tony&rodney
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Everything posted by tony&rodney
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Agree that both players have value. The problem is hoping for new results from the same players. Larnach could work as a part time DH and an occasional (very limited) corner outfielder. Lewis could work as a utility player (1B, 2B, 3B) and pinch hitter or pinch runner. Essentially using these two guys as the 12th and 13th roster spots on the position side. There should be some value for another team, even if the return is an A ball player. The front office needs to find a place for both of these guys. It is time to move on.
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San Diego and St. Louis are clubs to call, at least for a conversation. Henry Davis (PIT) has struggled to hit but he is a catcher. Hard to know what teams want or if they actually value a Twin player. The last three offseasons (more really) have been so disappointing and the July 2025 sale that sent away the bullpen but failed to follow through by moving anyone last offseason left me numb. What is the plan?
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Just throwing things out. I'm not seeing any realistic moves that involve Ryan. I would like the Twins to keep him and move others.
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Why not? If the Twins can add David Bednar or Raisel Iglesias, do it. I just can't see it happening but a signing of a free agent or a trade for a relief pitcher who becomes something are both worthwhile ideas. I'm not worried about the money.
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It is pretty weird that Charlie Walters managed a career writing a column of limited ....
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Hard to believe that anyone doesn't like Trevor Larnach. He seems like a good guy. As far as baseball goes he had a decent year at the dish. As such there is a place for him on a MLB roster. The problem with Larnach playing for the Twins is that he is often out in the outfield, where he does his very best. Larnach is not adequate as an outfielder. He is a DH. Looking around MLB, I think Arizona might be interested. They need a LF, DH, and 1B. All teams need pitching. I'm asking for Jordan Lawlar from Arizona and offering Larnach, Roden, and Cole Sands. I would send Bailey Ober if Justin Martinez comes back with Lawlar. None of these players are crucial to either team and it may work.
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Twins’ Biggest Prospect Risers and Fallers in 2026
tony&rodney replied to Sam Caulder's topic in Twins Minor League Talk
I'm not thinking Charlee Soto is much of a viable project but "never" is a pretty final judgment. Along the same lines, I never understood the length of hope extended to Matt Canterino. Yes, I have seen him pitch. Injuries suck for the players involved but baseball is cruel to elbows, shoulders, and other body parts. -
Did we lose the topic? Was it Joe Ryan, his projected salary for 2027, and whether any teams will want to discuss players with the Twins? If that was the topic, I think there are teams interested in Joe Ryan despite it being only one year. One has to wonder if a West Coast team would stand a good shot at signing Ryan to an extension. I have zero idea about that but something tells me that Jow Ryan would prioritize location above a few extra millions. Seattle is a great city and the Mariners would be interested. San Francisco is near his home. What can they offer? A distant prospect from A ball? Even West Sacramento makes sense. What would they they be willing to return?
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Mapping the Minnesota Twins' Future Payroll
tony&rodney replied to Peter Labuza's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
Decisions or failure to make good decisions on player acquisitions, trades, and the sort have been an issue for the Twins. Payroll has not been a problem. Yes, it would be nice if the Twins could shoulder a $160 M budget but if the roster gets filled out with has beens and DH types, nothing is gained. I'm ready for some solid moves. -
The Twins began to move away from being the worst defensive team during this past season. Jeffers is a DH/PH/C. He is pretty brutal at first base. That isn't an option they should consider. The team needs to move forward towards fielding above average gloves whenever possible.
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Nick, this seemed like a strange article from you. Diaz is a DH and will almost certainly stay with the Rays. The Cardinals are not trading Burleson and the other three are not even worth a roster spot. I'm confused . There are options and we don't know if the Twins can convince a free agent to sign with the club. There are opportunities to trade. Michael Busch is likely available because the Cubs need pitching. Alternately, Kody Clemens remains an option. If the Twins declare that Royce Lewis will be their first baseman in 2027, that will be the canary in the coal mine for next season. There are options but the Twins need to be proactive and act before December and their choice may cost money. My choice would be Ty France but he will want to remain with the Padres. If San Diego does not sign France, the Twins should offer at least 2/$25M. My one concern is that the Twins roster a player who is not a positive glove at first base.
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Those conversations have already taken place and Buck has been firm in his response. Think of him whatever you choose (I will agree it is somewhat abnormal) but Buxton has not wavered - he plans to have only one team on the back of his baseball card.
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I understand that you apparently want a cap and floor system. I can respect that opinion. The negotiations and agreements made eventually really don't make much difference to me. I don't understand at all why people root for billionaires but recognize it happens. I just enjoy baseball. On a practical matter, the Dodgers, as one example, start right now about $120M above the owners' suggested ceiling. They would have to trade Ohtani, Tucker and more. How would that work? Do no trade contracts get broken? Owners make significant money on their MLB ownership. They are not likely to cancel games and lose the media contracts. The 1994 strike took 10 years to recover from. Franchise values are at an all time high. Rich owners know this stuff. They are not looking to lose billions. There will be a ton of posturing and some changes. Most likely there will be additional and steeper taxes on higher payrolls and some requirements regarding spending of revenue sharing funds. I really doubt that MLB owners open their books like NBA, NHL, and NFL owners do to satisfy the agreements in those leagues. Baseball is different. We may just disagree on this entire topic, which is certainly acceptable and normal.
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Perhaps I needed to be more clear. Any trade of Joe Ryan should be a net improvement for the Twins. Maybe a team overpays. I actually do not have any trades that seem realistic. Agree it is a good article.
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Byron Buxton has stated that this idea is nonsense. I guess someone can choose not to believe anything he says. There is that.
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You should know that the Yankees, Mets, Phillies, and Dodgers are already over the cap proposed by MLB owners. It has less than a 1% chance of happening. Those are not good odds no matter what betting house is used. The cap is not happening. FWIW, I don't bet.
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I had predicted a range of 73-78 wins. There were times during the season when I thought they might beat those numbers but Vegas always wins.
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The Twins have to listen. Perhaps the Twins should be so bold as to ask for possibilities/odds of acquiring a player or two from some teams with Ryan as part of the return. There isn't any reason to trade Joe Ryan unless the return is reasonable, but there should be opportunities.
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I'm going to suggest that a salary floor of $170M is a ridiculous thing. The owners want the fans of mid to lower market teams to push for a cap/floor system because it favors them. MLB and MLBPA should negotiate in private. We know they won't. Cleveland and multiple other teams are not going to add $100M to their payroll. It seems much more judicious to consider the needs of the team (Twins) and the possible money the Pohlads can support on spending. My guess is $140-160M. Even then the money needs to be apportioned in a wise manner.
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Well, I did agree they should have been traded. I had many reasonable ideas each of the last three years. That is over though. What lessons were learned? Who gets traded now? Buxton has a NTC and 10/5. Lopez is a high salary returning from 1 and 1/2 years of recovery. The Twins can still trade any of Ryan, Ober, Kremer, Lewis, Lee, Clemens, and more. Obviously not all and maybe just 1-3, which is impossible to predict. As always there needs to be a return that seems fair. I'm pretty bullish on Houston, Culpepper, Rodriguez, and Jenkins. Hopefully Lackey is ready by 2028. Some of the DH only players need to really bop at the plate to get a shot. The Twins simply cannot go back to being the worst defensive team in baseball again. The early 1980s teams were a long time ago. The unsigned draft choices were a factor of MLB money bypassing any financial abilities of the Griffith family which led to the sale of the club in 1984. The Pohlads can make whatever choice they want. Given the sale prices of MLB teams recently, I would say their return will be stronger than it was projected to be just a year ago. The front office, though, is tasked with identifying the moves. We shall see. It would be difficult to watch the Twins sit on their hands once again and roll it all back hoping for good luck and knocking on wood.
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This supports Falvey's pattern of drafting and signing players who could be big bats (Jeffers, Wallner, Larnach, Rooker, Sabato, etc.) but are best suited to slot as DH only. If the team wanted a slugging DH, the ticket was Kyle Schwarber at $35M per year. Ryan Jeffers is not a good catcher by any objective means. He doesn't throw well and struggles to block pitches down, which is a real negative for any pitcher. Tough to see Jeffers as anything but a poor first baseman. Finally, will Jeffers offer a bat as consistent as Josh Bell for 150 games at DH? A QO is one year and that works. I think Jeffers takes it but have no idea really. It is easy to understand how many people like Ryan Jeffers. I can respect those opinions. As a former pitcher I want Patrick Bailey as my catcher. My hope is that the Twins try to complete a trade (which can be done by mid November) or sign a defensive minded catcher and that Vahn Lackey develops quickly (2028).
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While it is easy to agree with you that the Twins passed on multiple opportunities to trade players, the time has arrived to look forward. I have been greatly frustrated by the Twins missing out on transaction opportunities in 2023, 2024, and the 2025 offseasons. That is gone now, so I'm hoping and looking forward to some change before December. Think positive.
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A decision should be made before November with a move completed before Thanksgiving. There will be some interest but the return for Lewis will be minimal but perhaps a decent return occurs if he is part of a larger deal. The Twins have practiced the waiting routine too many times. Act asap. While Royce has value as a utility player (1B, 2B, 3B, DH), I'm not sure this would be a comfortable move for him. Perhaps Lewis thrives with his new team but hoping, hoping, and hoping some more should not be a strategy the Twins have for Royce Lewis.
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This offseason should SHOULD see some transactions. The past habit of sitting out November should give way to several transactions. This thought should drive some change. It seems hard to believe the club would enter 2027 with four starting pitchers on expiring contracts, especially when one is returning from a lengthy absence due to injury while there are lingering questions about the other three veterans. Only Taj Bradley enters the offseason as a guy to put in ink. Connor Prielipp has shown us enough to earn a spot in the rotation. One of Mick Abel, Kendry Rojas, or Zebby Matthews gets the last slot. I'm guessing Abel with Matthews to the bullpen. Royce Lewis would be a reasonable utility player but I think he is gone. Looking over the form, I expect minimum salary to be at $1 miillion. The Twins could support a $140M budget. A few trades might fill in some depth pieces for the position side of the roster and perhaps one bullpen spot. The Twins should have about $40M available to sign three free agents (one position, two bullpen) after subtracting Lewis, Ober, and Ryan. Keeping Ober or Ryan is possible but not both. The Twins need to let Lewis, Larnach, and Wallner continue their careers elsewhere. There should be a fair return from them, not a regular though. My expectation is that the front office is already sowing the seeds for transactions. Why not soon?
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The Diamondbacks have holes in LF and DH as well as at 1B. They have stated a desire for LH bats. Roden and Larnach would probably work for Lawlar. Lawlar is a faster, more powerful Austin Martin. He hasn't made his mark yet. His glove plays.
