Minnesota Twins "More Likely" To Move Pablo Lopez Than Joe Ryan

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

I'm wondering if we don't see something like Lopez or Ryan for Anthony Volpe and a couple of lottery ticket prospects...

[tony&rodney]

44 minutes ago, Twins_Fan_in_NJ said:

I'm wondering if we don't see something like Lopez or Ryan for Anthony Volpe and a couple of lottery ticket prospects...

Volpe is struggling to stay with the Yankees. He is still ok at shortstop but declining. His bat is mostly swing and miss. i don't think the Twins trade Lee for Volpe even if the Yankees send another guy. 

[SteveLV]

If the Twins trade one of those SP's for Volpe it would be criminal negligence.

[tony&rodney]

Both Lopez and Ryan have two years left of control, PL at $43M via contract and JR at $18M (mol) via arb. Both are excellent TOR pitchers that fit as #2 SP on most teams and are #1 SP on some teams. Ryan's lower price makes him affordable to all teams and allows teams with more money to spend an extra $25M in the next 2 years over Lopez. Both pitchers are likely open to reasonable extensions if they view their home team as a decent place to work and live.

Pay very little attention to BBTV regarding a low value for guys like Lopez or Skubal.

In the end, a team must decide if they are going for mediocrity or if they actually want to compete. Teams like San Diego, Seattle, and Milwaukee have proven their interest in winning. Other teams have big money. But still others just blatantly choose to be mediocre.

I am hoping the Twins look hard at San Diego or Milwaukee.

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

I want no part of Volpe. But I could see Falvey doing something like that.

[fridleyphil]

Early in the off-season, I was thinking that the Twins would get the best return possible if they traded both guys to the same team.  Neither Lopez or Ryan gets you a teams #1 prospect.  But both together puts you in #1 prospect range.  The first teams that I looked at were the Blue Jays and Red Sox, and they have both already improved their rotation.  The top remaining teams with the best prospects are the Phillies, Mets, Dodgers, Giants, Rangers, and Reds,  The Rangers are rebuilding and the Reds are a mid-market like the Twins.  The Mets are always desperate to win next year.

[tony&rodney]

1 hour ago, fridleyphil said:

Early in the off-season, I was thinking that the Twins would get the best return possible if they traded both guys to the same team.  Neither Lopez or Ryan gets you a teams #1 prospect.  But both together puts you in #1 prospect range.  The first teams that I looked at were the Blue Jays and Red Sox, and they have both already improved their rotation.  The top remaining teams with the best prospects are the Phillies, Mets, Dodgers, Giants, Rangers, and Reds,  The Rangers are rebuilding and the Reds are a mid-market like the Twins.  The Mets are always desperate to win next year.

The Mets, Giants, Phillies all make sense and the Dodgers are always willing to take your best players for their extra guys.

I never thought Ryan and Lopez would work as a tandem but Buxton and/or Jeffers probably is possible. The difficulty has always been in getting a decent return.

The East Coast teams and their fans/writers constantly flood sites with offers of guys not worth discussing. This has been particularly true with all of the Met, Yankee, Red Sox, and Philly rumors/ideas that make it online. I guess people can't help but feel the Twins are a feeder organization, thus the S%*T offers. 

It is hard to gage how serious any of these teams will be in discussions with the Twins. The Twins should hold out for value in my opinion. If the player is a prospect or has minimal MLB time, I would demand a Top Twenty prospect as a start. 

[The Great Hambino]

49 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

The East Coast teams and their fans/writers constantly flood sites with offers of guys not worth discussing. This has been particularly true with all of the Met, Yankee, Red Sox, and Philly rumors/ideas that make it online. I guess people can't help but feel the Twins are a feeder organization, thus the S%*T offers. 

That's Jim Bowden's entire ethos

[tony&rodney]

32 minutes ago, The Great Hambino said:

That's Jim Bowden's entire ethos

Well, he has infected dozens. 

[Parfigliano]

3 hours ago, fridleyphil said:

Early in the off-season, I was thinking that the Twins would get the best return possible if they traded both guys to the same team.  Neither Lopez or Ryan gets you a teams #1 prospect.  But both together puts you in #1 prospect range.  The first teams that I looked at were the Blue Jays and Red Sox, and they have both already improved their rotation.  The top remaining teams with the best prospects are the Phillies, Mets, Dodgers, Giants, Rangers, and Reds,  The Rangers are rebuilding and the Reds are a mid-market like the Twins.  The Mets are always desperate to win next year.

The Mets are always desperate...PERIOD (except '86)

[tony&rodney]

1 hour ago, Parfigliano said:

The Mets are always desperate...PERIOD (except '86)

The Mets have some interesting decisions to make. The NL East should be wide open. Cohen paid a big chunk of money for the team, but the value of the franchise has risen by nearly a billion dollars. Cohen's Mets are carving out their market and growing in revenue. It is a market that can easily double in value in a few years making budgets less important than they are for small to mid market clubs.

In two years a number of Met contracts are off the books. It seems like the combination of the division open and the success thus far would predict additional spending this offseason. However, the Mets may choose to make several trades to strengthen the team while keeping the dollar ceiling around $300M. The team needs pitching, corner infielders, and a centerfielder. Do they use rookies and risk growing pains? Free agents are expensive. Trades will cost prospects. The Mets are going to be one of the more interesting teams to follow this winter. Will the Twins be a part of their plan? I'm not sure they are desperate. I see them in a position to be a bit of a bully as they negotiate. 

[SteveLV]

I wonder whether Buxton would waive his NTC to go to the Mets?  They need CF badly.

Package Buxton and one of the SP's and we could put together a heck of a package coming back.....

[Parfigliano]

3 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

The Mets have some interesting decisions to make. The NL East should be wide open. Cohen paid a big chunk of money for the team, but the value of the franchise has risen by nearly a billion dollars. Cohen's Mets are carving out their market and growing in revenue. It is a market that can easily double in value in a few years making budgets less important than they are for small to mid market clubs.

In two years a number of Met contracts are off the books. It seems like the combination of the division open and the success thus far would predict additional spending this offseason. However, the Mets may choose to make several trades to strengthen the team while keeping the dollar ceiling around $300M. The team needs pitching, corner infielders, and a centerfielder. Do they use rookies and risk growing pains? Free agents are expensive. Trades will cost prospects. The Mets are going to be one of the more interesting teams to follow this winter. Will the Twins be a part of their plan? I'm not sure they are desperate. I see them in a position to be a bit of a bully as they negotiate. 

They added a contract today.  Devin Williams 3yr/51mil.  

[Vanimal46]

11 minutes ago, Parfigliano said:

They added a contract today.  Devin Williams 3yr/51mil.  

The interesting question is to start or be a reliever?

[mnfireman]

35 minutes ago, Parfigliano said:

They added a contract today.  Devin Williams 3yr/51mil.  

Saw that. FA contracts are coming in for more years and/or more $$$ than is being projected so far this off-season.

[SteveLV]

1/3 of the contract is deferred money--the new way to further distort the salary situation.

Also saves the player a boat-load of taxes as he can move to Florida or Texas and avoid state income taxes by the time he actually receives the income.

[SteveLV]

How about something like:

Buxton, Jeffers and Ryan to the Mets for Alvarez, McLean, Benge, Tong, Sproat, Pena, Reimer and Santucci.

We get to become part-time Mets fans in the process! :)

[tony&rodney]

30 minutes ago, SteveLV said:

How about something like:

Buxton, Jeffers and Ryan to the Mets for Alvarez, McLean, Benge, Tong, Sproat, Pena, Reimer and Santucci.

We get to become part-time Mets fans in the process! :)

Now you went a little bonkers and might give Mets fans high blood pressure. Santucci and Reimer are decent dime a dozen players with skills and a future. Pena is way in the distance, not highly rated. The Mets won't trade Alvarez or McLean, or they shouldn't. Buck, Jeffers, and Ryan are only 6 years of contracts. 

That is a pretty wild idea that could be a blockbuster though. I love that you forwarded an idea. It might be possible to extract McLean in this deal if the others were limited to Benge, Tong or Sproat, and Clifford. Fun to think about the options. 

I guess the biggest concern is that the Twins let Ryan, Lopez, and Jeffers walk without reaching .500 in the next two years. We love watching Ryan and Lopez pitch and Buxton hit, run, and field. What a disaster our front office has created.

[SteveLV]

I don't want Clifford.  He only hit :218 at AAA.  No thanks to him.

I think the Mets would seriously entertain this combination of players.  

2 All stars and a top 12 catcher is nothing to sneeze at....

Hot Stoving can be fun, even when your own team is not competitive at this point.