Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

RaoulDuke

Verified Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    485

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Profiles

News

Minnesota Twins Videos

2026 Minnesota Twins Top Prospects Ranking

2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

Minnesota Twins Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

Guides & Resources

2023 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

The Minnesota Twins Players Project

2024 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

2025 Minnesota Twins Draft Pick Tracker

2026 Minnesota Twins Draft Tracker: Picks & Bonuses

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by RaoulDuke

  1. RaoulDuke
    Sano when he was going good was an absolute force to watch. He had a couple stretches where he lived up to his prospect hype as an absolute masher with discipline and a cannon arm. Sadly those stretches were fleeting and the lows were Gallo without the defense or walks. Eventually he just out conditioned himself from the league. It is great to see him come in way lighter, I hope he can find success in the MLB again. It sucks he never realized his potential with the Twins because he had the tools to be a an awesome bat. He crushed homers when he barreled it like Stanton or Thome in their primes.
  2. RaoulDuke
    I am fine with this, they needed Buxton insurance. Seems like a win win trade from both sides, Dodgers turn Margot into Hernandez who can play some infield as well while the Twins get their RH outfielder/ CF backup on the cheap. I am somewhat surprised there was the extra prospect thrown in, hes no major piece but a big power potential infielder isn't nothing. Miller is a pretty long shot to be more than a utility guy at his peak so its kind of a wash.
  3. RaoulDuke
    An Odorizzi reunion would interest me if he looked decent in his showcase. He can battle Tony D for the 5th spot or be depth, I always thought he might look interesting out of the pen letting it fly. Taylor or Duvall would be ok as Buxton insurance/ the Kyle Garlick RH role.
  4. RaoulDuke
    Same, I think analytics probably plays a big role in it. They want guys with stuff they think they can maximize. Might just be hubris on my part but I think Staumont is a step above the rest of these guys, if he is healthy of course. Seems like he could be the Brock Stewart of this year but thoracic outlet surgery is scary to have on the resume.
  5. RaoulDuke
    Might be the deepest if more breaks good than bad, but I'm not sure it will be the best. To me they lack a true 8th inning guy. Stewart could be it but is a huge bet on health, Jax is kinda streaky and I would rather the lock down guy not be a slider specialist. They do have a ton of 7th inning guys which is great, but I am thinking about like Pressley into Hader damn near making it a 7 inning game. Devin Williams would have been such a nasty arm to pair with Duran.
  6. RaoulDuke
    M-i-e-n-t-k-i-e-w-i-c-z
  7. RaoulDuke
    I did not expect another pen addition. They have Duran/ Stewart/ Jax/ Thielbar/ Topa as a pretty crowded back end already. Alcala/ Funderburk/ Staumont/ Jackson can all be valuable pieces. There is certainly volatility and consistency issues with relievers but there is a ton of options with upside there. Seems like they are trying to cover for not having that real #2 by loading the pen.
  8. RaoulDuke
    This is what scares me most. Buxton in CF is awesome and also unicorn dust, don't ****ing build your roster around it. They finally did that last year with MAT but now the replacement is Castro/ Gordon.
  9. RaoulDuke
    This years Gallo move. Lets see if we can hit on a late career vet on the cheap. They have played with this in multiple variations at different price points. Thome was an A+ awesome signing worked out great. Cruz was an A+ awesome signing, everything went right. Donaldson was a much bigger signing and he was not great then eventually very bad. Gallo hit some dingers occasionally and played good defense but was a black hole otherwise. There are some historical attempts at this as well Boone/ Bautista come to mind that did not work out well. Santana is this years model. For me he is a pretty decent gamble at 6 mil per year. Fits in with a Kiriloff platoon/ DH spot if it goes well but on a contract that can be ignored if he doesn't produce.
  10. RaoulDuke
    I would give Soler 30 mil for 2 years and negotiate from there. He is the best fit left to maximize the offense. Martinez on a 1 year deal intrigues me, but DH only is not a great fit. Duvall/ Taylor seems to be more the pool they are fishing in. I would take Duvall first but welcome MAT back in the same price range. .
  11. RaoulDuke
    Didn't think I would ever advocate keeping Kepler, even after last years 2nd half, but the outfield mix as it stands is pretty thin. Betting on Buxton in Center with Castro as his backup and betting on Wallner/ Larnach in Left, Kepler looks like a nice stabilizer for Right.
  12. RaoulDuke
    Topa looks like he will be a nice addition. Seems like the cutter unlocked him to have a pitch in between the sinker and slider. I like that he is pretty much a sidearmer and groundball specialist as well, gives yet another look out of the back end of the pen Duran Stewart Jax Topa Theilbar Varland? (if he isn't stretched out) Staumont/ Alcala/ Funderburk That is a pretty decent pen all the way through. There are question marks on injuries, age, and sustaining success but there are are also a lot of options when something doesn't break right.
  13. RaoulDuke
    He is going to have to mash but he seems to have the building blocks to do so if he can put it together.
  14. RaoulDuke
    Ya that was why I mentioned it was Coors, it does skew offensive numbers. But if its a bargain bin contract, 75% of Crons production there might be a good platoon bat/ insurance on Kiriloff. That being said he might just be cooked as well last year he had plenty of time in Coors and didn't produce. Just seems like it would be in the price range they are presumably shopping in.
  15. RaoulDuke
    Ya I am not super high on him but he does fit and they have signed that type of player. If its a decent deal he could be a positive piece, I wouldn't want them to go 3 years and I wouldn't want it over 11 or 12 a year. Kinda Gallo 2.0 and hope it works?
  16. RaoulDuke
    Saw a rumor that a mystery team had appeared for Soler. He could be a good fit here, big RH power that can slot into DH and some OF. Not sure if they will want to meet the asking price but they haven't strayed away from big power with contact issues. Martinez is kinda the same boat but older and DH only. Montgomery would be awesome but saving 5 mil on Polanco isn't going to suddenly let them sign someone to 20+ million a year. As someone else said a reunion with one of Solano/ Taylor/ Cron seems the most likely. Cron had a couple real nice years in Coors before coming back to earth last year.
  17. RaoulDuke
    That seems like a promising scouting report. Right up the Falvine alley with high ride and a slider, they are betting on being able to unlock some things for him. They do love to target analytics darlings with ride or spin or extension. I wonder if his college injury was known and that dropped his draft stock? I wonder how long they will try and keep building him as a starter, seems like he could be on a much quicker path in the pen. He is a major lottery ticket kinda prospect but a nice get as a throw in to push the deal over the line.
  18. RaoulDuke
    Sad to see Jorge go but he was certainly a moveable asset. Nice to get a top 100 prospect for him in Gonzalez. Topa seems like a decent bet to be a Pagan replacement for the 7th. I am not really excited for Desclafani but hopefully he bounces back. Bowen is a low minors wildcard throw in. I still want them to trade for a 2 or 3 starter, this move does not "fill the hole" in the rotation it just provides back end depth.
  19. RaoulDuke
    Luzardo is up there, not sure he costs an Arraez but it won't be cheap. I still think the most logical deal is Julien to Seattle. Is there someone to poach from the Dodgers now that Yamamoto and Glasnow are in the mix there? I did like the Nestor Cortes idea someone posted at one point, doubt the Yanks would listen without a vast overpay. Bieber still intrigues me as a buy low rental, even if it is in division. Valdez would be interesting but I see no reason Houston moves him.
  20. RaoulDuke
    Could be a useful 26th man if Buxton can actually play CF. Having an elite pinch runner is certainly more valuable with the extra innings rule and the increased base size. He cannot be the Buxton backup plan, got to have someone that can be a legit starter in center if/ when/ to get rest Bux can't go. Maybe that is covered with Castro/ Martin but that is shakey ground to start with and Billy Hamilton 1.5 doesn't make me feel any better about it.
  21. RaoulDuke
    He did always have a cannon for an arm, maybe they are going to groom him to try and replace Ohtani.
  22. RaoulDuke
    Duran has been a stud in the pen from the go. I wouldn't mess with him facing adversity to transition back to role he was already shaky with in the high minors. Why introduce failure/ adversity into the mix when he is excelling/ growing in his current role. Let the dude be badass closer, it clearly suits him. Relievers are only gaining in value as starters go less.
  23. RaoulDuke
    I would be shocked if they tried it, he has just been too good as a reliever since transitioning. The role really maximizes his strengths and minimizes his weaknesses. He can let it fly at 100% giving him insane stuff, saves wear and tear on his arm which already had some question marks, and it lets his 3 pitch mix shine instead of having to incorporate lower quality offerings to get through an order multiple times. The guys that have or are attempting to back into the rotation still mostly possess a starters mix and less than elite stuff. Jordan Hicks is the odd one, that will be interesting to watch. Add in an innings limit and growing pains from switching roles/ having to find new pitches and you are weakening him for at least a season as well. The interesting thing to me is with starters going less and teams rostering more pen arms, I think eventually a new long reliever role may form around guys with legit stuff that can go 2-3-4 innings and get a longer (but not on rotation) rest in between. It could be somewhat difficult to deploy them properly and players will hate it because of money, but a 85-105 inning guy that gets 2-3 days in between appearances could be an interesting weapon to have.
  24. RaoulDuke
    Not interested in veteran 4/5 starters. If they won't spend to add a free agent pony up some trade value and get someone with 3/2 upside. It will hurt to trade one but there is a massive infield jam. Lee/ Julien/ Polanco/ Martin/ Kiriloff/ Miranda/ Farmer/ Gordon/ Castro all have to get worked in somewhere in an infield that already has Correa/ Lewis as long term cornerstones. Turn some of that surplus into pitching.
  25. RaoulDuke
    Wolves are by no means the favorites but they have a team this year that looks like it could be a real contender if health holds. They have the single biggest piece in town with Edwards, as well as the best front office, and coach. New ownership finally taking all the way over is going to be great for them as well. Twins have a punchers chance, they should win the weak division again and baseball playoffs are a crap shoot. Lack of a 2nd playoff starter is currently their biggest black eye to me. Vikings are their competitive rebuild crap are not going to do anything in the years they sneak into the playoffs. Gotta have a HOFer or a great rookie on that cheap contract at QB to win in the NFL playoffs. I do not follow hockey at all.
×
×
  • Create New...