tony&rodney

AK has one option remaining. Does it matter though? Maybe. My guess is that there has already been a divorce.

Agree that when EmRod gets the call he plays. We don't have to worry about him being used as a DH because he would immediately become the Twins best defensive outfielder.

This is more or less where I am with Duran and also several other Twins players/prospects. My main objective for 2025 is for an improved defensive team. I like Casas but his defense is not that hot, plus I wonder if Duran could be used to sway another team to give up something for our closer. Would Arizona trade Jordan Lawler for Duran plus someone like Topa? I'm also curious to know if Boston would part with Kyle Teel for a return that gives the Red Sox a starting pitcher? I'll be the first to admit that some of my thoughts may be shaky, either asking for players who rate highly for other teams and/or proposing moving accomplished/promising members of the Twins roster. Falvey needs to make some deals this offseason because he sure didn't move the needle last offseason. I don't believe the Twins can just roll it back with the roster as is.

At the end of the year I felt that going into the offseason the Twins needed to improve their defense as the #1 goal. Because of the sluggishness of the roster overall, it also seems like trades will be the best manner to accomplish the goal. It is time for Falvey to wake up.

I have not watched Walker Jenkins enough times to get a feel for him. I agree that his chances to reach MLB next season are remote. He does seem to have a good idea of the strike zone and keeps his swing on line. The opportunity for Jenkins to do well at AA will determine his availability for 2026. Emmanuel will need to show some of his skills in Spring Training and prove that his swing decisions and focus are ready. Agree that he going to get a chance to prove himself. It is hard to know where Luke Keaschall fits on the roster. He sure looked confident and talented last season. Keaschall has a dynamic swing and his athleticism should play at second base. If the Twins stand pat with Brooks Lee and Julien, they will get an opportunity to turn the page on their 2024 seasons. If they slip, Keaschall would be a good choice. I still can't help but wonder whether Payton Eeles has the skills to stick with the Twins. I haven't seen him enough to have a strong sense of his talents. The numbers at AAA were impressive.

Thing is .... nobody needs to read the articles if they are not inclined. It took me 30 seconds to read the article and I was not harmed. Virtually every article on the internet is click bait, the nature of the beast. I think you guys easily understand that as well as me. Twins Daily has managed to collect (must be a better term) a host of writers pushing out content to Twins/baseball fans. It is pretty decent to have a site to go to that has stuff. Anyone who wants to put together something can write an article and submit it for publishing on this site or have their own blog. The offseason is painfully long and Falvey slept all last winter which made for thin discussion. Let us hope this offseason goes better.

No dilemma, Duran gets paid. Every player can be traded. The Twins need talent, specifically for defense. Falvey needs to find some transactions to upgrade the team. Duran has been victimized by less than stellar defense, so he would agree. Who gets traded is the work of DK.

While I totally agree that Emmanuel Rodriguez has a fair number of warts, specifically staying on the field and his high strikeout rates, there is very little resemblance between Julien and EmRod other than that both have a good eye at the plate. Emmanuel punishes the ball in a way Julien never has. One has fair speed and the other has good speed. One struggles to find a position defensively, while the other has a terrific arm and is a plus defender. Julien is an infielder, Rodriguez is an outfielder. While I'm aware that Emmanuel needs to prove his place to claim a position with the Twins and an improved focus concerning swing decisions should help, there isn't a reason to compare one guy with high K-rates to another when their talent levels and potential are so different.

Emmanuel has his weaknesses. Injuries and high K rates are a problem as noted by Nick. If healthy and focused, EmRod is ready right now. The fact that he hits from the left side is irrelevant because he doesn't have a weakness versus LH pitching. The Twins need some players who can play defense and Rodriguez is a very good outfielder. I doubt Buxton will volunteer to move off of centerfield. Providing that Emmanuel shows himself ready in Spring Training, the Twins have their new left fielder. Larnach can be the DH.

Anyone paying attention to Payton Eeles?

How many plate appearances have you seen in the last two years of McCusker? I have only seen him about 50+ times, so super small sample. The improvement and adaptation has been nothing short of impressive. McCusker is athletic as well. There isn't anyone in the organization who hits the ball harder. He finished last season in St. Paul and was really good. Of the players who have appeared at AA or AAA, McCusker is in the top five among Twins prospects. Repetitions and experience are still needed but nobody should ignore Carson McCusker. https://zonecoverage.com/2024/mn-twins-news/carson-mccuskers-2024-season-is-defying-everyones-expectations/

The 40 person has room. Blewett, Desclafani, Dobnak, Thielbar, Tonkin, Farmer, Santana, Helman, Margot, and Kepler all come off the roster. There are questions about Kirilloff, Keirsey Jr., Severino, Duarte, and Canterino to name others. That gives the Twins plenty of room. Of the names above, I may keep Canterino, Kirilloff, and Keirsey Jr., but that might not be what Falvey thinks. Kirilloff has likely suited up for the last time as a Twin, if I had to bet. However, I don't bet .... often.

The fact that Kirilloff is an easy add to the 40 person roster should tell all of us that the Twins need to complete some trades to add a couple of players. AK might be an add on in a trade. If $1.8 million is too much to keep Kirilloff, the budget is really tight. It is much more likely that whatever occurred between Alex and Baldelli/Falvey last summer has already sealed his fate and he will not be back. Sometimes players need a change of scenery to find their way.

These are interesting ideas. I like the general idea for some change. In general teams are very reluctant to trade starting pitchers unless they believe there is sufficient depth to cover the loss. The problem with trading Correa or Buxton is that only a large market team would work and the return would be quite disappointing. Boston has their eyes on starting pitching in any deal. The bottom line is that we don't exactly know how the league values the Twins players and that includes Falvey. So all ideas are worth an examination. I would expect Falvey to be very active because his rope is really short. Soon enough we shall find out. I hope we are not disappointed like we were last offseason.

These three need to earn their way on to the roster, for sure. However, I do believe these three are more well rounded baseball players than the group you mention and their athleticism should allow them to make adjustments better as well.

I wonder if everyone is still overlooking Payton Eeles, which has been the case for that guy. For those who have watched him, I'm curious about him as a prospect who can play 2B for the Twins. Eeles is one player who I have only seen a couple of times and so I don't have much of a feel for his future. Considering how successful Eeles was at multiple levels last season, especially at AAA, it seems odd that he hasn't drawn much attention.

Seems like these three have bright futures. I get the idea that the odds are against prospects but feel these players are balanced for the most part in their game. Jenkins just needs to stay healthy and play. His physical tools will allow him to react and adjust to the improved pitching at AA and AAA. I have been impressed that he plays within himself and doesn't force a swing. 2026 is almost surely when Walker Jenkins will become a Twin. Luke Keaschall is someone who has bloomed in the last few years. His athleticism should play at several positions but he will need a ton of repetitions to be a plus defender. I think he will be a good defensive player within a year or two. The bat is really quick though which may push him to MLB this season. It is hard to predict how Keaschall performs coming off of surgery, but I am high on his talent and future. Then there is Emmanuel. EmRod will be controversial for many because he has missed a pile of games in his career thus far due to various injuries and he strike out quite a bit. Pitchers see a hole at the top of the zone and Rodriguez will often help a pitcher out by taking pitches right down the middle. MLB does not have either the ABS system or a challenge system for calling pitches, which further cuts into EmRod's ability to discern balls from strikes. Despite these issues, my take is that Emmanuel is ready to plug into the Twins lineup right now. He will be a handful for pitchers and he plays outstanding defense in addition to being a good base runner. Rodriguez will strike out but it is time for the Twins to plug in a guy who can energize the team. Lastly, while other teams have likely sought each of these players in potential trades, I don't see a team out there that will send back the type of player(s) the Twins would require to offset the loss of talent from any of Jenkins, Rodriguez, or Keaschall. I would be interested to read any ideas that others may have regarding trades. Because each of these three possess athleticism and the skills to be excellent on each side of the game I see them as superior to many previous Twins prospects. I'm keeping them.

Andrew Morris may be a real interesting option should the Twins need to go beyond the starting five (Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Festa, Woods Richardson) and Matthews or Paddack (if not traded). He looked tricky, the hitters had poor swings as if they could not recognize what was coming. His unusual delivery combined with some decent stuff and solid command makes him a fair option to call from AAA. Raya looks like he still needs innings and repetitions to harness his repertoire. Perhaps he lands in the bullpen in August and later. Prielipp is a wild card. Yes, his stuff ushers him toward a starting pitcher role but that "stuff" also could have a purpose in the pen. He will be handled carefully in his outings from inning to inning and with a maximum inning count as well. It may be that some of those innings are pitching for the Twins if he shows the command and control more consistently than last summer.

Duran should be on some other team's mind. What is his value? A fair deal helps both teams.

The Twins have two catchers and apparently nobody in the wings (no consideration to even using Camargo at all in his time in MLB). Meanwhile these two have been decent as a combo, splitting time and managing to hold their own while maintaining decent health. However, Vazquez doesn't hit and has aged and has another year at $10 million, while Jeffers has seemingly plateaued as a player. So it looks to most as if the Twins can just roll it back again with these two and look for solutions next year. This seems reactive with the potential for cratering to occur during the 2025 season. I would propose the team become more proactive in acquiring their next catcher. This may not turn out as well as the last two years of Jeffers and Vazquez being available and stable as catchers, but it seems like a good time to attempt a change. Falvey has his work cut out for himself but I would think he is on the clock and more open to possibilities than he has been in the past.

Identifying talent is huge for every team. The Yankees and Dodgers are good at it. The Twins surely need to put together a potentially stronger bullpen and keep their eyes open for possibilities for 2025. However, it is also fair to note that the Dodgers and Yankees routinely spend at least $20 million on their bullpens and often spend far more than that figure. Will the Twins commit to roughly $20 million for their relievers? I would say that is a fair expenditure considering the importance in today's game of bullpens, but Falvey may not agree.

Perhaps you are correct that the Twins will run it back. The changes i proposed reduce the payroll a little bit and add players who drastically improve the defensive side of the game. This will make the pitching much better as well. The pitcher I add is capable of throwing high quality innings. Ultimately, Falvey will probably stand his ground with hoped for offense from the same group, as you suggest. I'm just not in favor of that direction and foresee further fourth place finished in the AL Central without some changes that result in better defense. Of course, everyone will see what they want to see, which is fine.

Jhoan Duran is a really good relief pitcher and should have real value to a number of teams. The Twins need good relievers but they may have a greater need for a position player. Perhaps the Twins can work out a trade, using Duran, that benefits their team and fulfills a need for another roster. We can only guess whether another team sees Duran as a potential key cog for their team. One quick guess, which may work - Duran and Kirilloff for Jordan Lawler. Hard to know if Lawler is off limits.

The games played (Buxton 102 + Correa 86 + Lewis 82) equals 270. This means that the games not played equals 216 (Buxton 60 + Correa 76 + Lewis 80). 162 games in a season times three players is 486 games. Combined they played in 55% of the potential schedule, missing 45% of the action. The initial wording may be awkward but while Buck, Carlos, and Lewis played in a combined 270 games they also missed a significant number of games, which combined equals 216 games. The point was likely that when a team has three players like Buxton, Correa, and Lewis miss a combined 44% of the games, it is tough to be successful. FWIW, that would not be my reason for the downfall of the team in 2024.

.... trading someone like Lee or Lewis or Ryan or Ober or Lopez for someone like Quero or Teel. You can literally play missing an infielder or outfielder but you cannot play without a catcher. This is a situation or corner built by Falvey. Falvey needs to figure it out.