Three’s Company: 3 Rookies Who Can Join Minnesota’s Young Core in 2024

Trade Polanco for pitching. Insert Lee. Delegate Buxton to the bench, he's only a part-time player anyway. Insert Martin. Say goodbye to Solano. Insert Severino. A 3 way win, win, win. The youth movement continues and the team gets better.

Any thoughts on Michael Helman? He looks good when he is healthy. 

Really believe that buying out Polanco and Max is a likely scenario given it would save about 18 million and we could use that money to work on one more starter and given we have ready-made replacements that are comparable other than experience. 

That given the case...

Do believe that Royce is WAY better suited to 3rd than Lee given his body makeup. I Think that Lee would be an all star at 2nd and fits perfectly there. 

Martin is a bit tougher. His inconsistent plate performance lends me to think he will start in AAA and come up as a utility guy. 

Severino needs to work on his SO's.. way too high but his production is very good. Would believe they would protect him on the 40 man... nice insurance for a DH type guy. 

All in all .. think we will see Lee starting at 2B early next year.. 

All three of these players could be factors for the Twins next season. I'd add a 4th: Jair Camargo, in part because the bat has really developed and in part because it just seems unlikely the Twins will beat the odds and only use 2 catchers next season.

I'm a huge Brooks Lee fan, but I'm not interested in dumping Polanco to hand Lee a position. He played well last season, but his bat didn't exactly dominate last year, especially in AAA, certainly not enough to hand him a starting job in MLB from Day One. No scholarships; if he's good enough to win the job, go out and win the job by looking great in spring training, destroying AAA, and forcing his way onto the roster.

Martin is a player I find very interesting. He gets on base, he's a quality baserunner who will get steals, he's got good contact skills, and he can play all 3 OF positions and 2B. The RH bat makes him a nice fit as a 4th OF, but it would be a real risk to make him the backup CF out the gate. We don't know how well he's going to hit in MLB.

Severino is a player whose development makes me feel comfortable about not needing to get 1B depth behind Kirilloff, if he's slow to recover from surgery in the offseason. He's going to K way more than some will find acceptable, but the ball explodes off his bat and he's got the hit tool to be successful. I haven't liked his D at 3B, and I think 1B is where his future is, but that's ok. His switch-hitting makes him a little more interesting and could increase his value.

Depth was hugely important for the Twins in 2023; players like this make me hopeful it will be a strength again.

38 minutes ago, rv78 said:

Trade Polanco for pitching. Insert Lee. Delegate Buxton to the bench, he's only a part-time player anyway. Insert Martin. Say goodbye to Solano. Insert Severino. A 3 way win, win, win. The youth movement continues and the team gets better.

 

 I’m as frustrated as you are with Buxton’s injury history, but benching him makes no sense! If he can get healthy he’s a dynamic talent. Hopefully he can play 125 games in 2024 and play outfield. 2024 seems like a make or break year to see if he is a full time player or not. Then reassess.

 

The Twins have a good problem: how to make room for so many infielders. Correa is a fixture at short and Lewis likely at third for now. That leaves Julien, a now proven major league hitter, Brooks Lee as a call up soon, and Junior Severino later. It wouldn’t surprise me if Polanco and Kepler are gone, either by trade or not picking up their option, continuing the youth movement. That would free up around $18 million to add starting pitching, maybe even keeping Gray on a two year contract. But Gray might want to leave and play for a manager who trusts him to pitch six inning or more, unlike Baldelli. I like the trajectory of the team for next year.

I'm hopeful that Matt Canterino is a rookie who will improve the roster in 2024.

The youth movement needs to continue.  I agree with not rushing Brooks Lee and not necessarily adding him to the 40 man when he isn't close to Rule 5 eligible.  However, if Lee shines in spring training, and he very well could, he will give the Twins good reason to add him to the 40 man and play him consistently. 

If I was the Twins GM I'd pick up the options on both Kepler and Polanco but I would certainly consider trading one or both (for me, more likely Polanco) to add pitching.  Trading them moves their salary to other teams, and you don't just let them walk for minimal compensation.  Julien won't embarrass himself or the Twins if he logs some innings at 2B.  He's not a stellar defender, but he's not nearly as inadequate as some seem to think.  And he could still improve.  Guys like Gaetti and Koskie weren't good right away either.

Martin, in my opinion is ready.  He's a 4th OF who we will need to count on as a semi-regular CF if Buxton can't play the field.  Taylor isn't ever going to come close to his numbers this year for the rest of his career.  Take the win of 2022 and move on with Castro and Martin splitting time in CF.  (unless a trade is made for a more permanent solution). 

Severino is a really intriguing prospect.  I also see him as a 1B but in a pinch he may be able to give you some innings at 3B/2B.  He will most likely start in St. Paul but I'd rather have him than Solano on the roster.  At 37 years old, Solano isn't going to duplicate his 2023. He's going to regress.  Once again, move the youth up.  They're ready, or at least REALLY CLOSE to being ready.  I'd like to see how Canterino, Festa and Raya look in spring training.  I'm not sure sure how many innings Canterino has in his arm, but with his stuff and command, I'd like to see it at the major league level ASAP rather than in the minor leagues.  A 2-month stint at St. Paul and if he's dominating, get him up and into our bullpen.

No pitching  mentioned in the article  ,  every year it's the abundance of  infield prospects we are talking about   ,( trade this guy , play this prospect ) ...

Of the three players that came up  , Lewis and Julien  have the most upside to be long-term players , Wallner I'm not sold on him yet , He has improved defensively , his lack of contact abilities  lead to many strikeouts,  both swinging and looking , Julien also  gets called out to many times  looking  , I'd rather these players go down swinging  on close pitches ,  than looking ...

now the article  mentioning  Lee  , severino and Martin I don't see any of them ready to make the team out of spring training  , to many ifs offensively or defensively  of the three  ...

Keep Polanco  and Taylor  , wallner can plug right field for now with that arm ...

Get some pitching developed  , Raya  , Festa  , Lewis ,  cullpepper  and there is another one i can't remember from the draft of 2022  ...

Trading Spencer Steer  ( we needed pitching but got nothing but an injured arm ) , Steer  would have led the Twins in almost all offensive categories ... 

It hurts but Cincinnati gave him his chance and he  steered Cincinnati almost to a playoff position  ...

Martin is the one that I think has a real chance to be the 4th OFer to start 2024. Lee does not need to be rushed and shouldn't be. Severino..man I'd like to have that RH power bat on the team but I'm afraid he'll have Gallo like k rate. If Lee or Severino dominate AAA in 2024 I'd bring them up when injuries allow and go from there. 

19 minutes ago, davidborton said:

Lee? Everyone touts him but a look at defensive stats show .954 at short and .947 at 3rd (3rd is a small set) for his minor league stats to day

Julien compiled a .981 at AAA and .991 at 2nd with the club. And folks are unsettled with Julien's defense?

Time for a pause.

 

Julien is atrocious at 2nd. That .991 fielding % is a joke. Very generous official scoring. There was 1 game where he had 3 errors and was not given 1. He's terrible at turning the double play. He has some range but his footwork is not good. Can he get better? I sure hope so. But the old let's look at his stats does not tell the whole story. If the Twins think he's the answer I don't believe he'd be working out at 1st. Where he's not much better. I forget how many games he played there. ( not many ) but it wasn't pretty. 

1 hour ago, Schmoeman5 said:

Julien is atrocious at 2nd.

He was at the beginning but he did improve as he was up here. Still below average but there are a number of below average 2B in MLB that have a great bat.

The three mentioned all have some helium right now. I agree that Camargo is likely to see MLB time. There is quite a bit of debate on several players, which is good. I imagine that there is also quite a bit of discussion within the Twins organization as well concerning a number of players. There are few items already addressed, even if not certain.

Buxton has a contract and his operation portends enough health that it is possible he returns to CF. He will be on the team, we know that. Right?

Baldelli and Falvey both specifically have noted that Lewis is going to be a third baseman going forward. I will take their word on this. Of course, things can change but I highly doubt it.

Kirilloff's surgery removed a major cause of the pain which restricted his full movements when swinging a bat or diving for ground balls. The procedure was fairly minor in nature and he is expected to begin strengthening and flexibility exercises soon and start Spring Training in full go mode for the first time in six years.

Polanco and Kepler will have their options picked up. Polanco would be far and away the best middle infielder on the market. Kepler would be one of the leading outfielders on the market. Whether or not one or both of them are traded during the offseason, both are bargains.

When is the last time the Twins signed a free agent pitcher to a major contract? I would like that. We should not expect the Twins to go all in for a free agent starting pitcher. Again, I'm all for adding a star starting pitcher from free agency.

Yunior Severino should be added to the 40 person roster and he has a chance to get at bats next season if he continues to produce with his potent swing. He makes for nice PH, reserve infielder, and can play some first base. Severino is one to watch.

Austin Martin seems like he should need to prove himself further at AAA, but he has the skills a team is looking for in a utility player. If Martin has a strong Spring Training I can see him on the 26 person roster breaking into the regular season. Martin can play anywhere adequately, can run, is patient at the plate, and can hit the ball. He may be beginning to reach the promise of his being a #5 draft choice at last.

Finally, Brooks Lee .... Lee projects as a strong regular for a MLB team. He looks decent in the field and has a strong bat. He also may need further work at AAA, but I would not bet against him playing ten years as a starter in the major leagues. It is never a bad thing to have too many good players, but all of Polanco, Julien, and Lee are probably best served with regular at bats. Polanco seems underrated. He is a tough out and despite some injuries could easily play another 3-4 years of high quality baseball. Julien gets torched by some for his fielding. He doesn't always move so fluidly. Nobody can effectively dispute that Julien has improved quite a bit with the glove. Julien was a prime driver of the offense at the top of the order. Perhaps Lee can do all of what Julien brings to the game and more. I wouldn't bet on that because I believe that Lee already has more experience playing baseball and that Julien has more ceiling. Lee has a higher floor. It isn't a good idea to forget Polanco who is clearly better than both Julien or Lee but has been injured and is older. So the Twins have some decisions to make with these three. Which of these three is most valued by another team? Which (possibly with an addition or two) brings back the most in trade? Which player do the Twins value the most? All considerations when forming a roster.

There is an incentive to "rush" Lee to the Twins (compare the talk about Lee to SWR - Lee is the new guy who needs more time at AAA according to some and SWR is never going to be good because he's been in the minors seemingly forever - they are basically the same age). Win the Rookie of the Year and the team gets an extra #1 pick. Those are gold to teams like the Twins and many others. I can't see the Twins making sure Lee gets less than 130 AB's on the team so he has a great chance at ROY in 2025 (if so, we keep Polanco) as we always have injuries. What is better - one more year of service time (guaranteed) or ROY (not guaranteed). If Polanco is on the team next spring, the Twins plan to have Lee at AAA.

4 hours ago, Jkeady12 said:

Any thoughts on Michael Helman? He looks good when he is healthy. 

He might slide into the MAT role which may be the 5th OF depending on Buxtons health and AM

40 minutes ago, FlyingFinn said:

He was at the beginning but he did improve as he was up here. Still below average but there are a number of below average 2B in MLB that have a great bat.

I see Eduardo being league average defensively and plus offensively. 
 

im not trading Polanco just to trade Polanco. If we let Farmer go Polanco becomes Farmer but with a better bat.