tony&rodney

Somewhat similar to Ryan Kreidler, Jordan Lawlar is able to play pretty much anywhere. I'm not sure why anyone wants to pigeonhole a utility player when their skills adapt to many positions. To be fair, Arizona used Lawlar primarily in the outfield. On a separate note, I believe Ryan Kreidler was a decent player for the Twins this season. He provided stability at shortstop when it was sorely needed.

I really do not think that is a concern. There is quite. difference between a player like Ben Ross or DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and Jordan Lawlar. Shelton knows what he is doing.

Lewis, Larnach, and Ober should be traded. We have seen enough to know they need a new location and a fresh start, which may allow them to have several successful years as MLB players.

Maybe Arizona wants Roden and Ober. Whatever. Lawlar would be much more than a pinch runner and defensive replacement. I think he would get 300+ PA.

I appreciate the idea. I'm not specifically familiar with either player. That means, for me, that I have not watched these two play a minimum of a dozen times this past season. Your trade does reduce payroll by nearly $20M, which could be used elsewhere. I don't know if your idea is a good one but at least it is an idea and not merely complaining.

Fair comment, but that would be more detail than is worth my time. The philosophies seem to differ between teams. The Rays trade for types they see as fitting their team. Sometimes these prospects work right away. Drew Rasmussen was acquired in 2021 and then excelled in 2022 with the Rays. The point is that the Rays are not afraid to make deals. I'm not solely focused on trading for established players. There are prospects who could potentially make a big difference as soon as next year. The Twins have held on to their most desirable trade assets again and again. My biggest frustration was after the 2023 season. I did not see a very bright future for a number of players who had good seasons then and it seemed like a time when high values for certain Twins players were ripe to use in upgrading the talent. Right now the options and values are reduced but there will still be opportunities. Sometimes it works out and hopefully the Twins make some moves. Rolling it back again and again has a clear end point.

The reason that I mentioned Lawlar is because he is young and athletic. The Diamondbacks seemed to have already moved on from him with Ryan Waldschmidt. They have Corbin Carroll in RF. Arizona wants a LH bat. The Twins can provide 2 (Roden for LF and Larnach for DH) plus a starting pitcher. It is worth a call and it may not work out, but Lawlar still has some promise. Several people have trashed that thought as being unrealistic. Why? Others claim Lawlar or asking about Justin Martinez, another volatile talent, aren't worth are players. One of the keys to a good roster is fit. The players in MLB all have talent but it takes opportunity, placement, and patience. Ober, Kremer, Roden, Larnach, and even Wallner (not so much) can work somewhere else. So can Royce Lewis. The Twins front office needs to find the fit. FWIW, Lawlar arrived in MLB with a 60 tag on his defense but was rattled by his first go arounds and then injured. Then Perdomo blossomed and shortstop was no longer a need for Arizona. The talent is still there with Lawlar. The Twins need to push Marek Houston at some point if they think he is the answer or just run with Culpepper at shortstop. My suggestion to trade for Jordan Lawler is to raise the bar of the 12th and 13th players on the roster. It is worth a discussion between Arizona and Minnesota.

What player (be specific as a guess - I would not hold you to a guess ... curious) would return to the Twins in such a trade? There were other posters who made references to Wallner, Sano, Julien, and Lewis. People should be aware that comparisons are difficult most of the time. Emmanuel Rodriguez does have Sano and Wallner type power, he has a good eye at the plate which is similar to but better than Julien, and he has had years of hype and injuries as did Lewis. The big difference is when these guys are not at the plate. Rodriguez is a superior base runner to all of them. When these players put on a glove Emmanuel gets to stand on one side by himself. He adds value in the field, which drops all of the others well behind him. It seems impossible to guess what Rodriguez will become but there is talent there. I'm not a fan of strikeouts in large numbers but the White Sox and other clubs have shown that a few mashers are a key part of a winning team.

They are reasonable. It just seems like there are different ways to look at this. This view rejects the move that adds Jeff Reardon for example. To be clear, I did not suggest David Bednar. I just don't reject it out of hand. The Twins have been talking about the future since the 1990s. The future is now, whether that is at a $100M or $160M budget. The larger question is whether the Twins have the front office skills needed to add players in a similar fashion to how both Milwaukee and Tampa Bay operate. Both of those teams are willing to sign free agents and make trades as they see fit where it strengthens their team. Tampa Bay was on the board as 77.5 wins for 2026. Those same boards had the Twins at 72.5 wins. Whatever it is, I'm ready for change.

I'm not all in on David Bednar but am unclear on the opposition to signing a closer. I understand that it seems odd one year after dumping several closers, but the rational thinking against this idea is a little confusing. If the budget is $135-150 million, does a closer like Bednar at 4/$64M an idea one can accept? The Twins need to roster/find a C, 1B, 2B, and pitching. Perhaps Kody Clemens and Marek Houston help or additions can be made via free agency or trades. Still a closer can always be helpful. Risks are inherent in all athletics.

That is fine. What would you send to the Mets? Will the Mets consider trading Torrens?

It is nice to have a team full of home grown (drafted and developed) players. Does it work? The Rays have 15 players they traded for, 5 players acquired via free agency, 1 international free agent, 2 players were purchased ( a trade of cash for player), and 3 players they drafted on their 26 person playoff roster. The Twins have traded for 1 position player (Austin Martin). Different paths?

If Emmanuel is to become a solid regular in the Twins lineup, the club and their fans might need to be very patient as he goes through his struggles. Rodriguez has always put up some useful and often gaudy numbers. One has to wonder if the Twins fans can suffer through those swings and misses. The defense must be noted. There were a minimum of six outs made by Rodriguez in his short MLB debut that no other Twin player completes in 2026. Stats for defense are always growing but well behind all other metrics. It would be interesting to put together video of different players going for fly balls and base hits to see the differences between outfielders. First step quickness, speed, route, and closing out a play are all big, especially for pitchers.

My suggestions/thought are merely hopes. Any specific names are not gold but giving ideas, which may or not work. The criticisms of my suggestions (not from you) are never followed up with other specific guesses. The owners will almost certainly lock out the players on December 1. November will be busy. Thus, I am guessing, there will be moves made between now and then by many clubs across baseball. Most free agents will want to know where they and their families are going next as well. Teams that sit out this period of time will be left to scrounge from the lesser free agents later. Trades will be available after the lockout closes for all teams. However, I am guessing that window could be tight if an agreement occurs in March or early April. MLB is in serious financial trouble if the lockout goes beyond 60 days due to media contracts. The public backlash will not be something that MLB cannot recover from in less than 5-10 years. American businesses don't do long range thinking so it is self immolation if the owners decide to destroy their own cash cow. These are merely my guesses. I have no idea how the Twins will proceed but it seems like Derek Shelton (perhaps Zoll too) has pushed a more athletic, defensively skilled version of baseball. The Twins opened 2026 with Jeffers, Bell, Keaschall, Lewis, Lee, Larnach, Buxton, and Wallner in the field. Only one of those players is even close to adequate at the position they played and that player (Buxton) scored as average to slightly below average via the eye and the metrics tests. Shelton moved players around, which did improve the defense, but clearly more work is needed. If the Twins are going to continue on that path a few transactions would help. The obvious needs are bullpen, catcher, first base, second base, and as always for every team in baseball ... starting pitching. Teams that act quickly may have to pay a little more in trade value or in money for free agents but the choices are wide open. Waiting to make all moves in a 1-3 week window when the CBA is signed will be hectic, more competitive, and likely result in more costs for less quality. It would be too ironic if the Twins followed their past behavior of winter's past, which was to sit and watch the rest of the league make decisions until the calendar turned. I guess I'm hoping there are changes made. Only the front offices can know what works for each team. Every year we see trades that seem unbelievable. Players are moved for more value than was anticipated and for far less than what people believed. So we cannot know. Arizona wants some LH bats. Would Larnach, Wallner, or Roden fit? We don't know. They have not been enamored with the talented yet frustrating Jordan Lawlar. Will they move him? We don't know. BaseballTradeValues was often cited in the past but is now private. They have had numbers all over the place which would make something possible between ARI-MIN. So I hope the Twins are active and think that the 2027 club will fail if the Twins run back the same group, but see promise for the club with as few as 3-5 transactions. Money is not an issue. Fans across this site all have their own thoughts on the issues, plans, ideas, and next year. Many people have favorite players too which complicates things. My favorite player list starts and stops with four players: Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax, Tony Oliva, and Rod Carew. Beyond that I just like the Twins and good baseball. I don't root against the Yankees or Dodgers or for the underdog clubs. I like to watch Tampa Bay and Milwaukee because they play great baseball. I enjoy watching George Lombard Jr. because he plays hard and fundamentally sound along with being athletic. I can enjoy Schwarber as a DH but don't want to watch his type play in the field or run the bases. This is way, way, way too much of a response. The Twins missed the window of moving valued players for much better baseball players in 2023, 2024, and 2025. They were delusional at the 2026 trading deadline. Will they make the moves needed now? I hope so.

Worth a try, isn't it? Maybe ask for the struggling Jaxon Wiggins as well. Twins need to make some moves, for sure.

Jeffers did some good work for the Twins. He is a good hitting catcher. Ryan Jeffers' numbers would not be a good hitting first baseman. His lack of speed and troubles with balls on the ground/in the dirt at catcher do not portend fair results at first base. Jeffers should receive a healthy contract from some team with catching needs and money to burn. The Twins cannot afford to continue with substandard catching.

The Twins can keep Bailey Ober or use him in a transaction. Ober has value. Arizona would like a top of the rotation arm but could easily roster a back end starter/ bullpen arm like Ober. See what a conversation yields with the Diamondbacks. The Twins might find Jordan Lawlar and/or Justin Martinez as useful depth pieces and Arizona could use some combination of Ober, Royce Lewis, and Trevor Larnach. The Twins need to be proactive from now to December.

Why does it seem like the same story every offseason for the Minnesota franchise? Will they have a budget that makes adding players a realistic goal? A lockout should be concluded by April and there will be some changes, but not anything shockingly different than the current arrangements. There is enough revenue to shift around in MLB and the Twins could conceivably use a $160M figure to build their roster. Does a 25% change satisfy anyone? That would be around $140M. Money makes some difference. The bigger change needs to be in how Zoll and his group approach building out the roster. Adding 2-3 players and calling it a day would be close to past practices. There should be trades made and a couple of free agent signings. The decision to roll back a similar roster would be frustrating. Thus the arbitration calls are related to conversations of value these players hold as utility players or in potential transactions. Trevor Larnach is a reasonable bench bat as is Royce Lewis. Will they accept the role of being the 12th or 13th roster spot? The same applies to Bailey Ober on the pitching side. Whereas Clemens, Bradley, Kremer, Ryan, and Ober are clear offers, the bullpen group (Nance, Sands, Banda) are easily replaced. The club needs to make changes. Other teams will also want to make some changes. The Twins need to be very active and seek out transactions that have the potential to improve their 2027 season. The inability to complete a few (at least three) significant transactions would be a sign of another roll it back campaign. Hope for change.

Context matters in any consideration of free agent contracts offered. What is the budget? What are the teams needs? It makes some sense to offer Ryan Jeffers a qualifying offer, which I would expect him to turn down. If the Twins run a budget in the neighborhood of $170 million. An offer of 3/$51+M seems fair. Other teams may offer more in years and also a greater AAV. Many posters want Jeffers back no matter the cost or other needs. Catching is a need, but so is 1B, 2B, SP, and RP. Decisions will come down to dollars available. Ryan Jeffers is a good hitting catcher, no doubt for me. He is not, however, a very good defensive catcher. Looking at his skill sets objectively, Jeffers is not up to standard at either blocking or throwing. His general athleticism behind the plate leaves something to be desired, which combined with his scooping issues means he would not be much of a first baseman either. The Twins created their own problems at catching by largely ignoring the need for too long. Recently, the organization has both traded for and drafted catchers. The future looks promising if Vahn Lackey and others can successfully transition to MLB by 2028 or 2029. The pitching staff absolutely needs a good glove. There will be opportunities and options for the Twins this offseason to acquire a catcher. Whether that transaction is via trade or free agency, the primary need behind the plate is a very good glove and a decent arm. Defense matters. Who will that be? No idea but everyone is free to throw out whatever ideas pop into their heads. St. Louis may be a club to discuss a trade. While I doubt the Cardinals will listen on Leo Bernal, it doesn't hurt to offer something (Matthews or Kremer plus R. Lewis, and E. Tait). Maybe Jeffers returns but the Twins need to upgrade the defense and pitching. There will also be a chance to sign one bat (B. Lowe, J. Bauers, T. France). The Twins have mostly sat on their hands in the offseason in the past several years. Will things change?

I don't understand how anything you wrote has anything to do with what I wrote, but it's all good.

Understood that most people are NFL, NBA, or NHL fans and also follow MLB, but the comparisons don't work at all in my humble opinion. The idea of those cap and floor numbers working for a league that has mostly chaos across its media contracts seems absurd to me. I totally accept that many people believe in the concept and also want it. The owners created this baby and they can work with the MLBPA to solve how they want to proceed going forward. MLB might face a tough challenge getting the Dodgers to drop roughly $160 million from their payroll when their contracts (player and media) are all signed and guaranteed. I expect some modifications of the current arrangements, mostly because the owners are not too interested in making all of their books public.

Sam, this seems like it is a bit inflammatory but has some runway; I can agree with your take. The Twins were not proactive about pushing Emmanuel out of Spring Training .... true. Rodriguez did get injured ... again .... needed surgery again .... and was a little slow to come back again. Baseball is pretty tough that way. Clearly Emmanuel Rodriguez is a "potentially" plus plus player at the major league level but he also has his warts. The Twins may find it tough to give him a job full time with all of Keaschall, Jenkins, and Buxton clearly higher on the list. It doesn't help to have Roden, Mendez, Martin, etc. also looking for a roster spot. Thus, it does seem like the Twins would be open to dealing Rodriguez. The Twins should be open to dealing anyone. The problem is the return. In late July of 2025 the Twins started a rebuild but then cut it off when it seemed like a number of players had solid value that might bring back the proverbial haul. In September of 2026 there has to be a number of questions whether there is value in many/any Twins players from other teams. I guess we will see how November plays out. Emmanuel Rodriguez could be the guy heading out.

What did people expect? Look to the beginning of the year. Talent plays to its level. The offense was pretty lucky for a while but is spotty now. The rotation went down with Pablo and has been mol ok over the course of the year, especially considering they pitched in front of some wonky defense. The bullpen was a disaster but has been resurrected to ok. The defense was the worst in all of baseball but has risen to just below average. The primary players by position are usually stretched compared to most opponents: Jeffers is a below average catcher but he has hit well this year; at first base, Lewis is below average at most things; Clemens has been a surprise with the bat and is a good utility player but below average on defense at second; Lee has improved to become a decent third baseman and he hits home runs; Culpepper is just getting his feet wet but is a big improvement; Larnach, in left, works hard but is well below average with the glove and not exactly a batsman; Buxton was smoking the ball for a bit but is no longer among the top dozen defenders in CF; Keaschall is a great story at the plate but still a rough player, albeit improving, in right. A fair argument can be made that 6 of the 8 primary regulars fit best at DH. Josh Bell has been a decent DH and we are glad he was pulled off first base duty. Changes to the playing roster are needed but the manager and coaching staff have been good.

Not true at all. There is a difference between publishers, looking over MLB Pipeline and Fangraphs as just two examples. Fangraphs notes the "average" range of Houston. Whatever your favored source, as always, I suggest you watch the games themsleves and see a little bit for yourself. The guys who matter are the coaches and people within the Twins system. Houston will never be elite because of his range and arm. Marek has really good hands though. Watch the games and you will see him handle just about any play smoothly. Houston is impressive with his consistency. If ratings impress you, you will note that Brandon Winokur has a higher defensive ceiling/ranking than Marek Houston. Houston is a better shortstop by a fair amount compared to Winokur but does not have his range or arm. Try to watch Marek Houston play some time.

Every time there is an article connected to or even a mention of Marek Houston, I wonder how many times the writer or poster has watched Houston play in baseball games as opposed to watching video or looking at statistics. This is not a negative reaction towards anyone but rather curiosity of how one comes to a position. Thus a question - has the writer or poster watched Marek Houston play in at least 25 games or more credibly 50-100 plus competitions? The Twins have suffered from rostering lineups that are routinely less athletic than their opponents in recent years. Attempts have been made to move players around to maximize talents or minimize the damage of their players. Fans are naturally looking for options and Marek Houston, as a former first round draft choice, is a common name forwarded for future lineups. Houston entered pro ball with a reputation as someone who had a good glove but was seen as carrying a weak bat. Because Marek is a big dude and fairly athletic, he has made changes in his swing to become a better bat. In the field Houston has played clean baseball, but outside of Twins territory he doesn't get specific mention for anything special. MLB prospect rankings puts his arm at 55 and his glove at 60, but notably has 27 shortstops rated higher than Houston. Take that with a grain of salt. I'm not an expert but have watched him play in games more than 50 times. This is notably via milb.com, which is nowhere near as good as seeing a player in person, thus there are definitely shortcomings in my views. I have talked with a few people as well. Marek Houston is a smooth shortstop and his main feature is how easily he completes plays. He covers quite a bit of ground and has a good arm, but nobody should expect him to see him show the range or arm of Kaelen Culpepper or for that matter of Brandon Winokur. Houston is clearly a better shortstop than Winokur. Whether Houston would move Culpepper off the position depends on two factors which won't be known for at least a full year or more. The first is whether Houston can hit at the major league level. The second is whether management wants the consistent smooth play of Houston over the better relay throws and range of a Culpepper. Culpepper will make a few more mistakes/errors. In sum, Marek Houston is a prospect to watch but one people may need to show some patience with as he develops. This summer Houston displayed a better bat and baserunning than was previously expected. Red Sox prospect, Franklin Arias, had a real breakout as well. Young athletes can improve quite a bit from year to year and another leap in proficiency by Marek Houston from 2026 to 2027 would be an exciting development for the Minnesota Twins and their fans. The article closes with a paragraph that make the most sense. Perhaps Sam has watched quite a bit of minor league baseball and that leads him to his conclusion. I'm not second guessing or questioning anyone on their thoughts but merely wonder how people come to their thoughts.