This Jhoan Durán Trade Could Jumpstart the Twins' Offseason Activity

[terrydactyls]

I'm amused by all these trade proposal articles.  They all contain a sentence along the lines of "and that will allow the Twins to trade Vasquez and Paddock for salary relief".  Who's willing to trade for them?  And if anyone is willing to trade for them, what difference does this trade make?  If there any teams willing to take Vasquez and Paddock, trade them now and worry about the second catcher later.

[Linus]

There have been a lot of half baked proposals floated at Twins Daily and this might take the cake. If Falvey made this trade he should be immediately fired. From a value standpoint you don’t trade great talent for two mediocre prospects. From a roster building standpoint why would you hamstring your bullpen right when it finally has a chance to be good?  Anybody remember last year when our incredibly deep bullpen was going to be the best in the league?  With our current FO any catcher is going to be a half time player. You don’t burn valuable assets for half time players. 
 

Lastly I think it is a tragedy that as Twins fans we’ve been conditioned to think that the only way to make additions to our club is by trading away our best players. How low have we sunk?

[GNess]

Trades are supposed to improve your team.  Acquiring a back-up catcher who is 27 and with limited MLB experience and a SP likely destined for an uncertain future as a RP seems awfully light as a return for a proven top tier RP in Duran.

Plus, the Twins would lose the Duran Entry Light Show! 

[TopGunn#22]

The idea of trading Duran to the Dodgers has merit.  It's just that this package is no where near what could or should be extracted.  The Dodgers have a real need for a top shelf closer.  It's their biggest question mark heading into 2025 and defending their World Championship.  They could go out and sign Kirby Yates.  But landing Duran would be far more attractive to them.

This deal starts with Dalton Rushing, a 23 year old catcher with a loud bat and the ability to play some 1B as well as catch.  And as Otaknam stated, young LH starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski would be a good add as well. 

Acquiring Rushing, who is major league ready, would allow the Twins to trade Ryan Jeffers, who would return far more than Vasquez.  It leaves the Twins with a defense 1st primary catcher and a solid hitting, offensively talented backup who could paly a little 1B and DH to get his bat in the lineup.  The Twins could work out a better contract with Vasquez for another 2-3 years and be set at catcher for the near future.

Adding Wrobleski just gives the Twins even more depth with young pitching.  Wrobleski could be traded in another deal to add something or allow the Twins to dangle SWR, Matthews or Festa in a deal.

I agree with the concern that our BP may not be as solid as we think and that trading Duran would weaken it further.  But I also think Jax would accept the closer role and the contract extension that would come with it.  Maybe with a Dodger deal that brings the 2 players I've mentioned and subsequent trades that could clear Paddack's $7.5 million, the Twins could sign Kirby Yates to replace Duran at the back end.  Maybe the Dodgers would take Paddack if Willi Castro was included as part of a larger deal and the Dodgers added something else.

I like the Dodgers as a trade partner.  I just think Cody's deal falls far short of what the Twins should get if Duran was the centerpiece of a deal with the dodgers.

[tony&rodney]

My initial reaction after drifting through the article was wondering how the writer came up with those two names. The Dodgers do this trade every day. Reading through the comments I wondered what ideas people might have as a response. Somehow it seems Duran has lost value, which I don't see.

[David Maro]

Let's see if I have this right Jax wants to start and let's trade Duran. Now we have a really weak BP. They have 3 injury prone RH and a LH pitcher who has not shown he can get hitters out consistently. I think the FO has been told cut payroll by 10 to 20 million not a couple million. They also don't want to hurt the team to much in regard to getting a buyer. The Polhad's are going make money selling the team,why would they weaken it and have to take less.

[Clear Lake Twinsfan]

I also had been thinking that Duran would be an excellent fit for the Dodgers.  However, I think that we need to aim higher in our asking price.  I agree with TopGunn#22 that the deal needs to start with Dalton Rushing.  I also like Andy Pages, mentioned by Cory Englehardt, as part of the deal.  In 403 at bats with the Dodgers last year he had an OPS of .712, but his slash line against left handed pitching was .357/.396/.520.  The Dodgers played him in center field in 87 games, but he seems better suited to a corner outfield spot with the ability to fill in in center.  I think that both of these guys could contribute in 2025 and each have 6 years of team control left.  

[sweetmusicviola16]

2 hours ago, Otaknam said:

This isn’t enough for Duran and it weakens the team without adding well regarded prospects. Casparius is a back of the rotation starter, which the Twins have a half dozen of already, and a 27 year old catcher who isn’t an upgrade or does not have  projected upside. I would support a trade if it included two Dodgers prospects like  Justin Wrobleski, a lefty starter with mid rotation ability, and their top prosects,  catcher Dalton Rushing, who is blocked by other players. Otherwise keep Duran.

Rushing would be a great add, even if it meant expanding the trade with other players involved.

[dxpavelka]

I know another team that could benefit from an established high-leverage arm in the bullpen.  The Twins.

[gmwannabe]

Rushing or no deal Dodgers!

[Heistyman]

IF we are entering a rebuild then trade Duran.  The Twins should leverage the teams by creating some competition for his services and force an overpay. 

[Fatbat]

2 hours ago, Otaknam said:

Dobnak hasn’t done anything in the past couple of years to think he can contribute. His $9 million contract was always a head scratcher. He would have been released already if not for his contract.

Exactly my friend.  Duran is cheap talent and the proposed trade is for marginal talent like Dobnak. 

[Vanimal46]

How bored are the writers at Twins Daily? 

[DocBauer]

So let me understand this, Duran's primary  numbers and peripherals were still good in 2024...suggesting some poor luck or sequencing...and was still throwing 100mph consistently, would be a final piece for the champion Dodgers, and is just turning 27yo and the proposal is for a 26yo pitcher who has yet to prove himself, might not stick in the rotation anyway, might not be any better than some of the arms we already have at AAA, and a 27yo catcher who has yet to establish himself beyond AAA?

And we improve the team how?

We don't trade for a young catcher unless he's a YOUNG catcher, with more potential than this. And i don't know enough about Casparius to get too deep. But glancing at his MILB numbers, how is he any better than Festa, Matthews, Morris, etc? He's not needed as a replacement for Paddack. 

Rushing and a better, younger arm for Duran and someone else is a proposal that makes sense. The Twins can move Paddack and Vazquez for $ relief and maybe a young RHOF, etc. That starts to make sense. This proposal does not. 

[Doctor Gast]

When I saw trading Duran, My 1st thought was h**k no. Then I thought maybe Dalton Rushing. Established closer for a promising, blocked-catching prospect, that's reasonable. But unproven Feduccia & Casperius for Duran, is a gigantic underpay.

I know very little about Feducci. I looked in LAD top 30 prospects in '22.'23.'24 & I couldn't find him anywhere to get some kind of scouting report. Very strange that he didn't make the top 30 in those 3years. Looking at his AAA stats his CS% were low.  I have no idea where his ceiling is at. Yet because LAD deems him as MLB-ready & a LH hitter, he'd be my 3rd catcher if he were to become a Twin. Jeffers isn't able to take control of the lion's share of the duties so somehow Feducci, Gasper & Camargo would have to take up the slack when they had very little MLB experience between them if they decide to move Vazquez. That would be very concerning. IMO it's like last year acquiring all those fringe RPs that never panned out. Instead of getting all those fringe RPs why not get one really good one.

Casperius & Feducci would be good depth pieces but no way comes close to Duran. Just for comparison BTV, Duran is at (24.7) surplus trade value- Casperius & Feducci combined is at (3.8). Both of these guys are blocked. For the sake of these players & those behind them like Dalton Rushing, could LAD be interested in a  Paddack (3.7) trade?

 

[JD-TWINS]

3 hours ago, Bigfork Twins Guy said:

I'll give you the military line as I was also in the military and it does IMO groom you to be ethical and to a team building concept.  That said, I feel that Royce Lewis was definitely not happy with the request to move to 2B and I also feel that there has been some negative feelings regarding Max Kepler's refusal to help in CF.  You are right, players have emotions and sometimes they impact their play and the chemistry in the clubhouse which is one thing that we do not need.

I understand your slant but Lewis being moved to 2B mid-season & a near Gold Glove right fielder wanting to stick with RF is a bit apples to oranges with Jax. He’s a relief pitcher and the proposed changes are just referencing which innings he’s pitching. Obviously, bridge guy to Closer role is may comparison. Being a starter is a big change in batter to batter efforts & pitch mix, etc. ……..moving our best relief pitcher to a starter’s role because “he’d like to give it another try” is a thing we do not need either, IMO.

[nicksaviking]

I'm open to trading Duran, but I'm not interested in more prospects. 

And if they are trading for prospects, it needs to be for upside bats. This team's issue is that they just have not found enough consistently productive hitters. They should be prioritizing finding enough reliable bats to slot into at least the first six spots in the lineup.

Bench players, platoon catchers and swing-arms are what you should be looking for AFTER you have a solid batting order and front of the rotation.

[Schmoeman5]

5 hours ago, mnfireman said:

New Year, same let's suggest a ridiculous trade/signing article. Only this one sounds like it is coming from Dodgers Daily...

Just to piggyback this. On one of the Yankee blogs there was a lengthy article how it was an absolute must for them to trade for Correa. I didn't really pay attention to what they'd be offering in return. But on the comment side it was pretty much 50/50 from the fan perspective. 50% for and 50% against. The 50% against it were adamant. Main reason was the hatred from the sign stealing controversy.

[Riverbrian]

By golly... that catching is sure expensive to acquire. 

How many games do you think we would get out of this Feduccia fella? 

 

 

[TheLeviathan]

4 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

How bored are the writers at Twins Daily? 

Hear me out......Royce Lewis for Lew Ford's first born.  I think I can get an article out of it if I talk about Lew Ford for 80% of it.

[Coach Wheels]

I think you'll find me watching games in St Paul next summer. Super tired of stories of us selling off players to get younger when, 2 years ago, we had one of the youngest teams in baseball. How about no more stories of the 24 year old minor league players we can get for our guys. Spring training is 6 weeks away and we're planning to get worse. 🤮

[olerud]

New year, more dumb ideas! Trading Duran is fine but not for that garbage! We need a TOP PROSPECT! I'm sick of trading and getting hosed. How bout we do the hosing for once! What a concept!!!!

[Rod Carews Birthday]

9 hours ago, Fatbat said:

Exactly my friend.  Duran is cheap talent and the proposed trade is for marginal talent like Dobnak. 

I'm sure that Dobnak is available to any team that wants to take over his contract.  We're not "hanging on" to Dobnak.  We just can't get anyone to take the salary. 

[Rod Carews Birthday]

Is Feduccia better than Gaspar?  He might be, but it's definitely not obvious.  He strikes me as someone who the Dodgers can't use that's been dressed up in a nice suit and showcased.  I'm not sold. 

[dxpavelka]

The only reason to move Duran is when we get closer to his free agency cuz he'll never re-sign here.  We've cost him millions by moving him from starter to the pen and more by not making him strictly a 9th inning guy.

[Blyleven2011]

I think this proposal is to weak ...

I propose we trade Vazquez and jeffers to someone that needs established catching  , then trade Duran of high quality to the Dodgers  for 2 of their 3 catching prospects , an outfielder and either a pitcher or first basemen , but they would have to be major league ready cause we traded Vazquez and jeffers  ...

Dodgers want Duran I'm sure , they just have to give us the right pieces if our front office is smart enough  ...

I know trading both Vazquez and jeffers is a stretch but if the Dodgers catchers are mlb ready then we have young controlled cheap catchers that can go 50 / 50 in games played ...

[KnoblauchWasFramed]

I will say this, the trade "think pieces" that are always written on this site are great for comedic value.  It's like the opposite of Rube Chat where instead of getting unbelievable players back in exchange for next to nothing, the Twins give up their best players for nothing of substance in return.  

[gman]

I suggest we trade the trade stuff for articles on Spring Training opening tomorrow.

[Trov]

I am one that does not overvalue pen guys.  I love Duran but one he is most likely going to face some injury sooner than later.  He lost velo and despite still being crazy fast he was getting beat last year much more than year prior. His FIP was actually better this past year than prior year. His rookie year is still his best year.  It is possible that as players are seeing him he is getting figured out more. 

I would not oppose trading him if the team feels like he will continue to lose value.  However, it is a huge risk because our pen is thin already. Trading him will make it even thinner.