Twins Listening On Trade Inquiries About Pablo Lopez

[tony&rodney]

The East Coast rumors are nonstop and wild. I go days without looking at anything related to Boston or other teams back east, but one today made me chuckle. Tristan Casas to Minnesota for Jhoan Duran and Charlee Soto. Those who like Casas may like this rumor.

The price for Pablo Lopez would be Jarren Duran. So, not going to happen.

[nicksaviking]

9 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

The East Coast rumors are nonstop and wild. I go days without looking at anything related to Boston or other teams back east, but one today made me chuckle. Tristan Casas to Minnesota for Jhoan Duran and Charlee Soto. Those who like Casas may like this rumor.

The price for Pablo Lopez would be Jarren Duran. So, not going to happen.

With how hard Boston has been pushing to trade Casas, every other GM in the league should read the tea leaves.

No interest in a soon-to-be-full time DH.

[tony&rodney]

Just now, nicksaviking said:

With how hard Boston has been pushing to trade Casas, every other GM in the league should read the tea leaves.

No interest in a soon-to-be-full time DH.

That has been what I have been saying. Casas does have a big bat.

[tntoriole]

Hey.. Os fan here.. interested in thoughts about what a fair trade for Pablo Lopez might look like

Our off limits prospects would be Samuel Basallo, Jackson Holliday 

On Os Hangout forum there is an entire thread about this but would something like Ryan Mountcastle, Dean Kremer, and a Comp A pick? 

 

[SwainZag]

13 hours ago, tntoriole said:

Hey.. Os fan here.. interested in thoughts about what a fair trade for Pablo Lopez might look like

Our off limits prospects would be Samuel Basallo, Jackson Holliday 

On Os Hangout forum there is an entire thread about this but would something like Ryan Mountcastle, Dean Kremer, and a Comp A pick? 

 

How would this realistically help the Twins?  While a RH bar bat is a need, Mountcastle is only a year younger than Pablo.  His ARB number comes in a little below 7M and needs a contract extension.  

Pablo at $21M for 3 more seasons is a steal by MLB standards.   If Mountcastle played an above average corner OF, there might be a discussion, but he hasn't played outside of 1B since 2021.  It could be safely argued that Jose Miranda provides a younger, cheaper and similar bat and is already on the roster. 

Kremer is 29, and will make 3M, who will also need an extension in the next 2 years.   A Comp A pick is nice, but you don't trade your 28 year old ace for 1 year of salary relief and add to a log jam that's already there.  

If Lopez had hit FA this year, his contact wouldn't have been much short of what Burnes got IMO.  Also, if the Twins do indeed trade Pablo..... they are more than likely re-tooling.  Adding players 27 and 29 isn't exactly that route.   Just my 2 cents of the matter. 

I would be shocked at this point if Pablo isn't the Twins opening day starter.

[tntoriole]

3 hours ago, SwainZag said:

How would this realistically help the Twins?  While a RH bar bat is a need, Mountcastle is only a year younger than Pablo.  His ARB number comes in a little below 7M and needs a contract extension.  

Pablo at $21M for 3 more seasons is a steal by MLB standards.   If Mountcastle played an above average corner OF, there might be a discussion, but he hasn't played outside of 1B since 2021.  It could be safely argued that Jose Miranda provides a younger, cheaper and similar bat and is already on the roster. 

Kremer is 29, and will make 3M, who will also need an extension in the next 2 years.   A Comp A pick is nice, but you don't trade your 28 year old ace for 1 year of salary relief and add to a log jam that's already there.  

If Lopez had hit FA this year, his contact wouldn't have been much short of what Burnes got IMO.  Also, if the Twins do indeed trade Pablo..... they are more than likely re-tooling.  Adding players 27 and 29 isn't exactly that route.   Just my 2 cents of the matter. 

I would be shocked at this point if Pablo isn't the Twins opening day starter.

Thanks.. so if keeping him, then most any trade won’t be appealing. 
So if retooling then a package of Jordan Westburg , number 2 prospect Coby Mayo, a number 4 like CF Enrique Bradfield  would be more likely to do the trick?  
Because that is a haul no Os fan would give up lol.. if that doesn’t do it, then you are not really trading him to anyone lol 

[Cory Engelhardt]

18 hours ago, tntoriole said:

Hey.. Os fan here.. interested in thoughts about what a fair trade for Pablo Lopez might look like

Our off limits prospects would be Samuel Basallo, Jackson Holliday 

On Os Hangout forum there is an entire thread about this but would something like Ryan Mountcastle, Dean Kremer, and a Comp A pick? 

 

First, welcome! Baltimore is an easy team for me to cheer for. Love the stadium and love the direction they have been trending a few years now.
I don’t think that would be a fit here. Mountcastle and the comp a pick would be a good start, but it would have to be a real piece with that coming back as well for the twins to consider trading Pablo. Probably Mayo or Basallo. Those assets (Mountcastle, Mayo or Basallo and a pick or another prospect) would have to be the starting point. Even then I personally wouldn’t want to trade Pablo

[tony&rodney]

Baltimore  and Boston have often been cited as a potential trade partner when Pablo Lopez's name was put up. I don't think the Twins are going to trade Lopez unless the return makes a difference. Boston has mostly closed their needs and wouldn't trade Duran for Lopez anyways, plus one of the other interesting names (Teel) already went to Chicago. The Orioles are not getting a Pablo Lopez for anything less than Mayo or Basallo plus. Baltimore's best shot, if they were really serious would be to get the Twins to include a good MLB player (Castro, Larnach, or Miranda) and a prospect like C. J. Culpepper with Pablo Lopez in return for both Basallo and Mayo. The Orioles say no because they do not want to give up their best prospects. Mayo could be good but is slow and his glove needs work. He also K's quite a bit. Great power if he hits the ball. Basallo will be a really good bat but may not have a position. Easy to see why he is considered untouchable. A top prospect has to be able to do more than one thing to be a franchise untouchable. Holliday fits the criteria as do Dylan Crews, Walker Jenkins, Roman Anthony,  and Max Clark. Again, Pablo Lopez has a ton of value right now.

[Cory Engelhardt]

1 hour ago, tntoriole said:

Thanks.. so if keeping him, then most any trade won’t be appealing. 
So if retooling then a package of Jordan Westburg , number 2 prospect Coby Mayo, a number 4 like CF Enrique Bradfield  would be more likely to do the trick?  
Because that is a haul no Os fan would give up lol.. if that doesn’t do it, then you are not really trading him to anyone lol 

I would be curious what would take just for the twins to get Mountcastle. Would a younger Twins starter interest you, like SWR or CJ Culpepper for example?

[tntoriole]

50 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

First, welcome! Baltimore is an easy team for me to cheer for. Love the stadium and love the direction they have been trending a few years now.
I don’t think that would be a fit here. Mountcastle and the comp a pick would be a good start, but it would have to be a real piece with that coming back as well for the twins to consider trading Pablo. Probably Mayo or Basallo. Those assets (Mountcastle, Mayo or Basallo and a pick or another prospect) would have to be the starting point. Even then I personally wouldn’t want to trade Pablo

Thanks!!! Camden undergoing a makeover too and is a great place to see a game!! I am a longtime Os fan and remember being at the first division playoff game ever in 1969 with the great Twins of Killebrew, Oliva, Carew

Speculation for now seems to be either say Castillo from Mariners or a year rental of Cease.  Mountcastle has been mentioned a lot as Mayo may be about ready to split 1b with O’Hearn.  Kremer too has control and is a back end reliability innings guy (Morton signing widely seen as a prep for maybe dealing Kremer) 

Elias and Mejdal are very prospect hoarding though traded Joey Ortiz and DL Hall last winter for a year of Burnes.  Doubt they will deal Mayo or Basallo but who knows
 

[tntoriole]

53 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I would be curious what would take just for the twins to get Mountcastle. Would a younger Twins starter interest you, like SWR or CJ Culpepper for example?

Biggest need is controllable SP, preferably with top of rotation potential .. i like SWR 23 season, has lots of potential.. I might need another prospect coming back but doable. 
 

Mountcastle is one of several good players who at the same time are being pushed by excellent prospects.. Cedric Mullins, Ramon Urias could easily be dealt or kept. 

[tntoriole]

1 hour ago, tony&rodney said:

Baltimore  and Boston have often been cited as a potential trade partner when Pablo Lopez's name was put up. I don't think the Twins are going to trade Lopez unless the return makes a difference. Boston has mostly closed their needs and wouldn't trade Duran for Lopez anyways, plus one of the other interesting names (Teel) already went to Chicago. The Orioles are not getting a Pablo Lopez for anything less than Mayo or Basallo plus. Baltimore's best shot, if they were really serious would be to get the Twins to include a good MLB player (Castro, Larnach, or Miranda) and a prospect like C. J. Culpepper with Pablo Lopez in return for both Basallo and Mayo. The Orioles say no because they do not want to give up their best prospects. Mayo could be good but is slow and his glove needs work. He also K's quite a bit. Great power if he hits the ball. Basallo will be a really good bat but may not have a position. Easy to see why he is considered untouchable. A top prospect has to be able to do more than one thing to be a franchise untouchable. Holliday fits the criteria as do Dylan Crews, Walker Jenkins, Roman Anthony,  and Max Clark. Again, Pablo Lopez has a ton of value right now.

Thanks… i tend to agree that i don’t see both Basallo and Mayo in a deal. 
It may end up being us getting a deal for Castillo or a Cease rental.  Or neither is more likely .  Kyle Bradish is likely a July return and hopeful that Grayson Rodriguez stays healthy and has that breakout season. 

[tony&rodney]

5 minutes ago, tntoriole said:

Thanks… i tend to agree that i don’t see both Basallo and Mayo in a deal. 
It may end up being us getting a deal for Castillo or a Cease rental.  Or neither is more likely .  Kyle Bradish is likely a July return and hopeful that Grayson Rodriguez stays healthy and has that breakout season. 

Cease is good but a rental, so Baltimore will not give up either Mayo or Basallo for him ..... or at least I would not do that deal. Lopez is real steady and signed for three years, which is why he has people calling and the Twins holding him.

[tntoriole]

19 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Cease is good but a rental, so Baltimore will not give up either Mayo or Basallo for him ..... or at least I would not do that deal. Lopez is real steady and signed for three years, which is why he has people calling and the Twins holding him.

I agree.. the proposals floated  with Padres center on, Kremer, Urias and a lesser prospect for Cease rental. 

[ashbury]

20 hours ago, tntoriole said:

Hey.. Os fan here.. interested in thoughts about what a fair trade for Pablo Lopez might look like

Our off limits prospects would be Samuel Basallo, Jackson Holliday 

On Os Hangout forum there is an entire thread about this but would something like Ryan Mountcastle, Dean Kremer, and a Comp A pick? 

 

One thing I haven't seen mentioned in this discussion is that the Orioles' best young players lean heavily toward lefty bats.  The Twins already have a bit of an overload of corner outfielders who bat from that side, which could make matching up needs a bit hard, even at other positions.  Seeing names like Kjerstad mentioned at O's Hangout strikes me as not realistic; a third team would have to be brought into the mix.

Mayo and Westburg bat right but I'm not sure how well they'd fit into the current Twins roster.

As an aside, I do enjoy the atmosphere at your site.  Good, thoughtful posters there.

[tony&rodney]

3 minutes ago, ashbury said:

One thing I haven't seen mentioned in this discussion is that the Orioles' best young players lean heavily toward lefty bats.  The Twins already have a bit of an overload of corner outfielders who bat from that side, which could make matching up needs a bit hard, even at other positions.  Seeing names like Kjerstad mentioned at O's Hangout strikes me as not realistic; a third team would have to be brought into the mix.

Mayo and Westburg bat right but I'm not sure how well they'd fit into the current Twins roster.

As an aside, I do enjoy the atmosphere at your site.  Good, thoughtful posters there.

The LH/RH bat depends on the severity of the splits and whether the Twins brain trust will allow a LH bat to play every day. Emmanuel Rodriguez (like the honey badger) - he don't care. I think Basallo is a possible minor version of Yordan Alvarez. Mayo (future) and Westburg (now) are really good but they each strike out quite a bit. Seems like the K's need to be watched as closely as the LH bats. FWIW, Larnach and Wallner may be ready to face LH pitchers too. I think the Twins must give that a long trial run because (discussed much) the past strategy has hurt as much as helped. Kjerstad is going to be really good (IMO) but he overflows the bucket already present (Larnach, Wallner, Keisey Jr., Rodriguez, Jenkins), so I agree the interest won't be there from the Twins side.

[ashbury]

10 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Kjerstad is going to be really good (IMO) but he overflows the bucket already present (Larnach, Wallner, Keisey Jr., Rodriguez, Jenkins), so I agree the interest won't be there from the Twins side.

It wasn't my intent to get into platooning per se, merely make the point that you stated at the end.  Our new friend hadn't mentioned Kjerstad himself, so I was just reacting to a bit of what I read at their site, which is to be expected since fans of other teams won't necessarily be aware of details like this.  But it's the details that make or break a trade proposal.

[tntoriole]

1 hour ago, ashbury said:

It wasn't my intent to get into platooning per se, merely make the point that you stated at the end.  Our new friend hadn't mentioned Kjerstad himself, so I was just reacting to a bit of what I read at their site, which is to be expected since fans of other teams won't necessarily be aware of details like this.  But it's the details that make or break a trade proposal.

Thanks.. agreed that matchups with teams and timing of organizational development determines trade suitability.  Os are in a 3-4 year window of maximizing a championship appearance and have a new deep pocket owner.   Kjerstad can be a tradeable piece but much of it will depend on the need.  Our need is primarily a 1-2 starter and we have some excess both position wise AND prospect wise which is a good (and unusual for us, thanks to Mike Elias) place. 

[ewen21]

On 12/20/2024 at 10:29 AM, Mike Sixel said:

I don't see how receiving calls is bad, or news even

It's timbre for a conversation.  I believe they call it "hot stove" talk

[SwainZag]

11 hours ago, tntoriole said:

Thanks.. so if keeping him, then most any trade won’t be appealing. 
So if retooling then a package of Jordan Westburg , number 2 prospect Coby Mayo, a number 4 like CF Enrique Bradfield  would be more likely to do the trick?  
Because that is a haul no Os fan would give up lol.. if that doesn’t do it, then you are not really trading him to anyone lol 

Personally that's huge package.   I am a huge Westburg fan, but with Julien and Lee, I'm not even sure he makes sense.  With Mayo and Bradfield it's a more than fair offer, but not sure it matches up needs.  Fun to chalk up though.   Personally, I hope they keep Lopez, i think last year was an aberration and think the Twins have the talent to win 85+ games, but that might be the internal optimist in me. 

[tntoriole]

3 hours ago, SwainZag said:

Personally that's huge package.   I am a huge Westburg fan, but with Julien and Lee, I'm not even sure he makes sense.  With Mayo and Bradfield it's a more than fair offer, but not sure it matches up needs.  Fun to chalk up though.   Personally, I hope they keep Lopez, i think last year was an aberration and think the Twins have the talent to win 85+ games, but that might be the internal optimist in me. 

Yes, they would hammer me on the Orioles site lol.  And I agree with you, that your needs and ours may not be the best match. 
But I think they will make a trade

[ashbury]

20 hours ago, tntoriole said:

But I think they will make a trade

Involving Pablo Lopez?   Or a smaller-scale trade?

[tntoriole]

1 hour ago, ashbury said:

Involving Pablo Lopez?   Or a smaller-scale trade?

Similar scale… though in last day or so, I am hearing Flaherty is back on the radar.  But Castillo , Cease, Flaherty or Lopez are in mix. 

[ashbury]

2 minutes ago, tntoriole said:

Similar scale… though in last day or so, I am hearing Flaherty is back on the radar.  But Castillo , Cease, Flaherty or Lopez are in mix. 

Ah, so you mean the Orioles will make a trade, not that the Twins-Orioles specifically will trade.  I was confused by the word "they".

[tony&rodney]

1 hour ago, tntoriole said:

Similar scale… though in last day or so, I am hearing Flaherty is back on the radar.  But Castillo , Cease, Flaherty or Lopez are in mix. 

It would be mildly surprising if Baltimore traded a key prospect for Dylan Cease. He will want to see his market as a free agent. Their best bet is to sign Flaherty. I, selfishly, want the Twins to hold Lopez. Luis Castillo can be really good but he can also be really mediocre. That said, Lopez has his down games as well. Seattle has a great park for pitchers

[tntoriole]

9 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

It would be mildly surprising if Baltimore traded a key prospect for Dylan Cease. He will want to see his market as a free agent. Their best bet is to sign Flaherty. I, selfishly, want the Twins to hold Lopez. Luis Castillo can be really good but he can also be really mediocre. That said, Lopez has his down games as well. Seattle has a great park for pitchers

Perhaps so.. San Diego was said to prefer ML players, not prospects. Mouncastle, Kremer but not clear. The other person mentioned is Framber Valdez. 

[tony&rodney]

Perhaps the Twins and Orioles could complete a trade but I think it would have to be a large trade in order to satisfy both teams. The first thought would need to include a willingness from Minnesota to trade Pablo Lopez and for Baltimore to listen on Samuel Basallo and Coby Mayo. I just don't believe that is possible. Actually the Orioles need a pitcher like Lopez more than the Twins need highly rated prospects. Thus, no match.

These sites are for thoughts though. The Twins could use a catcher and a first baseman. The Orioles are already set up  across the infield with Mountcastle/O'Hearn, Holliday, Westburg, and Henderson. The O's are also set at catcher with Rutschman. Despite the previous "no match" point and also I don't think the Twins should trade Lopez, here is a deal - P. Lopez and E. Rodriguez for S. Basallo and C. Mayo. Big deal that nobody likes but could help both teams. Emmanuel Rodriguez is my choice for Opening Day LF for the Twins and ROY. 

 

[SteveLV]

IMO that is too much going out to the O's and would not like that trade.  Rodriguez has just a good a chance of being stud as Basallo and Mayo, and Lopez is a stud at a reasonable contract.  Not enough.

[tony&rodney]

2 hours ago, SteveLV said:

IMO that is too much going out to the O's and would not like that trade.  Rodriguez has just a good a chance of being stud as Basallo and Mayo, and Lopez is a stud at a reasonable contract.  Not enough.

I agree totally. The point is that deals are possible and the decisions are up to the front offices. The idea of not listening on a player or having untouchable prospects means that potentially gainful ideas are nixed.

FWIW, and I think I have said this previously, I'm not interested in adding another slow, poor glove, big hitter who strikes out often to our current roster (Mayo). A balanced team makes for more offense. To be fair, if the Twins didn't already have too many guys like that, I think Mayo could be really good.