tony&rodney

Cleveland is still around $45M below Minnesota in payroll, so they figured Santana works as a DH/PH/1B. Kyle Manzardo will get a ton of the time at first base. The Guards still are looking to add an outfielder and could have another $12M to spend. That team is resourceful and always looks both short term and long term.

Agreed. There are also a dozen clubs that would love to have the financial resources of the Twins, including Milwaukee and the entire AL Central division. Everyone is doing the same thing except for a few teams.

The physical that doomed the trade with the Cubs was after much of the speculation on Twins Daily. The Twins would have had to back out of any deal as well ..... or reduce their offer to the level of Philadelphia.

Exactly why the Phillies have no problem trading him. Philadelphia does not roster players like you describe, no bat/ good glove other than as a backup catcher. Think Noah Miller. Thus, the trade makes sense even though Philly was not looking for a pitcher. Miami made them a deal they couldn't refuse.

We do not know what the physical showed. Philly does. They have loads of young players and are a team trying to win now, so they gamble a prospect highly rated but from ROK/A ball. It makes sense. Remember, as much as Caba is loved for his glove, he is iffy with the bat. Jose Salas isn't way off if viewed from his status several years ago. Miami likely called on a ton of teams. You have to admit, given Luzardo's 2023 performance, that this looks like a panic trade. Miami doesn't want to gamble the $6M. Philly does. It can be safely stated that Miami has had some problems and maybe some bad luck too. In any event what a change from the recent post suggesting a trade for Jesus Luzardo. Without any knowledge of the medical issues, we cannot discern whether we (TD members) might have made a similar gamble with $6M and two ROK/A ball prospects.

That is the comparison. They are so far away that evaluation needs to wait. There is evaluation before signing, development, and then more evaluation once they get to A+ or higher. Naturally, the coaches are always working with these young players on a entire raft of skills. Few 18, 19, or 20 year olds light up the world in baseball.

Thank you for your money.

Turns out that somebody does not like Helman. Hmmm.

The players given the the highest amount of dollars in bonuses almost always find their names on a list. If they are really young it will be in the back half of Top 100. The Twins have some comparable players to the prospects sent to Miami: Eduardo Beltre, Dameury Pena, and Yasser Mercedes to name three. It's best to see how a player does after a couple of hundred plate appearances at A and A+ before getting too excited. My guess is that the recent Luzardo physical sent Miami into sell now for whatever mode. Philadelphia didn't really need a pitcher, but it's a gamble worth the price. The Twins could have sent Beltre and Mercedes.

They have Michael Helman.

That's ridiculous. There is no way I'm giving up my avocado toast slathered with Sriracha (the Huy Fong Foods original and not some cheap copy) just so the Twins can acquire a Chris Paddack clone. Next we will be asked to give up our Volcanica Free Range Kopi Luwak coffee to drink Folgers from the big round tin once again and suffer their commercials. No way. I'm suddenly more content with fourth place finishes in the AL Central. Also, you have enlightened me to how the Twins management makes choices; it's clear now.

Caba is 19. He did well in the Dominican League. Clearwater (FSL-A ball) was a little tough the first go around for him with an OPS of .493. Caba was signed for a big number and that is most of the reason he is on any list at this time. He looks good at shortstop. The only Rookie or A ball players ranked are always from the top of the signing pools in terms of dollars spent. It is a good idea to wait until a player has a decent run at A/A+ before getting too high on them. The Twins similar players might be Eduardo Beltre, Dameury Pena or even Yasser Mercedes. The Jesus Luzardo physical that ended all conversations with the Cubs must have pointed to something amiss. The Marlins took two lottery tickets who are four years away for their #2 SP. The optics are bad on this. I don't think anyone can compare a prospect who just came to A ball and struggled in a small sample to Luke Keaschall who played D1-AA baseball, putting up solid numbers in his age 21 season at AA. Caba may prove himself yet, but he has a ways to go.

Two A ball prospects, a 50 and a 40 grade return to Miami. Guess the physical must have been less than stellar on Luzardo. This is a minimal return on a guy who was highly sought lafter last offseason.

You may be exactly correct on this opinion. I'm seeing teams fill their needs at backup catcher, backend rotation starters, relievers, and reserve players. Seems like there are fewer teams looking for players that cost $6-10M for their team than there was in November. I am interested to read any ideas or suggestions of how the Twins can fill their needs.

This is what the Twins want to do, not necessarily anyone else's idea.

More and more signs point to the Twins rolling out the current roster. I'm not convinced that ownership has a strict $130M payroll as often is suggested and which I used both last year and now. Perhaps Paddack is retained. He would be easy to trade and useful on the team, but I fear Paddack in the rotation. Front offices and managers have distinct thoughts and philosophies on players and game strategy. This makes my preference for defense and better team speed pretty pointless versus the Twins choices. Each of us views separate ballplayers through our own personal bias. Julien was a sad hole last season. None of Lewis, Lee, or Miranda can be pointed to as players who put up a fair performance last year either. Yet there is a constant refrain that all of Lewis, Lee, and Miranda will lead the team forward in 2025. It seems like Falvey and Baldelli share this belief. As such it might be best to accept an infield of Miranda-1B, Lewis-2B, Lee-3B, and Correa-SS. There a few people (very few) ready to hand an outfield position to Emmanuel Rodriguez because he plays outstanding defense and is ready. I would play ER. The Twins are quite unlikely to take that plunge, leaving an outfield of Larnach, Buxton, and Wallner. If management sees this squad as their optimum lineup, it is what it is. Perhaps the only change may be a trade of one or more pitchers and a couple of prospects. I have to admit that the Twins "wait and see" and "we are listening" approach doesn't seem like a plan. Never a fan of billionaires, I am tired of any references to "owner imposed ..." The Twins have had numerous options and continue to have opportunities if they see a need to make a few changes with their roster. They will have the highest payroll in the division and quite a bit higher than Milwaukee. Money is not an issue. I'm entering my wait and see, but I'm listening phase too. Change can still occur but I have no idea how Falvey & Sons view talent or roster construction.

Have we seen this before or not?

Ortiz is a real shortstop. He only played third base because Adames was entrenched at shortstop for Milwaukee. Turang would also be a very good shortstop but is more valuable and comfortable at second base. Brooks Lee projects quite nicely at third base for either the Twins or Brewers. I think the Brewers would like Lee but may take Woods Richardson. The harder question is whether Milwaukee is open to trading Quero at any price. He is a gamble because he is coming off of a shoulder injury suffered while sliding back into first base on a pickoff. Ford may be available for a Julien or Miranda plus Varland deal. I'm not sure Falvey is willing to trade anyone due to his belief in his guys. Hard to guess what the Dodgers want for Rushing. Pitching always, but i get the sense LAD likes Rushing's bat at LF/1B/DH/C enough to keep him. Cartaya has seen his stock plummet after a tough year with the glove and less than expected results from his bat. Seems like the Twins need to take a shot for a catcher this year but I'm afraid Falvey has lost a sense of whether the team needs any movemt in their roster. Plenty has occurred with the Twins on the sidelines. On the other hand, a ton of Twins Daily folks seem like the talent on hand is fine. I don't see it right now. Call me skeptical but the team needs 2-4 moves to be competitive.

The payroll limitations are less of a problem than the will or vision. The Twins may see their team as complete with zero additions necessary. Then again, the Twins may want a few changes but are hesitant to make a deal. Look around baseball and you will see many teams making some changes. All of the teams hoping to find themselves in the playoffs have made some moves, more or less.

Perhaps Ryan, Miranda, Vazquez, and Yasser Mercedes would bring back Jarren Duran.

It is pretty complex. We don't even know how much concern is present, much less attention to specific details. The sale process is hired out likely.

Is that The Plan? We haven't seen much movement and teams are already closing up the holes on their rosters. The Twins are ...... listening?

I'm a little surprised to get a thumbs down on suggesting a Spring Training invite for these players if they are unable to sign contracts. Seems like a gamble worth taking to give them a shot.

Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, and Chicago have all made attempts to improve their rosters for 2025. We can debate whether their teams are improved but we cannot refute that each of those teams have made some moves. The Twins added a few non roster players who hope to shine bright in the Florida sunshine as well as a roll of the dice Rule 5 player. In other news Joe Pohlad put down 100K on red at a local casino (JK). Who has better odds to smell like a rose?

Agree totally and have plugged him in a major point of business for the Twins to consider. What is the price. Is it a few prospects like The Culpeppers (Kaelen & C. J.) or higher? I am not a fan of trading any of Jenkins, EmRod, Keaschall, Festa, or Matthews. Open to ideas but Tampa Bay is always a little mysterious with their asks.