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For the right price (ie not overpaying), I think they should consider: #9 - Robertson. Quality arm, veteran with playoff experience #10 - Pham. Disciplined hitter that could help bring some stability to the order and the OF #25 - Turner. Reliable 3B to help offset the Lewis/Miranda question marks #29 - Hicks. Fits the flamethrower RP mold, would want him to be more than a rental.

I am trying to understand this... The Twins are in playoff contention. You can argue about how strong the team is all you want, but THEY ARE IN PLAYOFF CONTENTION!!!!!!! On what planet would they be considering moving Sonny Grey, the teams best SP and among the top SP in baseball this year? Not only would you be ruining their chances in the playoffs (where SP always dominates), but you would be sending an insanely bad message to the team. For any of you that truly think the Twins should trade Grey right now??? We seriously have to question which team you are rooting for.

I am not sure Hrbek had oblique muscles... I think everything kind of mushed together.

As frustrating as it is to see highly touted guys go down with injuries, I wonder about context here... Are the Twins rate and substance of prospect injuries any different than that of other organizations? Are the Twins truly unlucky here, or does it just feel that way because of the higher visibility and attention we give to the Twins minor league system versus other teams. Is this just the cost of doing business?

Sorry Nick, but I think this is part of the perception problem with Kepler. Whose expectations? Yours? Kepler has been fairly consistent in production. You are paying for defense, some power, the occasional hot streak, and consistency, How many OF have the Twins cycled through in the last 7 years? Teams are not going to have 8 all-stars every year. Kepler is not a god, nor is he "holding anybody back". Guys like Kepler are important. He would be a starter or rotation player on just about any other team in the league. Not the best OF on the team, but a necessary piece. IMO, he gets the brunt of the hate when it should be pointed in other directions

Interesting how this has flown relatively under the radar. With all the screaming about how bad the offense has been, the rotation has been amazing and the bullpen has been better than most people think. If we are seeing the real Maeda, this could potentially be the best/deepest rotation (one through five) maybe in Twin's history.

I saw the title of this article and laughed and laughed expecting the comments to be beyond vitriolic. I am pleasantly surprised to be wrong. Please keep up the civility... In a perfect world, Max Kepler is your 4th OF. The Twins (or Kepler's) unwillingness to play him in CF hamstrings everyone going forward. The article does a great job of addressing the "problems" with Kepler. Realistic expectations need to be had here. There is no definitive better option in the minors. I also think clubhouse impact plays a role here. Everyone needs to do a cost-benefit check, realize the OF positions in the Twins system are not deep or strong, and any demonstrative improvement will cost resources. Unless they make a move or two before the deadline, expect to see Max patrolling RF again next year.

One of the better articles posted here in a long time. Thanks for telling Keuchel's story. This signing went relatively under the radar, but may have some legs. Guys that have success than have to fight back from failure tend to bring great value and experience to a clubhouse. It would not surprise me in the least to see him on the big team this year. As a 4/5 pitcher, he could easily be that guy that is still kicking around 10 years from now (think Rich Hill).

So Duran should have been an all-star because.... he throws hard? How about tangible, statistical reasons why he was snubbed other than hometown fanboy bias...

Welcome to regional television contracts. Bally paid the Twins because they think that a playoff-hunt team will generate more money for them. Baseball has competitive issues, but I believe this is the number one problem facing baseball today. The Yankees and Dodgers would not survive unless they had the Twins and Brewers to play Imagine how the Packers and Bills would fare if the NFL had regional contracts. For those of you looking to get around streaming blackouts, try a VPN.

Pretty much this...

Pitchers stats, more than any other player, are reliant on other players. Ignoring the secondary information will give you an incomplete view of his performance. So Nolan Ryan going 8-16 in 1987 means he was a bad pitcher that year?

Way to early to make a "bad trade" decision on some of these. I find it interesting that there is very little on the players the Twins traded away. Arraez has been insane, Cano needed a change of scenery, Steer has been good, every other player mentioned in this article moved by the Twins has done nothing. #5 is a current loss, but Lopez has been decent, and nobody expected Arraez to hit .400. Considering Lopez just signed a long-term contract, this trade needs time to properly evaluate. #4 is more or of a tie. Lose/lose on both sides. #3 is closer to a loss, but still needs a longer view to see the results. #2 another tie that needs more time. Rogers was awful last year, Rooker is imminently replaceable. Need to see if/how Paddock comes back. #1 Steer has had a nice start, but we need to see if it continues. Also need to see if/how Mahle comes back

Attention Twins Daily Monitors: I would like to report that this article is framing the Twins Front Office in a positive light. As this does not fit the narrative that the FO is horrible and needs to be fired, I demand that this article be taken down immediately so the commentors can return to their regularly scheduled vitriol.

Stop bringing logic to an emotional argument.

Hot take! If the Twins had signed [insert 2022 FA here], they would be better! Ugh...

1) Thank you for acknowledging the large amount of click-bait garbage floating through this site. I find it harder and harder to visit this site on a daily basis. 2) I was not trashing the "quality" of the article, rather the propensity to look at a player and rush to judgement based off of a small sample size. That is what is happening here. Does a 16 AB run really justify a demotion? Is Miranda truly fixed or just in the middle of a hot streak?

Anybody that has played a team sport at a college level or higher knows that these guys basically live together 24/7 during the season. Conflicts are inevitable. When disagreements happen in public, the give people something to talk about. Good pitchers want the ball, regardless of the situation. Managers get paid to make these types of decisions. Players do not have to like it, but they do have to live with it. Based off of their public comments, they both know it and will continue to work on it.

And the articles of over-reaction continue....

Not knowing enough of the health and strength of Kiriloff, the platoon may be an easy way of giving him days off when needed. This is made easier with Solano's success vs. LH. I suspect we will see him get more at-bats vs LH as time goes on, but right now this is one of the few things that is going right on offense this year. Not sure they want to rock the boat.

I think the FO and Rocco need to be fired. They got lucky to win and only a complete overhaul will save this season. (Sorry, I wanted to make sure that this article met the required negative response quota)

It’s been a disappointing season for Jorge Polanco whose injury history may finally be catching up to him. With his future in question, the keys to second base will be turned over to Edouard Julien. Is he up to the task? Image courtesy of Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports It’s been a disappointing season for Jorge Polanco whose injury history may finally be catching up to him. With his future in question, the keys to second base will be turned over to Edouard Julien. Is he up to the task? Jorge Polanco has dealt with a fair amount of lower body injuries in his career. After knee issues ended his 2022 season, Polanco got off to a late start to 2023 before hamstring issues sidelined him. With the same issue landing him on the IL again, this recent injury is likely to keep him down for a solid stretch. While disappointing for Polanco and the Twins, Edouard Julien is the recipient of a massive opportunity to show why the Twins are such big fans. Julien has been an on-base machine throughout his minor league career. Though he did have his fair share of whiffs, he had been able to limit the punch outs to under 25% of his plate appearances in his last two minor league seasons while approaching a near 20% walk rate. As could be expected, neither has translated directly to his MLB debut, with a walk rate of around 11% and a bloated 34.6% K rate. It’s fair to say Julien hasn’t quite hit his stride yet, especially when it comes to controlling the strike zone. That becomes a scary thought considering the rookie is already slashing .260/.353/.493, good for 35% above league average. For a hitter with such an advanced plate approach, one may expect him to adjust quickly, and that’s exactly what Julien has done. While continuing to flash his power at the plate, the former 18th-round pick from Auburn via Quebec has continued to improve month over month in his sporadic MLB debut season. In addition to the increase in walk rate, Julien reduced his whiff % from 44.2 to 38.7 from April to May, and has only swung and missed about 15% of the time in his two games since being recalled. They’re all small samples, but signs of adjustment nonetheless. Aside from plate discipline, Julien has some other questions to answer while Polanco is away. For starters, Julien has yet to prove much against left-handed pitching. It may be a lack of opportunity, as the Twins have only allowed him to take seven plate appearances against southpaws and will likely continue to platoon him to some degree. He’ll still likely get the occasional lefty-on-lefty matchup, and if he can capitalize on a few opportunities, it’s possible he opens the Twins’ eyes to him being a capable everyday player. For as well as Julien is expected to hit right-handed pitchers, even holding his own against lefties would take his already can’t-miss bat to an entirely different level. The biggest question, of course, is the defense. For how athletic Edouard Julien clearly is, reports have had him stretched as a second baseman, and early results in the MLB have so far matched up. In just 140 innings at second base, Julien has been worth -3 Defensive Runs Saved. Outs Above Average grades him at -3 as well in his limited time in the field. His defensive struggles have been apparent on the most superficial levels, as despite just one official error, he’s had a handful of awkward-looking plays. Julien is presented with an opportunity. Jorge Polanco’s contract for 2024 has already vested for $10.5m, but the Twins have a $1m buyout. Make no mistake, that’s an absolute bargain for a player at Polanco’s skill level. That being said, the injuries could be on the verge of spinning out of control. Julien could put some thoughts in the front offices’ heads about his future on the club beyond 2023 if the bat continues to play, and the defense is even passable. Polanco seems like a near-impossible hole to fill, but in the business of baseball, young, effective, cost-controlled players can push front offices into some difficult decisions. In the near term, the Twins are missing one of the more underrated pieces of their lineup as they have been for much of the season. The hope is that Julien proves to be the leadoff hitter this lineup has missed all year, and that when and if Polanco is ready to return, Julien has done enough to make it more than just a procedural move to send him back to St. Paul. We’ve heard about Edouard Julien for some time, and he finally has an extended opportunity to show what he can do. Can he be part of the solution in what has been a frustrating Twins lineup, or will we be counting down the days until Jorge Polanco’s return? View full article

This will all come down to what the Twins believe his injury situation will be going forward. A healthy Polanco is a borderline all-star every year. He is relatively inexpensive, even if they only get 100 games out of him. I do not see the Twins making any knee-jerk moves here.

Not rushing to judgement here, but Miranda may be that type of guy that could benefit from a change in organizations. Physical skill is only part of the equation. If Miranda (and/or the Twins) believe that the window is closing fast on Miranda, the mental aspects of the game may not be best for him here. With other guys in front of him stepping up right now, It would not surprise me in the least if Miranda is part of a deadline deal.

So you wouldn't enjoy a repeat of the 1987 Twins. Got it.