Andrew Thares

The Cubs were also getting Lester for 6 years at the beginning of what was going to be a 5 or 6 year window. The Cubs knew that many of their top prospects were coming up in 2015, and made that move knowing they were ready to compete. Which was evident by the 98 win season they put up that year and the 103 win season they put up after that. The Twins won't have many of their best players coming up until 2020 at the earliest, which is when Realmuto's contract ends.

If it is a better option to just build yourself your own window as opposed to waiting, then why did an overwhelming majority of teams that are competitive right now not do it that way? Sure some of these teams have traded for marquee players or signed some big name free agents, but they all did that after they had an established group of players they had developed themselves. The Astros and Cubs weren’t out trading for or signing big name players before they were competitive. Even the Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers were mostly built up on either prospects or players who they acquired before they were any good (I.E. Hicks, Didi, Turner & Taylor). If even the teams in those big markets feel that the best way to build a roster is by first establishing a young core, then what chance do the Twins have of trying to build a team by giving up large amounts of their assets in order to do so? Once the team has established themselves as a good team, then it is time to start making moves like this, but not now.

If the Twins were in a window that they knew was only going to be open for the next couple of years I would be all for this move, but personally I don't think that is the case for the Twins. With the way the organization is shaping up, I think the best chance for the Twins to be serious contenders is during the 2020-2022 window when all of these young prospects start coming up to support the young core that is at the majors now.

A day after being selected to his first career All-Star team, Jose Berrios came out and showed why he belongs on that team. On yet another night where the offense struggled to put up runs, Berrios kept his team in the ballgame and gave the Twins a chance to win it with a rally late in the game. It is these kinds of performances that we have come to expect from Berrios, and it is why he gives so many Twins fans hope that he is the ACE of the future.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Jose Berrios: 75 Game Score, 7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 8 K, 0 BB, Bullpen: 2 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 3 K, 1 BB Lineup: 3-for-13 w/RISP, 12 LOB Top three per WPA: Jose Berrios .276, Eduardo Escobar .234, Joe Mauer .154 Download attachment: vs Royals 7-9-2018.PNG It was smooth sailing for Jose Berrios through the first two innings, where he was perfect with three punchouts. However, the Royals got to him in the third with back-to-back doubles from Alex Gordon and Alcides Escobar to lead off the inning. Berrios was able to keep Escobar at second to get out of the inning with just one run allowed. Berrios ran into more trouble in the fourth, when he had second and third with nobody out after a hit-by-pitch and a double. Berrios was yet again able to work out of a jam by striking out Lucas Duda, before getting a couple of groundouts. All night the Twins were giving themselves plenty of chances to get on the scoreboard, but every time they got a runner into scoring position they failed to bring him in. That all changed, however, in the bottom of the seventh. Bobby Wilson led off the inning with a double and was then pinch-run for by Jake Cave. Joe Mauer followed that up with a single, advancing Cave to third. The Twins were able to tie it up with an RBI groundout by Eddie Rosario. After a Brian Dozier walk, the Twins took the lead on this RBI single from Eduardo Escobar. The Twins added an insurance run in the eighth inning, coming on Joe Mauer’s third single of the night. However, this run wasn’t necessary as Trevor Hildenberger and Fernando Rodney did their job, closing the door on the Twins fifth victory in a row. Postgame With Molitor Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: 7-9-2018 vs Royals.PNG AL Central Standings CLE 49-40 MIN 40-48 (-8.5) DET 40-53 (-11) CWS 30-60 (-19.5) KC 25-65 (-24.5) Next Three Games Tuesday vs KC, 7:10 PM CST – RHP Aaron Slegers vs RHP Ian Kennedy Wednesday vs KC, 12:10 PM CST – RHP Lance Lynn vs RHP Burch Smith Thursday vs TB, 7:10 PM CST – RHP Kyle Gibson vs TBD Last Three Games MIN 10, BAL 1: Twins Pick Up First Sweep of 2018 MIN 5, BAL 4: More Baltimore, Please MIN 6, BAL 2: Jake Cave Is the Hero We Deserve More From Twins Daily Real Deal: What Would It Take To Get J.T. Realmuto? 2018 Twins Midseason Top Prospect List: 16-20 Win An Autographed Baseball From New All-Star Jose Berrios! Click here to view the article

That is because Sands still has not officially signed. It was originally reported that he signed for $600K, but those reports were false.

In the modern era of baseball, we are constantly in awe of the tremendous stuff that major league pitchers are bringing to the mound night in and night out. At the same time teams are putting a greater emphasis on hitting the ball out of the park because it is becoming ever more difficult to string a few hits together to put runs up on the board. As a result of that we sometimes get games like the one today between the Twins and Brewers.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Jake Odorizzi: 51 Game Score, 5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 9 K, 4 BB, 61.5% strikes Bullpen: 3 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 7 K, 0 BB Lineup: 0-for-5 w/RISP, 8 LOB Bottom three per WPA: Jake Cave -.118, Max Kepler -.111, Bobby Wilson -.105 Download attachment: vs Brewers 7-3-2018.PNG As you can probably tell from that intro, if you didn’t get a chance to watch today’s game you really didn’t miss much. The two pitching staffs combined to strike out 29 batters while surrendering only six hits. In what is the same old story that we have been telling all year, with the exception of Eddie Rosario and Eduardo Escobar the Twins offense was completely nonexistent. The only two times a Twin not named Rosario or Escobar reached base were on a first inning double by Jorge Polanco and a fourth inning walk from Max Kepler. Jake Odorizzi had another one of his patented five inning outings. In each of his 18 outings so far this year, Odorizzi has yet to pitch more than six innings. This biggest reason for that is the 19.3 pitches per inning that he is averaging this year, which leads all qualified starting pitchers by nearly a pitch per inning. The lone runs in the game came on a two-run home run from Brewers outfielder Eric Thames in the bottom of the fifth. If there is one bright spot the Twins can take away from today’s game, it is the performances from Ryan Pressly and Gabriel Moya (who was called up today). The two combined to throw three perfect innings in relief, striking out seven of the nine batters that they faced. Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: 7-3-2018 vs Brewers.PNG AL Central Standings CLE 46-37 DET 38-49 (-10) MIN 35-47 (-10.5) CWS 29-55 (-17.5) KC 25-59 (-21.5) Next Three Games Wednesday @ MIL, 3:10 PM CST – RHP Jose Berrios vs RHP Chase Anderson Thursday vs BAL, 7:10 PM CST – TBD vs TBD Friday vs BAL, 7:10 PM CST – TBD vs TBD Last Three Games MIL 6, MIN 5: Oh, That Rodney Experience CHC 11, MIN 10: Epic Comeback Falls Short CHC 14, MIN 9: It’s Not the Heat, It’s … Actually, It Is the Heat This Time More From Twins Daily Twins Minor League Hitter Of The Month - June 2018 2018 Twins Midseason Top Prospect List: 31-35 The Time to Trade Kyle Gibson Is Now Click here to view the article

Great, now how much value will that actually bring the Twins? This year is shot, so really all you have of Gibson is what he brings you next year. The guy turns 31 in a few months so I'm not really sure a long term extension is in the plans. This organization is loaded with young talent, and the best thing the Twins can do is to continue to support that. If they just decide to hang on to Gibson for next year what does that really mean, a slightly better shot of getting knocked out in the Wild Card game again? If you want that you can have it, but I personally would rather see them continue to develop their young core and give themselves every opportunity to develop a potential World Series caliber roster.

For a team that has spent most of the year treading water and trying to get back to the .500 mark after a terrible stretch at the end of April, the wheels have completely fallen off. The Twins have now lost four games in a row, and 9 of 11 overall. If the team wasn’t in sell mode before as they have fallen a full 10 games back of the Indians in the division standings, they should be now.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Kyle Gibson: 35 Game Score, 5 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 K, 2 BB, 62.8% strikes Bullpen: 4.1 IP, 2 ER, 5 H, 5 K, 2 BB Lineup: 2-for-8 w/RISP, 5 LOB Bottom three per WPA: Zach Littell -.355, Fernando Rodney -.286, Bobby Wilson -.135 Download attachment: vs Brewers 7-2-2018.PNG We had a good run without having to deal with the Fernando Rodney Experience, but just as soon as it left, it was back again. Rodney has now blown back-to-back save chances, and in both instances, he had to work out of a jam just to get the game to extras. However, this time Rodney didn’t get bailed out as Zach Littell gave up the winning run in the bottom of the 10th on a four-pitch bases-loaded walk. It wasn’t the sharpest of outings for Kyle Gibson on the mound. The first inning got off to a shaky start, but he was able to get out of it with just one run allowed when Jesus Aguilar was thrown out at home by Eddie Rosario after Joe Mauer threw the ball into left-field and it was overrun by Eddie Rosario. Gibson gave up three more runs in the fifth (two earned), after allowing a leadoff home run and a slew of hits. He had a chance to get out of the inning with just two runs allowed, but Willians Astudillo booted a routine grounder at third that would have ended the inning. Gibson had a much better night at the plate, however, as he went 2-for-2, doubling his career hit total. The Twins were primed for a big inning in the third, when they had runners on the corners and nobody out. However, they settled for just one run even after Brian Dozier was given extra life after he appeared to have struck out. Robbie Grossman hit his first career grand slam in the fifth inning, coming with two outs in the inning. In the top of the seventh, Joe Mauer was robbed of a home run by Keon Broxton. This run turned out to be huge later in the game. Postgame With Molitor Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: 7-2-2018 vs Brewers.PNG AL Central Standings CLE 46-37 DET 38-48 (-9.5) MIN 35-46 (-10) CWS 29-55 (-17.5) KC 25-59 (-21.5) Next Three Games Tuesday @ MIL, 3:10 PM CST – RHP Jake Odorizzi vs RHP Junior Guerra Wednesday @ MIL, 3:10 PM CST – RHP Jose Berrios vs RHP Chase Anderson Thursday vs BAL, 7:10 PM CST – TBD vs TBD Last Three Games CHC 11, MIN 10: Epic Comeback Falls Short CHC 14, MIN 9: It’s Not the Heat, It’s … Actually, It Is the Heat This Time CHC 10, MIN 6: Hey, Remember Joe Mauer? More From Twins Daily The Time to Trade Kyle Gibson Is Now 2018 Twins Midseason Top Prospect List: 31-35 Twins Minor League Starting Pitcher Of The Month - June 2018 Click here to view the article

So he isn't good enough to warrant a good return on the trade market, but he is good enough to earn an expensive contract on the free agent market if he were to be a free agent? I'm sorry but this logic seems flawed.

I think your missing the point on this one. I'm not suggesting that the Twins should look to trade Gibson because he is bad, I'm suggesting that they look to trade him because he is good and might get a decent return. There is a difference between giving up on a guy and realizing that another team might have a lot more value for him then you so you could get a surplus of value in return for him.

The 35-45 Minnesota Twins (entering play on Monday) have quickly taken themselves out of the playoff picture with their continued inability to live up to the potential they had entering the season. According to Fangraphs, the Twins playoff odds currently stand at just 1.4 percent, 2.2 percent lower than their odds ever got last season. While much of the discussion about potential trades involving guys like Brian Dozier, Eduardo Escobar and Lance Lynn have started to heat up, one player who could be on the radar of opposing teams is Kyle Gibson.Kyle Gibson has looked like a new and improved pitcher in 2018. Not only has Gibson dropped his ERA to a level lower than it has ever been, but he is also striking out batters at a much higher rate than he ever has. So far this year, Gibson has struck out 23.3 percent of batters that he has faced, up from his previous career high of 17.7 percent, which he set back in 2015. Gibson’s turnaround, however, actually dates back to last August where he had a strong stretch to close out the season, which played a big part in the Twins clinching their first playoff berth since 2010. Over his last 24 starts overall, Gibson has a 3.29 ERA (3.78 FIP) and has a K/9 of 8.63 along with a 3.10 BB/9. This extended run of success has changed the way people think about Kyle Gibson as a pitcher. Going back to this time a year ago, perhaps the only thing keeping Gibson in the Twins rotation was the severe lack of depth of major league-caliber starting pitchers within the organization. Flash forward to the present day and Gibson has turned himself the number two starter on one of the better Twins rotations in years. Now, I know what you’re thinking, why would the Twins trade away Gibson who has been one of the few bright spots on the team, especially since they have another year of control of him? My answer, that is the exact reason why they should be looking to trade him. If there was ever a time where Kyle Gibson’s trade value would be high enough to net a pretty decent prospect return it's right now. As I mentioned before, Gibson’s performance has done more than enough to warrant a spot in the rotation on any contending team, with perhaps the exception of the Houston Astros. Here is a list of the 15 teams that I think will be buyers at the trade deadline, and where Gibson’s 3.48 ERA (entering play Monday) would rank on those staffs among pitchers who have thrown at least 50 innings this year. Download attachment: Kyle Gibson Rank.PNG Additionally, with Gibson having another year of team control after 2018 that will make him all the more enticing to teams, as he won’t be a rental piece that they lose at season’s end. As we have seen in the past, players with this extra year of control tend to get far bigger packages in return than rental players tend to receive. Another factor going in the favor of trading Gibson right now is the market for available starting pitchers is pretty bleak. The only real marquee starting pitcher whose name has been thrown around as a potential trade piece is Jacob deGrom, but given the way he has been pitching, and the fact that he still has two more years of team control after 2018, it would take a king’s ransom to pry him away from the Mets. After deGrom, the quality of starting pitchers available drops off. The next tier of starters being mentioned includes Cole Hamels, J.A. Happ and Tyson Ross. However, it could be argued that Gibson is pitching better than all three of those guys right now. The big thing that the Twins will have to consider is having to give up on Gibson being a member of their starting rotation for a 2019 team that expects to compete. So, let’s dive into that part of it and see how things might shake out if they do trade him away. While the Twins do have several players on their roster with expiring contracts, the starting rotation for 2019 has already mostly taken shape. Barring any serious injuries between now and then, the Twins could pencil in Jose Berrios, Fernando Romero (who should be back up before the end of 2018), Jake Odorizzi, and the long-forgotten Michael Pineda into their 2019 rotation. Also there are numerous other options down in the minors who could compete for a starting job in the Twins 2019 rotation including Stephen Gonsalves, Alberto Mejia, Zach Littell, Aaron Slegers and Lewis Thorpe to name a few. Additionally, the Twins will have a ton of money coming off their books this winter which means they will have plenty of payroll flexibility to add another starter or two in free agency if that is something they wish to pursue. So, while Gibson could definitely help the 2019 Twins rotation, it doesn’t exactly leave the team in a bad spot if they were to trade him away. Another factor to consider is the money that Gibson himself will make next year. Since he will be entering his third year of arbitration, and with the way he has been pitching of late, Gibson could be in line for a decent pay raise heading into 2019. If the Twins were to trade him away, the money that they save by not having to pay Gibson could be put towards finding his replacement or in helping other areas of the roster. So, how much should we expect Gibson to make next year? Well, for that it is usually best to compare him to other players in a similar situation to see what they got. A perfect example for this comparison is Patrick Corbin. Last winter, Corbin entered his final year as an arbitration-eligible player, just like Gibson will be this winter. Corbin was coming off a respectable season where he threw 189 2/3 innings with a 4.03 ERA. The year prior to that Corbin received $3.95 million, a little bit less than $4.2 million Kyle Gibson is receiving this year. With the way Gibson has been pitching this year, we can anticipate that Gibson should end up receiving a little more than the $7.5 million that Patrick Corbin received entering 2018. My guess is it will be somewhere in the $8-9 million range. When you factor that in with the almost $2 million the Twins could save on Gibson’s contract this year by trading him, they could have more than $10 million saved up on Gibson that they can reinvest into the team. In the end, I’m not proposing that the Twins should simply trade Gibson for the sake of trading him, because that would be silly. What I am proposing, however, is it would be foolish on the Twins part not to be shopping Gibson around at the deadline to see what kind of package they could get in return for him. I would be shocked if there weren’t at least a few teams that would be interested in adding Kyle Gibson to their starting rotation. Click here to view the article

You can't get credit for both the win and the save. Busenitz got credited with the win and nobody gets credit for the save.

Hits with runners in scoring position, who need them? The Twins and White Sox combined to go 0-for-24 with runners in scoring position in today’s game. The three lone runs in this 13-inning affair came on a solo homer and two bases loaded walks. In the end, the Twins came away with the 2-1 victory in game that could be considered on of the most exciting and least exciting games of the season all wrapped up into one.Snapshot (chart via FanGraphs) Jake Odorizzi: 72 Game Score, 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 8 K, 3 BB, 63.4% strikes Bullpen: 7.0 IP, 1 ER, 8 K, 2 BB Lineup: 0-for-9 w/RISP, 13 LOB Top three per WPA: Kepler .422, Odorizzi .359, Busenitz .341 Download attachment: WinEx628.png Jake Odorizzi had himself a bounce-back start today against the White Sox throwing six shutout innings. Odorizzi was on fire to start the game, having struck out seven batters in the first three innings. The only batter to reach base up to that point came on leadoff single by Tim Anderson in the third, but Odorizzi responded by striking out the next three batters. Odorizzi continued to breeze through the fourth and fifth innings before he worked himself into a jam in the sixth. After loading the bases with two outs in the inning, Odorizzi faced off against Kevin Smith in a 14 pitch at-bat before Smith finally flew out to Taylor Motter to end the inning. The Twins had a golden opportunity to scratch off a run in the first after Lucas Giolito walked the bases full and was down 3-0 to Ehire Adrianza with two outs. However, Giolito was able to work back and get Adrianza to pop up to end the innings. Giolito went on to retire 15 of the next 16 Twins hitters, including 13 in a row, before the Twins were finally able to get on the board on a leadoff home run from Logan Morrison in the seventh. The bottom of the order then went on to load the bases with just one out, but that threat was neutralized when Robbie Grossman lined into an inning ending double play. In the 9th, Fernando Rodney came in to close out a 1-0 win, and it was seemingly going as planned after he set down the first two batters to start the inning. Then, Yolmer Sanchez dinked a single into left and the wheels fell off. Rodney proceeded to hit the next batter before walking in the next two. He finally got out of the mess by striking out Yoan Moncada, but not before blowing his first save since April 26th. The Twins had a chance to take the lead in the 10th when they had runners on the corners and just one out, and Eddie Rosario due up. However, it wasn’t meant to be, as Rosario popped out, then Escobar was intentionally walked to get to Brian Dozier who then struck out to end the inning. There wasn’t a lot of drama over the next few innings, and the top of the 13th appeared to be going that way as well, but then with two outs Logan Morrison got a double off former Twin Hector Santaigo. Santaigo then walked the next three batters, bringing in Morrison for what would be the game-winning run. Postgame With Molitor AL Central Standings CLE 44-35 MIN 35-42 (-8) DET 36-46 (-9.5) CWS 28-52 (-16.5) KC 25-55 (-19.5) Bullpen Usage Here’s a quick look at the number of pitches thrown by the bullpen over the past five days: Download attachment: Bullpen628.png Next Three Games Fri at CHC, 4:05 pm pm CT: Jose Berrios vs. Mike Montgomery Sat at CHC, 1:20 pm CT: Adalberto Mejia vs. Tyler Chatwood Sun at CHC, 1:20 pm CT: Lance Lynn vs. Jon Lester Last Three Games CWS 6, MIN 1: Gibby Gets Got CHW 8, MIN 4: South Side Slip MIN 2, TEX 0: La MaKKKKKKKKKKKKina Click here to view the article

Personally I think you trade him. At 41 the wheels could still fall off the wagon at any second. I would trade high while you can. Plus the 2nd year team option could help add a little bit to his trade value.

Glen Perkins?

For basically all of his 16-year MLB career, when Fernando Rodney has come into pitch it has caused fans of whichever team he is pitcher for to hold their breath. Between his mid-90’s fastball with sink and his changeup that is widely regarded as one of the best in the history of the game, Rodney has always had tremendous stuff. The problem with Rodney has always been his knack for giving too many free passes that clog the bases in high-leverage situations.When the Twins first signed Fernando Rodney last winter, it caused some concern among Twins fans. This concern wasn’t exactly unwarranted, given the fact that Rodney was about to enter his age 41 season, and he was coming off perhaps two of his most Fernando Rodney-esque seasons of his career. Between 2016 and 2017, Rodney had a 3.80 ERA (3.45 FIP) with a 10.37 K/9 and a 4.70 BB/9. After last season, Arizona Diamondback fans couldn’t see him out of town fast enough. Part of Rodney’s problem in Arizona was perception. Rodney, got off to a terrible start in 2017, posting a 12.60 ERA through the month of April. However, from May 1st onward, Rodney was lights out to the tune of a 2.38 ERA and an opponents’ OPS of .442. Unfortunately for Rodney, relievers don’t throw enough innings to help salvage great overall numbers, as the lowest his ERA ever got was 4.17 towards the end of the season. The “Fernando Rodney Experience” came just as advertised during his first month in Minnesota. In his first appearance as a Twin, Rodney gave up a walk-off home run to Adam Jones. His next seven outings after that were pretty rocky as well, with Rodney blowing three of his first five save opportunities mixed in with a couple excellent performances, giving Twins fans a full taste of what the “Fernando Rodney Experience” is all about. This stretch ultimately cumulated in the Bronx when Rodney gave up a three-run walk-off home run to Gary Sanchez, giving the Yankees a 4-3 victory and completing a four-game sweep in the most Twins vs Yankees way imaginable. Since then, Rodney has been lights out as the Twins closer. While the Twins bullpen has blown plenty of late leads over the past couple of months, Rodney has been a steady ship going 15 for 15 in save opportunities. Not only has Rodney been perfect in save opportunities since April 28th, but he has also done his part in keeping the blood-pressure level of Twins fans to a minimum. In his 15 save opportunities during that stretch Rodney has been perfect in 11 of them. In the four times where he did allow someone to reach base, the game tying run never even made its way into scoring position. Overall, Rodney’s numbers over that time have been excellent. In 19 2/3 innings pitched, he has an ERA of just 1.37 (2.70 FIP), with a K/9 of 9.61 and a BB/9 of 3.20. He has also holding opposing batters to a .134 AVG and an OPS of .395. So, how has Fernando Rodney stayed at the top of his game despite his age being on the wrong side of 40? A big factor in Rodney’s success has been his improved walk rate. As has almost always been the case with Rodney, if he is able to keep his walk rate down at a respectable level, he becomes one of the best relievers in the game. However, when he struggles with his command, you get the, well, “Fernando Rodney Experience.” This season, Rodney has had some of the best control of his career, as he is walking just 3.08 batters per nine innings, down from his career average of 4.39 BB/9. As it stands, this is the second best mark of his career, behind only his 2012 season when he walked just 1.81 batters per nine on his way to a 0.60 ERA over 74 2/3 innings. Additionally, Rodney has done an excellent job of maintaining his velocity as he has aged. Ten years ago, when Rodney was still a spring chicken at the age of 31, he was averaging 95.5 mph on his sinker. In 2018, that number has only fallen off slightly to 93.8 mph. This was due in large part to a surprising increase in velocity that Rodney experienced during his mid-30s, reaching as high as 96.9 mph in 2013. Sure, as he continues to age, Rodney’s velocity will drop to a point where it is no longer an effective weapon, but for now he still has it. When you factor that in with his improved control, and a changeup that is as dominate as ever, Rodney is still a force to be reckoned with at the back end of the bullpen. Click here to view the article

The Twins are most likely waiting to sign both Mack and Sands until they sign Larnach, which they can't do until Oregon State is done playing in the College World Series.

A player doesn't always need to use the bat to be productive at the plate. You should give this a watch, it is pretty interesting. https://www.sbnation.com/2017/4/11/15264034/barry-bonds-2004-stats-chart-party