Riverbrian

The Twins have chosen. They have to choose. These are choices made from a big pile of players in the middle with marginal differences separating each other. An average of 15 players are selected. Maybe 3 to 5 of those players stay on the roster of the team that selected them. If we lose 4 players... never to return. That would be amazing.

Haven't seen anything official yet but I'm sure the Phillies would love to have him back if the terms are agreeable. This the specific Jeffers to Phillies of this thread would be gone. However... more broadly anybody that was in on Realmuto and didn't get him would possibly become interested Jeffers real quick. I've only heard Boston and Texas attached to Realmuto in addition to the Phillies.

I'm trying. I'll need some time. Maybe in a couple of years.

Tait might turn out to be great in a couple of years but the Twins are going to have to develop him into being great in a couple of years. So... I'll have to be excused for being a little nervous about this. My question... that will never be answered. Did the Twins choose young Tait because he's a highly rated catcher instead of? Meaning... did the Twins already pay the Catching over pay in the Duran deal? The Twins made a point of acquiring major league ready talent in the deals they made. Our two catching acquisitions were both a ways off from major league ready. Would the Phillies have considered Miller or Crawford instead of Tait in the Duran deal? Did the Twins choose the younger Tait because he's a catcher?

The 30 million dollar signing of Vazquez type performance is what I'm trying to avoid. The spending of that 30 million on a different position that doesn't require the rest is what I'm suggesting. I'm saying that the Twins have almost completely failed developing catching and developing your own catching will not only feed your team but you could even trade extra catching taking advantage of the catching market and the catching market has scarcity spilling over the sides... inflating the prices. I'm not a farmer but if Soybeans make you about 900 bucks per acre. And Corn pays 700 per acre. You may want to grow Soybeans especially when the Corn Farmers will trade for your Soybeans. I understand my chosen expression of "Punting the Position" is shocking/jarring. We've already been partially punting the position for the past 3 years. You list Vazquez as a positive example of how the Twins handled the catching position. I say that Vazquez is already an example of punting the position. Decent defensively and decent working with the pitchers I guess. However... his bat was a complete punt that didn't cost him playing time at all and it didn't allow for any competition either. His playing time was split almost equal with Jeffers. The Twins won the AL Central in 2023 with Vazquez punting the position for 94 games. Development? Jeffers and Caleb Hamilton... That's it. Here's the complete list of catchers. 2025: Jeffers, Vazquez, Gasper, Pereda - Only Jeffers was drafted and developed by the Twins 2024: Jeffers, Vazquez, Camargo - Only Jeffers - Camargo was acquired as a 21 year old. Developed him to 5 MLB games. 2023: Vazquez, Jeffers - That's it. Vazquez actually caught more games. 2022: Sanchez, Jeffers, Leon, Hamilton. - Caleb Hamilton makes a development appearance. 38 Innings behind the plate. 19 innings at 1B. The Twins let Caleb go after when the season was complete. 2021: Jeffers, Garver, Rortvedt, Astudillo. Only Jeffers - Garver and Rortvedt were in house before Falvey and Lavine arrived. 2020: Jeffers, Avila, Garver, Astudillo - We got us an Avila. The catcher position has an average OPS of .694. The 1B position has an average of .750. Ryan Jeffers is one of the best hitting catchers with a .752 OPS and only 406 AB's despite health all season long. We can't fill every hole with our limited resources. You have to prioritize. Punt Catcher... Spend limited resources on positions where the acquired bats MOVE THE NEEDLE!

The Dodgers have a difficult roster to crack. He's not going to be given MLB time if he's struggling. He's going to work on things in AAA and did quite well in AAA. He just completely failed each call up. We certainly have DFA candidates... Fitzgerald is another one. Ohl and Adams would also be candidates... I just don't see the Twins being off-season busy enough to pick them all off. This will be purely guessing but... I figure... the Twins will need to add at least two bullpen arms and they will probably need to lighten up a couple of outfielders for just decent 40 man balance. That probably puts McCusker as the first in line at the trap door. I'm kind of surprised that McCusker wasn't already DFA'd to create an open spot... just in case they liked someone in the Rule 5. Like... A bullpen arm (Hint-Cough-Cough). I expect an outfielder trade at the very least... if they trade an OF for a bullpen arm that will balance things out pretty decently. Any subsequent addition could have an adverse 40 man consequence for your list. Julien... One 1B addition to the 26 man would probably knock him off the 26 and therefore off the 40. .One SS addition would knock Kriedler out. They said they are looking for an infielder and a power bat. Let's see who they find. Gasper... he might be 2nd in queue or he might positionally slip around and avoid capture. Then of course... injuries will complicate any pre-determined pecking order.

I like your optimism but... and I hate being this guy because of the Twins related issues I have developed in regards to platoon. Has he shown the ability to left handers? The Royals and Orioles platooned him heavily and that's the bulk of his major league experience. . It was the Padres who let him face lefties for a couple of months last season and he hit them quite well in a small sample. I like O' Hearn as a hitter. But, if he is two roster spots... I like him less. A lot less.

I'm going to ask the question... and that question will be no surprise coming from me. Will O' Hearn need to be platooned? If Yes... I'm out. We don't have the right handed cover and therefore right handed cover would also have to be acquired. If the Twins are going to let O' Hearn face it all. I'm more interested. He can hit.

I think the Twins are counting on off-season work to get Outman flying right. They probably didn't want to start with major adjustments immediately after walking into the clubhouse. With the roster... they got time to sort things out. We still don't know who will be healthy coming out of spring training. I'm looking at the roster right now and trying to make moves in my head and that is probably pre-mature. Julien has a clearer path to playing time. Outman... not so much but if Outman doesn't get playing time. We will never know if he fixed things and if we never know... there isn't much point to his existence at all.

Not always but trades tend to be Prospect for Vet or Vet for Prospect. Every once in awhile you find a match on a Vet for Vet or Prospect for Prospect. So... If you are trading a prospect that limits your options to the team collecting them. There seems to be a low number of those teams this off-season according to the rumors. The Twins may not actually be looking for prospects if you believe the rumors. In the American League... The White Sox may be the only team looking for youth. In the National League... It may only be the Nats and Rockies with rumors of the Pirates being aggressive in the free agent market looking for hitting and the Marlins trying to move pitching for hitters.

With Decent Health... They will need at least 8 starters to get through the season. With health issues... They will need double figures. Some of the starters will need to be converted to the pen because the pen needs help from somewhere. Choose wisely.

Outman and Julien are really in the same boat. Really impressive first years followed by really not impressive years leading to being out of options. If Outman is going to get a 26 man spot. Julien probably should get one as well. If that's the case... I'd give them both until June to show major league hitting ability. If they don't show by June you gotta move on. That gives both players the off-season and spring training to find it and two months to prove they might have found it. That will require playing time for both. If Outman and Julien are just going to sit for two months before being eventually cut. You might as well move on now. I know that many are hoping they move on now but... the trade of Stewart for Outman would make absolutely no sense if they move on from Outman now. If the Twins pick up a 1B. They will have to choose between Clemens and Julien... both out of options. Clemens has more position flexibility. Julien has the higher ceiling? The Twins have work to do.

It's hard enough for me to try and run the Twins. Hard enough that I'm reluctant to try and run the Giants at the same time. With that said... those Giants sure could use starters. I'd be all over Ryan and I'd be bidding heavy for Framber.

Good news. I agree 100%. We do need relievers and a power bat. Before I get to excited. The definition of power would probably need to be established and I'll be curious to watch how they get one. I'm not sure there are reasonably priced sources of power in the free agent pile. I like O' Hearn as a hitter. However... O' Hearn has spent a career being heavily platooned. The Padres put a stop to that platoon stuff so he has been hitting left handers for a couple of months. Is two months of work enough or do we need a 25% compliment? I really hope not but the search for power statement could be a Clemens handcuff so I'll await definition. They could trade for a power bat. However... if they are keeping Ryan, Lopez and Buxton... who do they trade for that power bat? Once you eliminate those three... they will have to dip into that prospect pool for decent trade value. Should they trade or acquire prospects? What will Erod fetch?

IFA's should count. If they ain't drafting them... they got to sign them. If they do neither... they have to buy one of those fancy 30 plus guys.

Thanks for counting... but... there has to be more. 102 catchers caught at least one inning in 2025 alone. That isn't even considering prior years.

You have to bite your nose off... umm... some place... umm... on your body... somewhere. I understand... it's hard to look at this catcher grand canyon and say make it worse and just leave it. But... Yeah... off goes the nose. They can't fix all of their needs with their limited resources... if they try to address everything... it would require serious dilution of the talent needed to just cover everything paper thin. No more paper thin... please. We've done paper thin... it's how we got here... I want my ham sliced thick. The Twins will have to choose where they place resources. Some things will be left behind. If they have to choose and they do. This is the position to just grab some catchers cheaply that can catch, throw and call a good game. Any offense at all is just a bonus. And think about that... we've haven't even produced the major leaguer equivalent to what I am currently asking for... just to punt the position.

Maybe... if a catcher is instrumental in the growth of young pitchers and those young pitchers actually develop due to a seasoned catcher. He would be worth more than a few FV40 prospects. However... If his experience offer's value in developing pitchers... he can't be the only one. If that part can be replaced with an Alex Jackson... we are back to simply considering a player with trade value that will be gone next year. Spending the last year with the a 2026 club that has a lot of holes that need filling.

Yep... I believe you read that correctly. The only major league catcher that has been developed under Derek Falvey's leadership has grown old and is about to reach free agency. The only one over the 8 years since he and Thad Lavine took charge. Jeffers is the only drafted or IFA catcher signed under the Falvey's leadership to reach the major leagues. The only one and he went and got himself eligible for free agency on us and we still have our pants down. Mitch Garver was considered a prospect already in house along with Ben Rortvedt. Both those catchers were traded and NOBODY was developed to replace them after they were traded. Nobody other than Jeffers since 2017! If there is an organization with a worse catching development track record in the past 8 years? I'm not sure who that would be? I'm not even talking about the development of a Williams Contreras type superstar. I'm talking about the lowest bar possible... a major league catcher who hits .200 but can call pitches, frame and just catch a game of baseball... even without a bat. We haven't even produced that guy. You read that correctly... I believe with all my heart... that they should just sleep in the bed that they made. Cash in Jeffers before you get nothing for him and punt the position for 2026 at least. I do not want them to spend any of our limited resources (financial or player capital) trying to fix this perpetual problem that they really haven't paid enough attention to for 8 years. They have a lot of things to fix. If they have to choose which problems to address and what has to wait or addressed with the force of a mouse. Catcher should be what waits. I don't know exactly how many major league catchers were drafted or signed since 2017 that have actually played in the major leagues. Someone would have to count but I'd guess over 100 and I'm probably undershooting by a lot. We have contributed 1 of them. Sleep in the bed you made. Alex Jackson and whoever (Pereda)...it is what it is. Turn your damn attention to Olivar, Cardenas, Tait, Diaw and Jimenez. You punt until you can produce one and they better start producing more than one... and soon.

There ya Go. Joe Ryan to San Francisco... He can go home. Bruce Eldridge back in return and we have a potential aircraft carrier for our future.

They might just do that because they are going to have to make some 40 man adjustments for better 40 man balance and we are OF heavy. I just don't see a lot of options beyond them. Especially if they are keeping Joe Ryan. To me this comes down to cashing in value before you get nothing or less for it. Having a lot of needs to address and the money/trade chip allocation that they have to work with.

Not really. Yes... Anybody can be dealt but in regards to maximum value that returns actual talent it gets quite limited. We can move outfielders but should we be moving Wallner, Erod or GG with years of control left. Larnach doesn't bring back what those guys do. Anybody can be traded but what brings back actual talent is quite limited.

We could use a 45+ prospect infielder. The 45 prospect swimming is primarily happening in the OF and SP lakes.

Not only is money going to be limited to the point that they need to be strategic with it. Trade Capital is also limited. If Jeffers isn't a trade chip. That's less trade capital to work with. You should be hanging on to prospects with both hands so let's less trade capital to work with. If you are keeping Ryan... that's less trade capital to work with. If the Twins think they have a roster to compete right now. They better be right because these type of decisions will determine how long it takes to fix this thing and get competitive.

This is where I am at. Very few are going to be comfortable with this. However, the Twins have to choose and this is the state of our catching as a result of our catching development issues so sleep in the bed youmade and focus on the other positions until they can produce their own Susac making the minimum. Or... Someone Better.