Handbook Preview: Trade Jorge or Nay?

Some tough decisions. Where will Escobar play. Third base, always a backup? Dozier, extend or not. Polanco...will he be the shortstop next season and second baseman after that, or will that position fall to Gordon. And then you have the wealth of guys still coming forwards: Palacios, Lewis, Marte, Javier. Where and when will they play.

It's painful to think about which position players would/could be traded. Everybody has a high ceiling, the only debate is who has the highest floors. That's tough, esp. with a young group.

Hopefully the Twins can do more buying than selling in the next few months and not disrupt the position player side of things any more than necessary.

While the Twins current outfield trio seems cemented for the future, the infield's future seems stable yet very uncertain in the coming years. Mauer doesn't have many years left, Dozier's future with the Twins seems uncertain for a number of reasons, Polanco may be our SS now but I guess he's a trade candidate now (so who is our SS) (Gordon?), and I'm not sure how much longer Sano can stay a 3rd. I like Escobar (a lot) but realistically don't see him becoming our regular or even part-time 3rd baseman (bench piece). Instead, I think the Twins should start playing Polanco/Gordon at 3rd while the other plays SS, moving Sano to the role of part time 3rd baseman and DH.

Yet, if we do sell high on Polanco, I'd still put Gordon at 3rd because I have a feeling that it'll be a good fit for him. Which means being on the market for a SS. A Dozier/Zack Cozart duo seems pretty dangerous with the bat and glove. And if not, Twins could trade for Dee Gordon since the Marlins are looking to shed payroll.

Realistically, a Gordon trade is probably impossible (one can dream) because he's a 2nd baseman (former SS). Would he be able to displace Dozier (debatable)? What about his own brother from SS, even after his strong comments on the Twin's doubt of Nick's ability to play SS. However, if it was possible for the 3 to coexist he'd probably be the most obvious mentor for Nick and clubhouse leader (along with Dozier) for the rest of the young team. And a batting order starting with Gordon and Buxton would be very fun to watch.

When it comes to the situation at 3rd, I think the transition would be fairly smooth defensively for Polanco/Gordon because both are overall good fielders that can hit the ball enough for a 3rd baseman as well. A move like this isn't just about being capable of manning your position, because I think both are capable SS too, it's about maximizing the talent on the roster. Many examples come to mind like: Matt Carpenter, Jose Ramierez, Anthony Rendon, World Series hero Alex Bregman. With Polanco, I see him moved back to second when Dozier is no longer with the team, but for meantime I think the goal should be getting him (and Gordon) on the field as much as possible. 

Depends,  Twins need pitching, have excess of infield prospects/players.  Maybe a deal with Tampa Bay for some pitching/prospects.  Hope we pick the correct ones.

I will definitely trade Polanco (in a package) if that is what is needed to land a very good starter. I would rather trade Gordon because I think his value is higher and I think he is farther away than some think. He is a very good prospect but I think he is also overrated (especially on this board).

But the Twins definitely have a surplus of MI's and that is a shocking development after years of playing complete mediocrity in the MI.

Like everyone, it depends on the deal but I do think the the Twins should trade one of their middle infielders for pitching help if they can manage it.  I still think a package of Gordon and Romero with something like Wade and an A ball player could get a strong return and keep the ML squad more or less intact. I'd go that route first.

 

If we do trade Polanco we probably have a one year hole at short. Gordon's not ready yet, at least not for opening day, and Escobar isn't a good defender there. So they'd have to address that as well.

If we added Gerrit Cole and only subtracted Polanco from the MLB roster then I could live with Adrianza at SS for a year with Escobar playing there plenty. Any FA option is either going to be overpriced (more than pitchers) or just as mediocre.

Sure, we could find a guy like Adrianza and bat him ninth. With the expected improvement from Buxton and Kepler, our offense shouldn't take too much of a dive down.

That said, I don't think Polanco is a fit for Pitt if they were to trade Cole. But I like the idea of getting him.

Cole is just a name for a certain level of pitcher. 

I think you mean Adrianza and not find a guy like Adrianza right?

This is the key portion of my personal blueprint to the off season.  I'm willing to trade Polanco for a decent middle reliever ... let alone starter.  I understand the thought that personal issues may have impacted his play ... but his defense will always be suspect.  In fact ... that is the key to this whole thing.  Just sign Zack Cozart!  He will give you what Polanco gave you on offense and is marvelous with the glove.  We clearly invested in outfield defense.  Now the time to do the same for infield.  You improve the pitching this way as well.  (If that forces one into trading Nick Gordon as part of another package ... go for it ... though I hear more than a three year contract won't be needed for Cozart.)  This seems way more palatable than giving up a small fortune for Yu Darvish.    Thoughts?

My take on his defense is that he is lacking at SS in only one area: his arm is just shy of good enough. At second base I would consider him an asset. I really wish it were possible to trade Dozier instead; I think we'd get more in return and the resulting roster would be stronger for the long run than what we'd get by trading Polanco.

I really wish it were possible to trade Dozier for the value that he brings to the team. The reality is that 2B became deep in the last year or two and a Dozier trade would almost certainly bring back a prospect that probably wouldn't help the Twins until 2019.