Riverbrian

Agree 100%... Although it's more like their senses coming to the Padres and beating them with a heavy object. 😄

The Yankees can play this game. The Padres can't. If the Yankees burn their farm system down to acquire the big names (They didn't in this deal). They can in theory keep spending to keep the team productive without cheap prospects available. San Diego can't play that game. Once they burn the farm system down... without cheap young talent to bring in... they leave themselves with no other option but to keep spending and it's San Diego... they can't do it. They are not the Yankees who can play this game. There was always a bill due that they must pay now. I really have a lot of respect for BTV and grains of salt are always needed with BTV. I agree with you. This is one of those situations where the BTV numbers say the Padres won the trade big but the reality is that the Yankees won big. They got one the best hitters in the game.,, another major leaguer who can at least defensive play CF and they kept the top of their top prospects all while knowing that they can simply buy more if Jasson Dominquez is traded for a top end pitcher.

I find it interesting to compare the players the Padres currently in Washington to the players heading to San Diego from New York. James Woods alone is worth the entire package of players that the Yankees gave up for Soto... not to mention Gore and Abrams who are also high value players. Hats off to the Padres on the impressive attempt to go for it, it was certainly entertaining for us to witness. Hats off for the braveness of a poodle trying to be a Doberman for a brief moment in time. However... a poodle is a poodle and there was always going to be a bill to pay in the future for going all in. The Soto trade was just one payment, there will be more to come.

I wouldn't have a ton of interest in either of them to be honest. But if comparing Verdugo to Kepler for one year in 2024. I'd have to go with Kepler because Kepler at least had two months where he was damn near elite so the potential to be something more than an average veteran exists with Kepler. If he's back with us... Fine... but he better earn it. Statistically... If you compare Verdugo's 2023 with 2023 Twins players and what they produced statistically. I'd say Willie Castro was the closest comp to Verdugo and that's not a very good comp because Castro had more yet similar power (9 dingers in 409 PA's compared to 13 in 602 AB's, similar OBP but Castro has a lot more speed and he played a lot more positions capably. With Verdugo... you are talking about less than Castro in my opinion. If you look at the past three years of Verdugo... He's been pretty much the same player every year. 600 plus AB's every year so healthy but the same power numbers, same batting average, the same everything with only slight deviations from year to year. He has been consistently average. Yet despite being consistently average... he still got 600 AB's like the Red Sox couldn't live without him... 600 AB's like he was Mike Trout or Mookie Betts and yet Willie Castro was better. You don't commit 600 AB's to average. I just don't waste my time with average veterans... I have no interest in giving average veterans 600 AB's when those average numbers can be reproduced by somebody in the raffle drum that is loaded with players that nobody has heard of and therefore never talked about because they are average players blocked by average veterans getting 600 AB's. Players like Willie Castro for example.

A rose a rayna!!!

Spot on It is nearly impossible for the Twins to replicate what they did on the mound in 2023. They could sign Yamamoto and the pitching staff still won't be as good even if it looks comparable on paper. Improving or even maintaining the pitching numbers in 2023 is going to be very hard to do because it was very very good last year. I am not saying the pitching is going to fall apart but I do think it will be less than... what we got in 2023. It will be an easier path for the Twins to cover for a pitching downtick by making improvements to an offense that has plenty of space to improve. Another great post from Doc.

Santana isn't a Twin without the Rule 5 draft. Not drafting him directly is a technicality. #57 should be retired. Johan Santana should be number 1 on this list by such a margin that #2, 3, 4 and 5 are not even close. Shane Mack should be 6, Corbett 7, Pressly 8, Salas 9 and Wayne #10 because Santana gets the first spot and the next 4 places for proper perspective.

You have hit the nail on the head. Correa and Buxton performing like Correa and Buxton SHOULD perform are indeed the two biggest questions entering 2024 and the two biggest solutions for 2024. Those two performing like they SHOULD perform would be bigger for the organization in 2024 than any free agent or trade acquisition made this off-season. We got two huge players in-house that can cure a lot of what ails us.

14 Different starters started for the Marlins in 2023. 31 different pitchers threw the baseball for the Marlins in 2023. 20 Different hitters stepped to the plate for the Marlins in 2023.

A championship core... comprised of X amount of players is only a championship core if they perform like a championship core. Correa and Buxton did not earn this designation last year. We will see who steps up in 2024. We have multiple candidates with the potential to help us bring one home.

This post is pure reality. For those who are still trying to compare 5 names in the rotation last year with 5 names for the rotation this year. May I strongly suggest reading the above post. Paddack may or may not stay healthy. Lopez may or may not stay healthy, Ryan may or may not stay healthy, Ober may or may not stay healthy. Lopez, Ryan, Ober and Varland may pitch better than last year or they may pitch worse than last year but I'm willing to bet that that none of them will pitch the same as last year. Add as many good arms to the 40 man because we are going to need 9-10 of them to get through the season. Don't add bad arms to the 40 man because we are going to need 9-10 of them to get through the season. Paddack is a good arm. Bundy is not a good arm. There is no Paddack dilemma.

Great Post I don't believe most people understand the churn that is going to take place. You clearly do.

Other than this sentence... I agree with you. Small Portion? LOL 😁 How shocking... the Twins have a financial guidelines to adhere to. If revenue wasn't a consideration... just go get Ohtani and Snell and Yamamoto. Go get them all. 😉

Sometimes in life. You are asked a question. Sometimes you answer that question honestly. Every single time... honest answers are punished by us. Once again, we don't disappoint with amazing consistency. Y'all want the truth. Y'all demand the truth so you can trash it and beat it to a bloody pulp... which of course leads to non-answer answers... actually it leads to lies and manipulation because that is what we are OK with. We have an article here that could have easily been titled. Why didn't they lie to us? Or Twins front office was honest with us and just look at the damage.

If folks do what I suggest. IF they reproduce trades as they happen. They'll see it. If they don't. They won't see it.

Oh Yeah... That's the type of bat I'd like to see the Twins add. I've heard the rumors... Sorry... Rumours with it involving Toronto. I've heard the rumours of Bichette and Vlad Jr as possible trades. Don't understand why Toronto would move either of them... perhaps moving money for a run at Ohtani... but Oh Yeah... Vlad Jr. is the type of bat I want but we probably couldn't fit him into the budget. What could you give them in return? When I look at that Jays roster... Offense is the primary need and offense is what they would give up.

baseballtradevalues should never be considered as anything other than what it is. Imperfection in an imperfect world. However... before you dismiss it. Next trade that happens... reproduce it in BBTV and the value won't be that far off. Each trade that happens... reproduce it. You'll be surprised how frequently the values align. BBTV is pretty impressive. I was my usual skeptical self originally. Now... I frequent the site. BTW... I agree Jeffers won't get us Burnes because Milwaukee doesn't need Jeffers. Jeffers Value though would net Burnes.

I read that Arozarena was being shopped. Contact, Power and Speed. 3 Years of Control. That's the type of bat that I'd like to add. Jeffers and Canterino for Arozarena? BBTV says the numbers work.

Agreed... Pitching was great so at least hold serve. However... even with the addition of a good starter to replace Gray... I'm not sure that we can hold serve. When I say not holding serve... that doesn't mean the roof will cave in but I don't think we can count on the 2023 numbers repeating itself. The offense is going to need to pick up pitching slack that IMO is coming. The Dodgers fell from 1st to 13th in Team ERA from 2022 to 2023. The Astros fell from 2nd to 8th. The Braves fell from 5th to 15th in Team ERA from 2022 to 2023. It was the offense of the Dodgers, Astros and Braves that held serve. We can't hold serve because we were unusually healthy with the starting rotation in 2024. Lopez, Gray, Ryan and Ober made 119 starts last year. Lopez, Gray, Ryan and Ober were all fantastic for the most part (if you take out a real rough stretch that Ryan had). Most teams just don't get that kind of health and performance combo on the mound. Throw in Maeda's 20 and only 23 starts were made outside the top 5 once Ober replaced Mahle in the top 5. Varland, Kuechel and Mahle made 21 of those 23 start with two bullpen games. The pitching performance we had last year was off the charts and I couldn't never understand why some objected to adding offense to support it at the trade deadline. Anyway... Fast forward to today. I simply can't expect that 2023 health to smile upon us in 2024 and I can't expect two starters in the Cy Young conversation... even if we somehow maintain the health. And I say this even if we pluck Blake Snell out of Free Agency or trade for Tyler Glasnow to replace Sonny Gray. The Rangers had to build their rotation twice last year just to come up with a 3.83 ERA in the playoffs which was just enough to allow the offense to bash their way to a title. We need an offense that scares some people. Again... I don't expect a pitching collapse but in IMO... Our offense is going to have to perform better than it did last year because our pitching CAN'T perform better that what we did last year. The offense needs a big fat dangerous hitter addition to add to Lewis and the resurgence of Correa and Buxton being who they are supposed to be.

It wasn't my proposal. 👍 Although... To simplify it. Removing Sanchez and Vasquez. I don't think Kepler for Cabrera alone is an overpay. 1 year at 10M for 5 years of a starting pitcher at league minimum is a price I would pay although being out of options is a moment for pause.

To be honest... I have no idea what Camargo will bring to the table in 2024 but I am 100% committed to catcher development. Without knowing what Camargo is capable of producing (who does really and I include our front office when I say that)... I am OK moving one of our catchers to make room for Camargo in case he becomes valuable. Knowing full well that it could blow up in our face. Hitting on a young catcher is an extreme value boost that it's worth the chance. Missing on a young catcher is only half painful because they play 50% of the time at most. In order to commit to catcher development... you have to keep the pipeline unclogged. In other words you have to have a roster spot for the next generation so weather it's Jeffers in a trade for a quality starter or quality hitter or Vazquez in a salary dump to spend money on a quality starter or quality hitter... I am pro catcher trade of either. If Camargo produces (I don't know if he will). His trade value as a catcher with years of control and little financial obligation is a gold mine. I roll the dice. I rob Peter to pay Paul because Paul produces more. As for your trade idea with Marlins... I can't speak for the Marlins but I can't see them or anyone sending two starting pitchers over in a deal. I know they are well stocked but teams need to be well stocked to get through a season. You never know who will be left standing come playoff time but again I can't speak for the Marlins.

If the Marlins would trade Cabrera and Sanchez for Kepler and Vasquez. I wouldn't wait for the Marlins to finish talking before saying yes. You wouldn't even need to ask the Marlins to include Sanchez. Acquiring two starting pitchers both age 25 at the league minimum salary. Cabrera having 5 years of control and Sixto with 6 years of control. The Marlins get 1 year of a 30 Year old OF and 2 Years of a 33 year old catcher on a free agent contract with an AAV that is higher than the other 29 teams were willing to pay a year ago before a rather disappointing 2023 at the plate. 20 Million off the books that can be spent to replace Kepler. Two young controllable starters. I can't see the Marlins doing that.

I agree with you. I want a big bat addition more than I want a starter. Jeffers is one of the few players who can bring that bat in.

I have said this multiple times and I will say it again. Catchers are extreme overpays. If you are lucky enough to have a catcher with inflated high trade value. Cash him in. The Twins should be doing everything they can to become a catcher factory in order to cash in on the extreme trade value that good catchers provide. To acquire Murphy the Braves parted with William Contreras, their top prospect and a couple more prospects in the top 15. It was a steep price. Check out the current trade value of William Contreras on BBTV. The Brewers could trade Contreras back to the Braves and land their 4 top prospects in return. If the Twins wanted to acquire Contreras... It would cost us the equivalent of Jeffers and Julien. Brooks Lee by himself wouldn't be enough to get him. Ryan Jeffers would almost be enough to bring in Corbin Burnes for a year and there is your replacement for Gray. Catcher are overpays... Keep producing them. The only question is... Will Jeffers have higher value after 2024 or less value. If the answer is less. He is the player I'm moving to improve our team. If the answer is more... OK... Let's go #27. Here's to a great 2024 in a Twins uniform.