Wax Kepler

2nd basemen are a dime a dozen. Polanco is far more valuable at SS even if not good, because he allows you to pick from about a half dozen strong 2B candidates and you can go with who's hot. Trading for a SS is the absolute worst idea. The team who seeks to trade is the more desperate and imo it shows, especially at a high value position. Want a mediocre SS? It's going to cost a prospect that hurts to give up. Think about someone in our minor league system who would hurt to give up. Now keep him in mind, do you still want to trade? Want to trade Noah Miller for Dejong? You know if it hurts, it is feasible. I'm interested with what those who want to go the trade route, what are you willing to give up? Name names. I bet most of their suggestions will be non starters, won't move the needle for the other team. If you are proposing a trade, remember, the prospect(s) you give up HAS TO HURT to do so. Now let's hear some suggestions...

I was saying this months ago. Compared to other shortstops, he will be making a pittance. Look how much less 2nd basemen make. Polanco is much higher paid relative to his 2nd base piers. This is the way to get more value out of the talent we have, as noted in the piece, there is a lot of talent blocked by Polanco at 2B, and Donaldson. Give Polanco a game or 2 off at SS by giving DH ABs, a game here or there at 2B, and a night off altogether every so often. Donaldson should get even more DH ABs, more nights off. Open up some playing time for the young guys. I still want them to sign Simmons up again. He can be behind Polanco on the depth chart, spot start at once a week or more, and if he bounces back to what he was he could be the SS pushing Polanco back to 2nd and be the bridge until they assess Royce.

First I heard of this was on the Athletic. Anyone let me know if someone came up with this idea before Dan Hayes. If not, Hayes is suspect. This sounds like something the organization is leaking because they got caught flat footed in regards to free agency and are now desperately searching for pitching. Enough so they're willing to lose Martin to acquire someone not as good as Berrios, and with no history with the team like we had with Berrios, nullifying any net gain we might have received in that trade. Berrios was saddened to leave the team, unless I'm mistaken. If Hayes is carrying water for the organization and doing journalism in bad faith he should be fired immediately and run out of the profession. And if the Twins are seriously considering this, Falvine should be fired for mismanagement and callousness to the fan base. Berrios was not only a fan favorite, but also worthy of a contract extension on merit alone. If Buxton hadn't been injured, Falvine would have been happy to send him packing rather than sign him to a very team friendly deal. The cracks are becoming apparent with this FO. They've had success before, but this last year, their mistakes are aggregious, save for Buxton who they would have traded even despite the discount. Only his injury status at the deadline prevented them from jettisoning another fan favorite. And what's the point? To save millions on homegrown, talented fan favorites so they can sign Colomes and Happs types. Don't make reasonable offers early in FA so we can end up with whatever is left? This FO is faltering. They're being clever by half. They better get their act together or the success that they've had will be forgotten after a few years of mediocrity.

Me too

I agree, the defense will be worse. The only option is a FA signing or trade. Options I'm aware of are Story, Iglesias, or Simmons, or a trade. I don't want a trade because I don't want to give up a good prospect because I don't think we're contenders in 2022. What do you prefer?

Palacios isn't in the plans to play a substantial amount at SS, you need only to look at his absence from the 40 man to assess that much. Martin has weaker arm and field grades than Polanco did as a prospect. Yet I keep hearing his name come up in the SS conversation while Polanco moving back is reviled. If you hate Polanco at SS, you shouldn't be including Martin as a candidate there. Lewis can't be relied upon as our opening day SS. So here's my preferences: 1. Trevor Story 2. Polanco/Simmons platoon. 3. Iglesias I hope they don't trade for someone to play SS. This isn't the year to be giving up prospects to make a run for the World Series. We're too far away from having a contender's rotation, we need a year to develop pitching.

Yes. See 2019.

You weren't "too mocking". All in good fun.

He's 60

The most recent successful run the Twins had, Polanco was our SS, followed by a horrible stretch where he played 2B.

If you want to help Royce Lewis become a SS, than definitely sign Simmons, one of the greatest defensive SSs in the history of baseball. If you want solid defense to help out the young pitchers' ERA and you aren't going to land Story, sign him. If you think Polanco's success at the plate somehow depends on him not playing SS (despite his 2019 stats), as most commenters are convinced, sign Simmons.

Don't sign Simmons even if only $1 mil. Use that million instead toward pitching. Signing Simmons is going to prohibit us from signing pitchers. We have "several candidates" to play SS. Everyone thinks Lewis is a major league ready SS. I had no idea!

Yes! He can back up the new SS we just signed... Byron Buxton

How do you not like this contract? You have any idea what you get for 15m on the open market? Inflation adjusted, this is about the level of compensation for Ricky Nolasco. If you don't like this signing, you're not gonna like any.

"as soon as they can"

Twins better sign him as soon as they can before the FA pool dries up!

My preference would be for them to go out and get Story. I don't think the comparison to Donaldson, as mentioned above, is close. Story plays a premier position, is much younger, and doesn't have the injury history. He isn't gonna be leftovers like Donaldson was. I'm OK with Polanco moving back to SS if we can't land Story. We have so many options at 2B like Arraez, Gordon, Miranda, Martin. If Polanco continues to produce at the plate, then the defense gets a little worse but you can spend more money on pitching. They better sign Rodon in this scenario, otherwise where are they going to spend it if not Rodon or Story? I would sign Andrelton Simmons to backup Polanco. He could start against lefties moving Polanco to 2B and occasionally DH. Late in games if we're leading you could sub in Simmons for Arraez to bolster the defense moving Polanco over. Could Martin be a better option at SS than Polanco? I see MLB.com rates his arm as a 45 and defense at 50, so SS for the long term seems to me overly optimistic for him. But if it were to bridge a gap for Lewis than maybe he could play there in '22. I'm looking past 2022 anyway so Story for 5 or 6 years would would still be a fit, but I don't want to trade away prospects for a win now strategy.

They are sitting on a lot of cash and the good SPs are gone, why not spend it on Story? If they don't we're just going to end up with J.A. Happ and Colome type signings. We ended up with Donaldson a couple of years ago because we're trying to low ball everyone until we're forced to spend it on what's leftover after the other top players a picked through. Get F---ing agressive! Go get Story!

His ceiling is intact. He's probably best player in the world when healthy. His injury history is why he cost 100m and not 300m. I'd rather have Buxton, his injury history and contract than any of those comparable 300m guys. 10% isn't that bad when you look around the league and see lots of teams deal with that or worse every year.

Bust potential is exaggerated here. He'll only be 10% of the payroll at most, that's not much burden. If he plays out half his contract he's likely to outperform it, there's plenty of likelihood between boom and bust. If he reaches the incentives it'll be a bargain. Mauer's contract was longer and at least 20% of payroll as much as 25% except the last year (18%), way more. This is a team friendly contract. Many teams would love to have him to it. And it couldn't've happened to a nicer guy.

Move Polanco to SS and re-sign Simmons as backup. We have one hundred guys who can play 2nd base, including Lewis and Martin sooner or later. I'd still like a FA SS, but this would be a very payroll friendly situation. Maybe Polanco's resurgence at the plate has nothing to do with the move to 2B. If Lewis has a future as starting SS, this would leave him a path. Maybe the Twins could target Chris Taylor and then have a SS platoon of Taylor, Polanco, and Simmons with a potential audition for Lewis. All that said, my preference is to sign Baez or Story, but hey... c'mon.

Berrios.

That we had a chance to sign Buxton for 100 mil and didn't is grounds to quit watching the team. I knew Berrios was gettable. Knowing they wouldn't pay a reasonable price for a homegrown product, how do you all feel about the chances they make a big splash for a FA pitcher? This is mismanagement. Indefensible.

If they only pay him 3 mil, he could spell Polanco and would be a good insurance plan if Polanco were out for extended period. I prefer we land a top SS in FA, but I would still like Simmons back if he's only a few million. He's slick with the glove and has at one point reached a level of fielding few ever have, if not only the great Ozzie Smith. I'd love to have his experience on my team and a solid backup defensive SS for cheap.

I mean whole package. If he hits like he did last year he's decent even if he's the 30th place defensively. I'd prefer we bring in a SS, but if it's Simmons, would you prefer him or Polanco to take majority of SS innings then?