day roster is just opening day roster. We all know that changes will be made as the season progresses and injuries occur and with salary restrictions in place until we have new owners in 2026, we need to be young

• C: Ryan Jeffers ($4.70M)
• 1B: Carlos Santana ($5.25M)
• 2B: Brooks Lee ($0.80M)
• 3B: Royce Lewis ($2.30M)
• SS: Carlos Correa ($36.00M)
• LF: Trevor Larnach ($2.10M)
• CF: Byron Buxton ($15.00M)
• RF: Matt Wallner ($0.80M)
• DH: Yunior Severino ($0.80M)
• 4th OF: Austin Martin ($0.80M)
• Utility: Michael Helman ($0.80M)
• Utility: DaShawn Keirsey ($0.80M)
• Backup C: Jair Camargo ($0.80M)
• NA: Dead Money Here ($0.00M)
• SP1: Pablo Lopez ($21.50M)
• SP2: Joe Ryan ($3.80M)
• SP3: Bailey Ober ($4.30M)
• SP4: David Festa ($0.8M)
• SP5: Simeon Woods Richardson ($0.80M)
• RP: Jhoan Duran ($3.70M)
• RP: Brock Stewart ($0.80M)
• RP: Griffin Jax ($2.60M)
• RP: Kody Funderburk ($0.80M)
• RP: Cole Sands ($0.80M)
• RP: Justin Topa ($1.30M)
• RP: Louie Varland ($0.80M)
• RP: Tanner Scott ($15.00M)
• NA: Dead Money Here ($0.00M)

Payroll is 1.58% under budget

[Brock Beauchamp]

Out of curiosity, why trade both Miranda and Julien? Both of their value is rather low and you're gonna need someone to back up first base this year and play there next year.

I could see an argument for trading either one of them but probably not both.

[goulik]

 

14 hours ago, Brock Beauchamp said:

Out of curiosity, why trade both Miranda and Julien? Both of their value is rather low and you're gonna need someone to back up first base this year and play there next year.

I could see an argument for trading either one of them but probably not both.

I see both of them being squeezed out longer term by upcoming prospects and since I am bringing back Santana, I do not need them now and will not need them in the future. Yunior Severino is my back up first baseman and honestly, there are other candidates to move over there depending on how things break this year. When Rodriguez, Jenkins and Keashel have all pushed their way up, We may find Larnach spending a lot of time at 1B...

[Brock Beauchamp]

1 hour ago, goulik said:

I see both of them being squeezed out longer term by upcoming prospects and since I am bringing back Santana, I do not need them now and will not need them in the future. Yunior Severino is my back up first baseman and honestly, there are other candidates to move over there depending on how things break this year. When Rodriguez, Jenkins and Keashel have all pushed their way up, We may find Larnach spending a lot of time at 1B...

Larnach seems like a good fit at first. I agree there.

I may be in the minority but I don't want Santana back in 2025. I think the Twins got the best out of him and it's time to move on to someone else.

[bean5302]

I'd say this is a 82-83 win roster in my opinion, which is about 1-2 wins worse than the current roster construction. Considering the Twins are over by $5-10MM currently, I think that's fair in a way.

I don't see Falvey or ownership being on board with a $25MM bullpen, and without Castro, Miranda or Julien, depth is probably going to be a huge problem (not just a concern) in the infield and DH spots.

Helman, Severino, and Keirsey are not prospects, they're MiLB roster filler in my opinion. Helman will be a 29 year old 8 year MiLB veteran with 10 career plate appearances in the big show who is being thrust into a role where they're going to see probably at least 300 plate appearances. Severino's been a league average hitter at AAA thanks to short bursts of performance. He was outrighted and no team in baseball bit on him. If Lee doesn't make a massive improvement at the plate, he's unplayable, which pushes a guy like Payton Eeles or Michael Helman into a starting 2B role. Keirsey will be 28 with an adequate performance at the plate in AAA, but his fielding isn't likely to be plus at the MLB level. I believe Keirsey is likely just a less speedy Andrew Stevenson. though as a backup CF, it's not a profile I'd expect to produce a ton of negative WAR at least.
Career Andrew Stevenson MLB - .243/.316/.352 OPS .668 wRC+ 80, 8.0% BB, 27.4% K
'23 AAA a29 Andrew Stevenson - .317/.394/.522 OPS .916 wRC+ 131, 8.9% BB, 20.6% K
'24 AAA a27 DaShawn Keirsey - .300/.368/.476 OPS .845 wRC+ 119, 9.5% BB, 23.0% K

Of course, Miranda, Julien and Castro are not bringing back peanuts so there's no reason to believe the Twins couldn't acquire their depth or honestly, starters, from those trades. Since they weren't included, I'm assuming the Twins are going for high ceiling / high risk in your scenario.