Why Adley Rutschman Should Be Minnesota Twins' Top Trade Target This Offseason

[Doctor Gast]

3 hours ago, Schmoeman5 said:

Total fabrication again. How was Rutschman overloaded? As compared to who? Jeffers and Vasquez? How many games has he avg at catcher?

"By all means, the Twins should go all in on Rutschman. He's an elite catcher that was overloaded his early years & now is paying for it. This an excellent buy low candidate."

Fabrication? How about delusional on your part that you have no idea how much work it takes to be a MLB catcher (neither do I, but it seems that I have a much better understanding than you). In Rutschman's 1st 3 years in the MLB, he caught 329 games, (not including DHing), you don't see even veterans catch that many games these days. (They don't because too many catchers wear down & land on the IL). For reference, many have said that Jeffers is a primary catcher. In his 6 yrs he has caught 420 games.

[USAFChief]

1 hour ago, Doctor Gast said:

"By all means, the Twins should go all in on Rutschman. He's an elite catcher that was overloaded his early years & now is paying for it. This an excellent buy low candidate."

Fabrication? How about delusional on your part that you have no idea how much work it takes to be a MLB catcher (neither do I, but it seems that I have a much better understanding than you). In Rutschman's 1st 3 years in the MLB, he caught 329 games, (not including DHing), you don't see even veterans catch that many games these days. (They don't because too many catchers wear down & land on the IL). For reference, many have said that Jeffers is a primary catcher. In his 6 yrs he has caught 420 games.

First of all, Rutschman caught 293 games 2022-2024, his first three years. Maximum was 110 in 2023. Get your data correct. 

Second, the idea that's somehow too much is pure poppycock. Sheesh.

Cal Raleigh caught 378 over the same three years. 

~120 games at catcher has traditionally been the standard for catcher #1. Roughly 3 of 4.

You can look all this up starting here:

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=rutscad01&t=f&year=2022

[Major League Ready]

9 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

First of all, Rutschman caught 293 games 2022-2024, his first three years. Maximum was 110 in 2023. Get your data correct. 

Second, the idea that's somehow too much is pure poppycock. Sheesh.

Cal Raleigh caught 378 over the same three years. 

120 games at catcher has traditionally been the average for catcher #1.

 

https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=rutscad01&t=f&year=2022

Sal Perez caught 422 over 3 years at the same age as Rutschman.

[Doctor Gast]

13 hours ago, USAFChief said:

the idea that's somehow too much is pure poppycock. Sheesh.

Cal Raleigh caught 378 over the same three years. 

120 games at catcher has traditionally been the average for catcher #1.

Where did you get 120 games catching is the average for a #1 catcher now? Because that's what we are talking about, not 50 years ago. 

Cal Raleigh is a freak, he should get AL MVP hands down. Much like Clemens, nobody can pitch like he did & not have their arms fall off.

Times have changed, Chief, conditions have changed. It's time for you to except it. The idea that a player cannot be pushed too far, is pure poppycock & too idealistic.

I'd like to share an observation with you, Chief. I grew up working hard on a dairy farm starting as a young boy. As a young man I worked for a 65 yrs. old brick-layer & he could out work me & he said that he knew a 70 something stone-cutter that could out work him. When I was 40, I worked in shipping & receiving. Before I left for Brazil, I had to train in 3 young men to do what I did.

My observation is our father's generation was stronger than our generation & our generation is stronger than the following generation, on average. I'd like our generation to be as strong as our father's generation & the following generation be as strong as our generation. But on the average I don't see it. We all have physical limitations & everyone's are different. I'm all for stretching those limits but not to exceed them to maximize the results.

 

[Schmoeman5]

1 hour ago, Doctor Gast said:

"By all means, the Twins should go all in on Rutschman. He's an elite catcher that was overloaded his early years & now is paying for it. This an excellent buy low candidate."

Fabrication? How about delusional on your part that you have no idea how much work it takes to be a MLB catcher (neither do I, but it seems that I have a much better understanding than you). In Rutschman's 1st 3 years in the MLB, he caught 329 games, (not including DHing), you don't see even veterans catch that many games these days. (They don't because too many catchers wear down & land on the IL). For reference, many have said that Jeffers is a primary catcher. In his 6 yrs he has caught 420 games.

How many games has Raleigh caught this year? 110 games per year is NOT overload. Thats just the new accepted perception 

[USAFChief]

8 minutes ago, Schmoeman5 said:

How many games has Raleigh caught this year? 110 games per year is NOT overload. Thats just the new accepted perception 

Will Smith, 121 games caught last year. JT Realmuto 133 games in 2023.

The "new accepted perception" is in Baldelli's (and Gast's) imagination. 

[Schmoeman5]

1 hour ago, Doctor Gast said:

"By all means, the Twins should go all in on Rutschman. He's an elite catcher that was overloaded his early years & now is paying for it. This an excellent buy low candidate."

Fabrication? How about delusional on your part that you have no idea how much work it takes to be a MLB catcher (neither do I, but it seems that I have a much better understanding than you). In Rutschman's 1st 3 years in the MLB, he caught 329 games, (not including DHing), you don't see even veterans catch that many games these days. (They don't because too many catchers wear down & land on the IL). For reference, many have said that Jeffers is a primary catcher. In his 6 yrs he has caught 420 games.

The Twins have pretty much done even Steven at the C position for many years. Simply because they haven't had a really good one offensively and defensively.  If Jeffers or Vasquez were head and shoulders over the other they would catch the majority of the games. Delusional. Check that mirror. 😄 

[Doctor Gast]

12 hours ago, Schmoeman5 said:

How many games has Raleigh caught this year? 110 games per year is NOT overload. Thats just the new accepted perception 

My text is about his 1st 3 yrs, being overextended. That is my opinion. This affected this year, being injured & production.  

[Doctor Gast]

11 hours ago, Schmoeman5 said:

The Twins have pretty much done even Steven at the C position for many years. Simply because they haven't had a really good one offensively and defensively.  If Jeffers or Vasquez were head and shoulders over the other they would catch the majority of the games. Delusional. Check that mirror. 😄 

Why don't we get this right! I stated that many had thought that Jeffers was a primary catcher; I never said that I shared those views. If you actually read my posts, you'd know that I view him as a tandem catcher. My focus was on Rutschman; I only used Jeffers as a reference.

[Cory Engelhardt]

On 8/27/2025 at 8:29 PM, DJL44 said:

Ober for Rutschman?

Came back to this comment. Salary wise and years of control would match up pretty well here. Curious what else would need to be added to make it work. Both players certainly could use a change of scenery.

[Riverbrian]

Rutschman is a good player. Love to have him catch for the Twins. 

I'd rather they didn't.

Catchers are almost always over pays. He will be expensive for the two years remaining. We have limited resources available to offer in a trade for something significant. I'd rather they spend those resources on a position that doesn't require the rest that catchers typically require. 

So please no. Just punt the position. Sleep in the bed you made. The Twins front office will not have the ability to fix everything at once. Something will have to be punted.  

I will say this... Wouldn't it be wonderful to be on the other side of this inflated catching market? Wouldn't it be wonderful to have Rutschman, Basallo, Irish, Bodine. Wouldn't it be advantageous to be able to trade one for an inflated price to a team that didn't have the same foresight to pile up catching and needs to pay the inflated price. 

The Orioles have been loading up on catching in the early rounds. The Twins... not so much. 

[Cory Engelhardt]

22 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

Rutschman is a good player. Love to have him catch for the Twins. 

I'd rather they didn't.

Catchers are almost always over pays. He will be expensive for the two years remaining. We have limited resources available to offer in a trade for something significant. I'd rather they spend those resources on a position that doesn't require the rest that catchers typically require. 

So please no. Just punt the position. Sleep in the bed you made. The Twins front office will not have the ability to fix everything at once. Something will have to be punted.  

I will say this... Wouldn't it be wonderful to be on the other side of this inflated catching market? Wouldn't it be wonderful to have Rutschman, Basallo, Irish, Bodine. Wouldn't it be advantageous to be able to trade one for an inflated price to a team that didn't have the same foresight to pile up catching and needs to pay the inflated price. 

The Orioles have been loading up on catching in the early rounds. The Twins... not so much. 

Irish isn’t a catcher. Basallo combined more time at 1b and dh last year than games he caught. I do like Bodine, and they have Rutschman for 2 more years. Curious how many of these 4 truly are mlb level catchers that can catch more than 90 games in a season. 

[DJL44]

28 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

So please no. Just punt the position. Sleep in the bed you made. The Twins front office will not have the ability to fix everything at once. Something will have to be punted.  

They are betting a big portion of their future on developing young pitching. Punting the catcher position is a really bad idea in that context. Play good defense behind young pitchers.

[Riverbrian]

51 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

Irish isn’t a catcher. Basallo combined more time at 1b and dh last year than games he caught. I do like Bodine, and they have Rutschman for 2 more years. Curious how many of these 4 truly are mlb level catchers that can catch more than 90 games in a season. 

That could be. Regardless... The Orioles are not afraid to draft Catchers higher in the draft. I don't know how they compare to the other 30 teams in that regard. The Twins... Not so much. 

[Riverbrian]

45 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

They are betting a big portion of their future on developing young pitching. Punting the catcher position is a really bad idea in that context. Play good defense behind young pitchers.

When I say punt... I'm saying just grab the defense guy who can't hit without the catcher price tag.

Forget the offense. The catchers who can hit are the ones that cost the resources. Take your resources and spend it on other departments for more bang for the buck.  

 

[Cory Engelhardt]

7 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

That could be. Regardless... The Orioles are not afraid to draft Catchers higher in the draft. I don't know how they compare to the other 30 teams in that regard. The Twins... Not so much. 

The Twins did that with Jeffers in the last decade, but you aren’t wrong. If the right guy is there in the upper rounds I’m all for it. They most likely won’t use their first pick in 2026 on one, as there isn’t anyone ranked as highly as they will pick. 
Whatever they do this offseason, I’d prefer to trade for a catcher compared to what’s mostly on the free agent market. That’s all

[Riverbrian]

19 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

The Twins did that with Jeffers in the last decade, but you aren’t wrong. If the right guy is there in the upper rounds I’m all for it. They most likely won’t use their first pick in 2026 on one, as there isn’t anyone ranked as highly as they will pick. 
Whatever they do this offseason, I’d prefer to trade for a catcher compared to what’s mostly on the free agent market. That’s all

I really can't argue with you. The catching hole is gaping. I get it. 

I just have to be the guy on the website that needs to say. We should focus elsewhere because we are on the wrong side of this market. I'd rather not over pay for this particular organizational mistake. 

Value has to be a consideration when drafting. Catchers are consistent over pays. We have to fix this. 

I had dinner with Dave Ramsey once and I asked him... What's the biggest mistake people make with their money. He said the car payment. He said if you just drove a beater around for awhile and made the car payment to yourself and bought new when you saved enough and repeated that process they would save incredible amounts of money. 

I guess I'm saying... the Twins should just drive a beater around for awhile until they can create something new. 

[Cory Engelhardt]

2 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

I really can't argue with you. The catching hole is gaping. I get it. 

I just have to be the guy on the website that needs to say. We should focus elsewhere because we are on the wrong side of this market. I'd rather not over pay for this particular organizational mistake. 

Value has to be a consideration when drafting. Catchers are consistent over pays. We have to fix this. 

I had dinner with Dave Ramsey once and I asked him... What's the biggest mistake people make with their money. He said the car payment. He said if you just drove a beater around for awhile and made the car payment to yourself and bought new when you saved enough and repeated that process they would save incredible amounts of money. 

I guess I'm saying... the Twins should just drive a beater around for awhile until they can create something new. 

If they can get a good beater this offseason that can hold down the fort for 60-90 games and at least be solid on defense, that’s a win. Agree with you there.

I brought up Rutschman because he has 2 years remaining and should make the same as Ober, or in the ballpark, via arbitration, in 2026. Around 6 or 7 million (sorry to everyone in advance for saying 6-7.) I wouldn’t bring him in for a lot more than Ober, and I don’t know that Baltimore trades him anyway, but I’d be open to a deal built around these parameters. That’s certainly better than giving up Ryan for someone unproven. 
 

The offseason will be interesting. Or at least I hope it will

[Riverbrian]

1 minute ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

If they can get a good beater this offseason that can hold down the fort for 60-90 games and at least be solid on defense, that’s a win. Agree with you there.

I brought up Rutschman because he has 2 years remaining and should make the same as Ober, or in the ballpark, via arbitration, in 2026. Around 6 or 7 million (sorry to everyone in advance for saying 6-7.) I wouldn’t bring him in for a lot more than Ober, and I don’t know that Baltimore trades him anyway, but I’d be open to a deal built around these parameters. That’s certainly better than giving up Ryan for someone unproven. 
 

The offseason will be interesting. Or at least I hope it will

Trades are fun to think about but really hard to assess because the other team has to cooperate with your hopes and dreams and there is really no way of knowing. 

So I can look at it from my perspective.

If I were the Orioles. I'm thinking last year was just last year. There is still young talent on this team. Having two solid catchers is what you want. Having three solid catchers is the goal so you can take advantage of the market. If I'm the Orioles I'm happy with my catching and I'd rather not put every chip in the Basallo bucket being that he is young.

They need pitching... so even if I decided that Rutschman is the best option to acquire pitching. I don't think Ober would do it for me. I love Bailey but I'm making more calls around the league. 

[DJL44]

46 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

When I say punt... I'm saying just grab the defense guy who can't hit without the catcher price tag.

Forget the offense. The catchers who can hit are the ones that cost the resources. Take your resources and spend it on other departments for more bang for the buck.  

Rutschman is a better defender than Vazquez or Jeffers. He's a better defender than pretty much all of the available free agents.

[Cory Engelhardt]

8 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

Trades are fun to think about but really hard to assess because the other team has to cooperate with your hopes and dreams and there is really no way of knowing. 

So I can look at it from my perspective.

If I were the Orioles. I'm thinking last year was just last year. There is still young talent on this team. Having two solid catchers is what you want. Having three solid catchers is the goal so you can take advantage of the market. If I'm the Orioles I'm happy with my catching and I'd rather not put every chip in the Basallo bucket being that he is young.

They need pitching... so even if I decided that Rutschman is the best option to acquire pitching. I don't think Ober would do it for me. I love Bailey but I'm making more calls around the league. 

Totally fair, and probably true. Then maybe that’s not the deal to make. 

[Riverbrian]

Just now, DJL44 said:

Rutschman is a better defender than Vazquez or Jeffers. He's a better defender than pretty much all of the available free agents.

Yes... and with his offensive talent... the price tag goes through roof. 

I'd love to have Rutschman on my team. If you could choose a catcher. He'd be a top 5 consideration.

I'm just trying to avoid paying the exorbitant scarcity costs for a position that needs more rest that other positions. Our trading resources for big acquisitions isn't endless. We can't fill every hole... you have to prioritize. Our resources for big acquisitions appear to be quite limited in my opinion. If we are trading one of our biggest trade chips value wise. We actually might be trading perhaps our ONLY sensible big trade chip. We are not going to move Jenkins. At least... we better not.

If you are moving another pitcher besides Ryan because that is where the most value is. Well... Now you have really weakened the pitching staff and that alone almost nullifies the need for a big expensive talented catcher like Rutschman because your pitching staff is no longer good enough to justify it the investment. 

I think we will have to Trade Ryan. Once you blow that value and trade it off... there really isn't anymore of it. You fixed catcher for 120 games maybe and you don't have a 1B... our a SS that can move the needle for a 162 games.  

 

[Riverbrian]

20 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

Totally fair, and probably true. Then maybe that’s not the deal to make. 

LOL

Well... I'd advise not letting me stop you. It's fun trying to think about trade ideas.

I do it all the time. Never knowing if I'm even close and I'm just as crazy as you. No more qualified for such things.

I've actually spent man hours trying to decide what I would do with my Twins now. I'm 60 years old with responsibilities and I'm spending mental energy on if I would trade Ryan. To the point that I missed a two minute story my wife was telling me about a co-worker and I was totally busted when she asked if I was paying attention... Spoiler Alert: I wasn't. 

Anyway... It's fun... it's a topic for discussion and people are absolutely willing to participate.

It drew me in... because I liked the opportunity to post my controversial punt the position idea.   

[tony&rodney]

The Twins have players they can trade. Time to check around and find out the cost of a young catcher. I'm in favor of defensive-minded players, so start by asking about Jeferson Quero and Harry Ford. Perhaps there is nothing to be done. I don't include catchers who are primarily suited for DH/1B/C. Last offseason I was pushing Teel and J. Quero. I like the CWS Quero too, but the White Sox worked hard to acquire both of those guys. No way they accept a trade unless it is totally off the wall in their favor.

Joe Ryan should return a position player who plays behind the pitcher. I'm not keen on the Baltimore suggestions because I don't see much in Bradford that is not already in the organization. Mayo is a DH with a strong arm and a big bat. Sound familiar? Rutschman would not come cheap and his contract has passed the will of the Twins accountants. 

It's possible to sign a decent veteran to hold down a backup catching job for $4M. That seems like the most effective way to use resources. Now, just see what Milwaukee, Seattle, and St. Louis think about getting together on a deal.

[Major League Ready]

On 8/27/2025 at 7:33 PM, h2oface said:

You think the Twins actually give a ****? And would actually trade for a player that can help the team NOW? 

No.  I just think they are rebuilding and this kind of trade makes absolutely no sense whatsoever for a rebuilding team.  It's literally the opposite of what rebuilding teams do.

[Cory Engelhardt]

1 hour ago, tony&rodney said:

The Twins have players they can trade. Time to check around and find out the cost of a young catcher. I'm in favor of defensive-minded players, so start by asking about Jeferson Quero and Harry Ford. Perhaps there is nothing to be done. I don't include catchers who are primarily suited for DH/1B/C. Last offseason I was pushing Teel and J. Quero. I like the CWS Quero too, but the White Sox worked hard to acquire both of those guys. No way they accept a trade unless it is totally off the wall in their favor.

Joe Ryan should return a position player who plays behind the pitcher. I'm not keen on the Baltimore suggestions because I don't see much in Bradford that is not already in the organization. Mayo is a DH with a strong arm and a big bat. Sound familiar? Rutschman would not come cheap and his contract has passed the will of the Twins accountants. 

It's possible to sign a decent veteran to hold down a backup catching job for $4M. That seems like the most effective way to use resources. Now, just see what Milwaukee, Seattle, and St. Louis think about getting together on a deal.

From St Louis, do you have a preference between Pages, Crooks or Bernal as a target? All of them to me seem destined to stay behind the plate. They also have Ivan Herrera who is more a c/dh type (but can really hit) and Rainel Rodriguez who is probably a few years away. I wonder what they would want for any of their young catching?

[SteveLV]

The curves/trajectories for Rutschman are all wrong:  His salary is rapidly increasing in his last 2 Arb years--then FA, and his play is getting worse every year both offensively and defensively.

Why would the Twins want a player who would play in '26, might be locked out in '27, and then is a FA??? That is the exact same problem they have with Ryan.

If the O's wanted something like Wallner and/or Julien and/or Outman and/or Miranda and/or McCusker--sure! If they want to take a flyer on some guys who have shown flashes for their own guy who the League has clearly figured out how to pitch to and is now injured, maybe something could be worked out.

Otherwise, big Pass by me.

[tony&rodney]

11 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

From St Louis, do you have a preference between Pages, Crooks or Bernal as a target? All of them to me seem destined to stay behind the plate. They also have Ivan Herrera who is more a c/dh type (but can really hit) and Rainel Rodriguez who is probably a few years away. I wonder what they would want for any of their young catching?

Rainel is the highest rated. I haven't seen him play. E. Tait is a bat first A+ guy the Twins picked up for Duran and his future behind the plate is still unknown.

I do like both Bernal and Crooks. Crooks is closer and would be a decent backup catcher in MLB next season. Crooks does K quite a bit. Saw him several times (via milb.com) and he looks good.

Bernal might be better but a year away. Pages may not be available for a fair price because he has a year at the highest level. He is a very good catcher but struggles to hit. 

I guess I just want the Twins to find out an asking price, which we may never hear. A reasonable ask would seem like a AAA starting pitcher and maybe a position player the Cardinals feel has helium, one not among our top prospects. Rojas for Crooks? The Twins were very high, obviously, on Tait. How do their evaluators feel about guys closer to playing major league baseball?

I'm most curious about the cost of either Harry Ford or Jeferson Quero. I would consider trading Emmanuel Rodriguez for either one of those two but might want a relief pitcher thrown in because EmRod still has crazy upside. 

[Cory Engelhardt]

1 minute ago, tony&rodney said:

Rainel is the highest rated. I haven't seen him play. E. Tait is a bat first A+ guy the Twins picked up for Duran and his future behind the plate is still unknown.

I do like both Bernal and Crooks. Crooks is closer and would be a decent backup catcher in MLB next season. Crooks does K quite a bit. Saw him several times (via milb.com) and he looks good.

Bernal might be better but a year away. Pages may not be available for a fair price because he has a year at the highest level. He is a very good catcher but struggles to hit. 

I guess I just want the Twins to find out an asking price, which we may never hear. A reasonable ask would seem like a AAA starting pitcher and maybe a position player the Cardinals feel has helium, one not among our top prospects. Rojas for Crooks? The Twins were very high, obviously, on Tait. How do their evaluators feel about guys closer to playing major league baseball?

I'm most curious about the cost of either Harry Ford or Jeferson Quero. I would consider trading Emmanuel Rodriguez for either one of those two but might want a relief pitcher thrown in because EmRod still has crazy upside. 

I would very much be open to that type of move too. Harder for a rebuilding team to trade prospects, but a prospect for prospect deal would be fun for sure. 

[tony&rodney]

17 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I would very much be open to that type of move too. Harder for a rebuilding team to trade prospects, but a prospect for prospect deal would be fun for sure. 

The Twins have been playing it safe until the recent July trade deadline. They need to make a few gambles. So much is unknown. It was surprising to hear the Twins chose Tait over Aiden Miller. The team needs defensive players and hitters. It's going to be tough, so negotiations must be extensive. The Twins front office made some errors in evaluation and should move forward aggressively. They cannot be concerned with the past.