tony&rodney

Yikes. I hope no one here jumps to a conclusion that Seattle is focused on Polanco. The Mariners will want the best player they can acquire for the return they are willing to offer. Seattle has a ton of options other than Polanco. Perhaps the poster saw this as a fit and titled it a little aggressively. No real foul. Enthusiasm? It does seem (to Twins fan who want to add pitching) that Seattle and Minnesota are a fair match but their front offices have to have those conversations and find a mutual agreement. Robbie Ray gets an extra $1 M if traded and is also due $73 M over the next three years. He should be available half way through 2024. I would be less surprised to see the Twins sign Yamamoto. However, we should all remember .... anything can happen or never say never.

Anything is possible, almost any player available, if a team is willing to send a pile of people in return. One thing I wonder for nearly every suggested acquisition is how the other team views their team. Can the Angels (insert any team here) part with Sandoval (insert player name)? Another obstacle is money. Or is it? If it is problematic, then signing a free agent that requires big numbers, such as Snell, Montgomery, Yamamoto, or Bellinger is out, Trades that return high priced players is then also difficult to unlikely, such as Juan Soto or Robbie Ray among others. The challenges are real. Who are the Twins willing to part with among their prospects and young players? We have discussed trading all of Polanco, Kepler, Vazquez, and Farmer. Some have suggested trading Buxton and Correa who have full no trade clauses in their contracts. Even Caleb Thielbar has had his name put out to save some money. So whenever I read about a thought of acquiring a guy like Sandaval I'm intrigued by the possibilities as well as the odds and cost.

I guess I'm responding to/thinking about the idea of trading Vazquez and paying half his salary in the process, only to need another backup which means another $4-5 M in salary. That is a bit of a merry-go-round. Catching is hard to put in place. I look for options all the time. I was all in on paying way too much for J. T. Realmuto, which wasn't going to happen - that was understandable. I was hot for Gabriel Morena and proposed a ridiculous package of Twins for him, which was likely too rich for a rookie. And now if we look to move away from the steady Vazquez, there could be real problems. I do wonder if the offensively challenged catchers, such as Maldonado and Hedges aren't fair choices until one runs into something better through accident or a trade or a draft choice. That in turn makes me question whether it might be a decent idea to see what can be acquired for sending out Ryan Jeffers. Then ... i think it might be best to stand pat at catcher. These are ideas to throw around.

Gary Sanchez is the leading free agent catcher. Catching is so much more valuable than the print clippings they receive. If Vazquez gets traded, who gets signed? Austin Hedges for $4 M? The Twins used two catchers at the MLB level last year. I wonder how often a team gets through an entire season with only two catchers?

Thank you for the work on developing ideas for trades. The suggestions for acquiring Dylan Carlson, Jo Adell, and Mickey Moniak are all reasonable. The first two are not options from my side.

There are so many unknowns, which is a topic I have posted before. What does Seattle want? A number of people have pointedly stated that neither Gilbert nor Kirby would be available in any trade. This may be so, but again we just don't know. Last offseason MLB was surprised that the AL batting champion was available. We have all been surprised by some of the trades we see. I'm keeping an open mind on the possibilities.

De ja vu on the Max Kepler conversations .... not that this is a bad thing. We have all been here before. The entire range of options have been laid out and commented on in a reasonable enough fashion. I'm guessing all of these ideas have been floated within the roundtable led by Falvey as well, both last offseason and in the present. Kepler may have had a couple of down seasons before his resurgence in the last half season, but I would caution anyone against making judgments on his character or work ethic. Athletes do not come with light switches or dimmers. The path of preparation is not similar for any two people and the adjustments needed on a constant basis diverge along many avenues. Suffice it to say that if anyone could just follow the formula, everyone would do it and superstars would abound. There are more than a few stars who were good but nothing extraordinary as high school athletes and exceptional fellows who stood out once upon a time only to crash and burn. The Twins spent much bigger than guessed last year and the turnabout has presented challenges of where to adjust in order to field a similarly strong team in 2024. Performances, as best shown by Kepler's 2023 season, are not static and the current roster is fully capable of making forward strides next season with minimal help from outside. Due to the financial situation and past practice I have a difficult time envisioning the Twins signing a Snell/Montgomery/Yamamoto. The demand for pitching may have pushed Giolito, Severino, and even Wacha beyond the Twins pockets. I wonder if a 3/$49 million contract for Lourdes Gurriel Jr is enough and/or possible to help the offense? I wonder if Miami can be a source (Cabrera)? I wonder what combination of players might interest the Mariners? I'm fine with any combination of trades that makes the Twins a better team next year and beyond. Last year I naively proposed sending Arraez and three other to Miami for Pablo Lopez, which only tells me that I do not know the value of the players. While I have looked over BTV, I would suggest they are even further off than many ideas on Twins Daily. Kepler looks good in rightfield and unless a team comes forward I;m looking forward to Max at his very best in 2024. Who knows, perhaps he has finally found his peace and is ready to be a star.

Pitchers struggle when there isn't a catcher. Maybe consider the pitchers when thinking about Vazquez.

Max Kepler understandably draws a wide range of thoughts concerning his abilities to sustain his excellence from the latter half of the 2023 season. I have no idea of his value as a straight exchange for another player. Edward Cabrera is a gamble for any team that could pay off in a big way. Miami likely keeps him. I thought that perhaps an exchange of players who might benefit from a new team occur. If the Twins are going to add iffy pitchers, it makes sense to add either Wacha or Lugo because these guys can be solid. It doesn't make sense to trade anyone with decent value for a guy like Cortes. Conversations last offseason included trading Kepler. The Twins never found a deal worthwhile. This offseason there may be a repeat. Kepler is a good player and there isn't any reason to trade him unless the return clearly makes the 2024 team better.

Exactly, it was a dump and Seattle did not see his home runs making up for the empty at bats. Polanco and any other acquisition is a totally separate discussion. However, the Mariners now need two infielders and an outfielder. Do the Twins see this as an opportunity or not?

Sorry to confuse you with the yes or no. What I am saying is that if the Twins are to go for a top pitcher in a trade it will cost players. Seattle presents opportunity that comes with a high price, one which may be very productive for both teams. Certainly there are other teams to discuss trades with all across baseball. i have noted Miami, where Edward Cabrera is out of options and scheduled to be their #4/5 guy. Cabrera has struggled and I have thought that perhaps Larnach and Winder would benefit from a change of scenery. That may be possible. Some others teams seem unlikely to trade because their teams are so short on pitching that it would hurt their team to give up pitchers. Pittsburgh is an example and so is Cincy. There are some other options, but pitching talent is hard to acquire and the cost in players is high. This is why so many folks wanted the Twins to sign a top free agent pitcher. This is unlikely due to a restricted budget for player salaries. i hope that was clear.

Seattle traded their third baseman today. Perhaps Lee is exactly what they want. Lee is a shortstop who profiles best as a third baseman. Lee may be less of a fielder at second base due to his lack of speed, although I believe he could handle the position if needed. Seattle only wants immediate outfield help, which makes for a substitute of Lee for E-Rod in your proposed deal. Or, perhaps Seattle wants Lewis instead of E-Rod in your deal. Plenty to consider.

You and all Twins fans do not want to trade Lee or other top prospects for that matter. Then the team just fields the team they have right now with a few simple signings or a gamble trade with Miami. Your first sentence tells me that you know that Seattle would ask for Lee or Lewis and Polanco or Kepler. This is the conundrum Falvey faces. The Twins are not going to get pitching from any team that is sorely lacking pitching. They are not signing a top free agent starting pitcher, and they are not adding hitting stars like Soto. This leaves plenty of other gambles and risk plays, of which Seattle presents the clearest example. It's either yes or no.

Who are you trading for Williams? What is your return (player, team) for Polanco? Curious.

To be specific, Seattle is going to discuss Wallner, Kepler, Lee, Lewis, Julien, and Polanco. Certainly not all, but looking for a package if the Twins have any interest in the Mariners pitching, which is something assumed but not known. You are the person who is entrusted to improve the Mariners for 2024 and beyond. Who do you want from the Twins?

The Twins and their fans like the young players and the prospects, but Polanco is still the best second baseman on the team right now. On the depth chart, he is #1 at his position. If Polanco was a free agent this year he would be the clear cut, by a wide margin, best available middle infielder available and get a 3-4 year contract for somewhere between $40-50+ million. I'm a big fan of Julien and willing to see the Twins trade virtually anyone (not Festa or Jenkins) if it makes the team better, including Polanco. The thing is, Polanco is a huge value at his current contract and the Twins hold another option as well. The Twins want to win now. They are nor a rebuilding club. Any deal that trades Polanco needs to raise the odds for their team for 2024. Falvey will make those calls so we don't have to worry.

There are players with no trade contracts who can be paid off with a bonus plus a rich extension. There are others who are actually serious. We actually never know. So let's say Goldschmidt will agree to be traded if he gets an additional 3 years at $25 M per year plus a $2 M bonus. Goldy had a $1 M bonus if traded in his last contract and added a no trade when he resigned in St. Louis. Does this change anything for those who want to trade for Goldschmidt? We also read a ton of suggestions to trade Correa and Buxton, both of whom have no trade clauses in their contracts. I'm genuinely confused why folks just ignore these details when the players are so specific about their wishes. I do understand that anyone can change their minds. Lastly, were the Twins just kidding when they suggested there would be a reduced budget? Dan Hayes was the one who hinted at a window of $125-140 million for player payroll in 2024. Unless the Twins step back from Falvey's comments I'm not seeing any additions of guys who cost a pile of money. What am i missing that others are clearly seeing differently? I'm just wondering how to view the perceptions of others in consideration of what has been published.

Think .... what would you do/want?

Dang. More than 40 thousand fans per game in St. Louis every game, all year long would lose their ... beep if this is their reality. Not that I disagree.

Giolito seemed like a possible signing in early November. Now? Not so much ..... I'm thinking what you said.

This is what i saw too. Yes, Wallner will need to adjust. On the other hand, Wallner has closed a number of holes in his game in the last couple of years. He appears to be a guy who learns and works hard to correct his weaknesses. This is certainly difficult. Wallner used to wave at outside pitches and look to pull everything. This is improving. On defense, he took too long to transfer the ball from his glove to his throwing hand which pretty much negated his bazooka-like arm. Wallner cleaned that up pretty tight and teams just didn't run on him in September. Even on the bases, the big slug has gotten much better. He routinely scores easily from first base on doubles. Wallner is a guy who could continue to battle with hitting and fundamentals or he could make rapid improvements. I think that is what you are saying. A pound of eyeballs will be looking to see which way the big Matt goes.

Looking for possible trades is always difficult and i commend the efforts to do these ideas. One of the sticking points in trades or in signing free agents remains the self inflicted roster budget. This reality could put a damper ona number of good ideas. Alonso for Mercedes and Sabato - sure. Are the Mets doing more salary dumps? Mercedes has been talked about using good words, although he had a tough time last summer. Drury is a decent little player but I'll stick with Farmer and Helman. Baltimore should not be looking to trade Mountcastle. My personal weakness is not listening on Festa or Jenkins, but i understand that others see these guys differently. Goldschmidt has a no trade and is close to retirement. He was not excited when he was traded to St. Louis because he like Arizona and at that time (if I'm remembering right, which seldom happens) goldy said that the Cardinals would be the last team he would play for. Goldschmidt is still really good though.

Glasnow would be a sweet addition. The Rays will understandably want value in return though. The budget squeeze makes any transaction for Glasnow tricky and he onlt would be aboard for one year. I'm finding it hard to come up with ideas to satisfy Tampa Bay. Maybe adding Chistian Vazquez to players like Charlee Soto, Bailey Ober, Tanner Schobel could raise an eyebrow. The problem is I don't want to trade all of those guys and believe the Twins still need Vazquez.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/11/mariners-trade-eugenio-suarez-dbacks.html Seattle is serious about cutting their strike outs apparently. They previously traded for Luis Urias (3B), but will be looking to add both an infielder and and a corner bat. One can wonder if there are some ideas going back and forth between the Mariners and Twins. This feels like a year ago in some respects but it may be a case where Falvey fears losing depth or the wrong guy. Seattle is setting the bar high for their arms and willing to trade. View full rumor