tony&rodney

The folks who write for Twins Daily have done a remarkable job of churning out content on a consistent basis to the point where Twins fans have no need of The Athletic, MLB.com, or the Trib for interesting content. Whether there is agreement, disagreement, or occasional disinterest readers can find a post. Thank you to all of those who write the posts. I appreciate the writing and especially the work that goes into the product. Often I go immediately into my thoughts on an article, which is as it should be, but felt it necessary (for me) to preface any further comments with a genuine word (or two) of thanks. Slaughterhouse-Five is one of the best anti-war books ever written. Would that we had literate politicians who could read and reflect. Numerous WWII veterans, including my father, commented on the brilliance of this work as the best commentary on war. An interesting choice for a baseball post. The Baltimore Orioles have an absolutely loaded system and the Twins were already quite kind in their giving them Cade Povich and Cano. It seems that the search for pitching has reached a fever pitch, more perhaps than at any time in my memory. The Orioles managed to finish 7th best in MLB in both runs scored and in runs given up, a balanced team. The Twins, for comparison, finished 10th in runs scored and 3rd in runs given up. The Twins lost some pitchers and have some hopes that their offense of the second half of 2023 will hold for an entire season in 2024. This leads me to a few conclusions. The Twins cannot afford to trade pitching prospects who are close to MLB ready unless they are a part of a larger deal which returns a potential front of the rotation pitcher with four or more years of control. While Dean Kremer is a fine pitcher, I do not see a transaction for him because 1) the Orioles need to keep the pitching they have and add to their staff and 2) the Twins have a sufficient lineup of guys who fill the middle and back end of a starting rotation. All of Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, Louie Varland, and Chris Paddack are solid pitchers. The Twins need to add a guy who could fit in above these guys. Right now, the market is still unsteady but there may be an opportunity for the Twins to acquire their guy in a trade. It looks like we will wait until then.

This has been mol what I have been saying in all of the move RL here or there discussions. Lewis can improve at third base. It is the position he has always been most comfortable playing. He was a 3B in high school and the Twins tried to make him a shortstop and then a brief trial in CF. I don't see him as anywhere but as a corner infielder. Then, it is back to where Brooks Lee plays. The decision impacts potential trades and any addition of either Polanco or Kepler in a package deal.

It is hard to think what the Marlins are looking for from a team like the Twins. Certainly, Miami can still use a starting catcher and shortstop. I'm in general agreement with Matthew Trueblood: BTV and the Marlins are fishing. I wonder how Miami views the lost money this year on Alcantara (TJ surgery with a 2025 return)? Alcantara has three years after 2024 to provide value but at a cost of $55.6 million. Twins interested? Both Edward Cabrera and Max Meyer have not proven themselves even to the extent of Louie Varland, so they are guys who are interesting possibilities but only at a reasonable cost. The Twins would have a problem trading Ryan Jeffers but perhaps a wider trade can be considered. Alcantara, Meyer, and Cabrera come to Minnesota, while Jeffers, Farmer, Larnach, and minor league players go south (Woods Richardson, Schobel, and Raya). I'm not sure Luzardo is available but Cabrera is going to be discussed. I'm not in on Rogers. I would do trade number three.

I sure hope that Royce Lewis can be 80% of the superstar that folks are projecting him to be in the next seven years. That would be sweet.

Las Vegas exists because the odds in gambling always favor the house in the long run. The calls to trade Polanco, Kepler, Vazquez, and Farmer to clear money in order to sign a FA pitcher has been a near mantra. The Twins would not have any problem clearing all of Polanco, Kepler, and Farmer if they were just dumping their contracts. It would also be malpractice because unless the return is reasonable the team would be weakened. The Twins cannot trade Vazquez and replace him and save any appreciable amount of money and Christian is still a decent catcher. They paid the money to have the assurance of having a catcher. When a pitcher throws the ball, there needs to be a catcher. So forget about any reasonable savings that would acrrue from trading Vazquez. The savings from dumping all of Jorge, Max, and Kyle could be $27 million. How many of you (readers) would bet $100 that the Twins will then turn around and sign a free agent pitcher such as Snell or Montgomery, or miraculously contact Yamamoto? The odds are not in your favor. The Twins have a winning roster right now and there may be a trade or two before April. If you are looking to add a strong pitcher via trade, think names such as Lewis, Lee, Julien, Wallner, etc.

To be clear, there are a couple of points to consider. The Twins can always use a guy like Polanco. Jorge could easily rebound and be among the top three Twins players again in 2024. Polanco can also help the Pirates. He remains an excellent MLB player. The Pirates need pitching and the Twins are not going to trade one of their top 5-7 starting pitchers along with Polanco to Pittsburgh. Priester could emerge this season as a strong guy in the rotation for the Pirates, so it really doesn't make sense for them to trade a young pitcher. The Twins have players to cover the loss of Polanco to a reasonable extent. Acquiring Priester for Polanco plus a low level player and cash (?/$5M) makes a ton of sense for the Twins because Priester is the type of player who could move up later and help in 2024 as a strong pitcher in line behind Varland. I don't expect this trade to come to fruition, although it is an interesting exercise.

Royce Lewis created a mound of local love with his return to baseball last season. He is now seen, by many, as the face of the Twins and his charisma has certainly made Twins fans excited about his next year and beyond. Lewis has had two ACL surgeries and some trouble, of unknown degree, with his hamstrings as well. Because the Twins still control Royce for five years, it might be prudent to wait a few years. However, the deals proposed could work with inexpensive buyouts because they are not significantly more than expected arbitration figures. Royce has lifetime money already and may prefer to bet on himself. One can see the arguments from all sides. I expect the Twins to wait another year before approaching Lewis with an interest in long term contracts.

We will know what the plans are if a trade of .... say ...... Polanco plus money and maybe a lower level unranked prospect is sent to Pittsburgh for Priester. That would be a potentially good outcome for both teams, although the Pirates have said they are not trading pitchers.

Quinn Priester is a strong prospect still. Despite having a rough introduction to MLB, the young gun could easily fashion a fine career. His value seems to have gone down from a year ago, but I believe the Pirates would ask for quite a bit more than expected because of his previous ranking as a prospect. They might agree to Polanco plus some cash for Priester. A bigger issue would be how Priester fits into the Twins 2024 season. He doesn't really jump into line behind Lopez or even Ryan or Ober. The Twins should be trying to win in 2024 and Polanco gives them a better chance to do so than Priester in 2024. The Twins are little light on outfielders to offer Kepler plus money for Priester for about the same reason. I expect Quinn Priester to break out some time this coming year or in 2025. The Twins are not looking ahead though.

The Twins are always listening on any and all trade offers. I'm skeptical that the Twins are hoping to trade Polanco and Kepler to save money. They are hoping to turn these guys who will soon be gone into players who will be around and feel like they can be covered by others if the return is decent; a win-win situation. Vazquez will be difficult to trade for a reasonable return and the money saved will be used to bring in an inferior player unless the Twins manage a major trade that includes a catcher coming back. Farmer makes sense as a utility player for the Twins still but we should expect him to be traded for a minor league kid with some hope for the future or as the tail end of a package of players in a bigger trade. There has been a constant chorus of comments that suggest trading Polanco and Kepler to free up money in order to sign a free agent pitcher. I would be flabbergasted if that happened. It does make sense to probe the market in order to obtain value for any of the Twins players. It makes even more sense if those players are not likely to be a part of the team 2-3 years. Polanco has two more years and Max has one under contract. Neither can return a player who will help in 2024 by themselves. Either can be part of a larger trade to bring in a player that is impactful for 2024. A much bigger decision, one that can be deferred easily, is how the Twins see using three young players for two positions. Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee are really third basemen, unless you believe that Carlos Correa will move to first base soon. Julien is rough but pretty much the most likely guy to work out at second base until someone else comes along. Nobody wants to see any of these three leave and I agree, yet it is these three whose names emit from the lips of GMs who seek transactions with the Twins. Expect more silence.

Almost nothing has changed since the season ended except the roster budget. Perhaps the Twins are at their limit right now. There is still a decent chance that the team get itself involved in a trade or two. Pretty much every angle has been covered already. It does seem like the end result may be a surprise. The Twins are likely interested in a couple of Marlins pitchers. The Marlins should hold all of Braxton, Luzardo, and Perez but may be willing to trade Cabrera or Meyer for Jeffers or Lee. Not sure this works though. The Twins are also lurking like every other team around Seattle and may be trying to work out a big trade for Gilbert with Lee or Julien plus Kepler, with the Twins including some money. Again, I'm nor sure this works for both teams. A challenge trade still seems likely. While both Seattle and Minnesota fans would protest loudly and each front office may not be willing to step forward, it makes sense for the teams to complete a Lewis for Kirby trade if Seattle believes in Miller, Woo, and Hancock and Minnesota believes in Lee.

You know what? I think you are correct. I am familiar with his contract and now I'm not sure why that clause for the last two years is even in the contract (5 team list). I guess others may weigh in but you should be right on with this deal.

You could never be unpopular with Rod Carew as part of your line. Read my comment about teams that were better than the 2023 team, keeping in ming that I loved the 2023 team; way down the list. Also 7 teams from 1962-1970 were clearly better, no question.

I don't believe Royce Lewis would be too hot at 2B, but I hope he has a long career. Catching is brutal on the body, so projecting Ryan Jeffers is not a fair bet. It is hard to guess who could be behind the plate right now. I'm going to optimistically guess Jeferson Quero.

These lists are pretty much just having fun and there is nothing wrong with that. I often don't even look at these guesses. The 2024 list will be lucky to have 2-3 guys actually starting in their estimated positions. Buxton has a full no trade clause in his contract through the 2026 season but he can be traded to all but 5 clubs thereafter.

Rhys Hoskins is a helluva bat. It isn't that he would not help. It is that his contract will be well beyond what the Twins are paying. Math can be simple and the Twins are looking for trades to acquire good talent that is not costly. They have already passed on a few players that may have been good fits if not for the greenbacks needed to sign them. It would be quite surprising to see a sudden shift now.

Umm ... not in top ten. You already picked one with the 2010 team. i would guess the 1987 and 1991 teams are in there too. The Twins were really good from 1962-1970 with only two teams not better than the 2023 Twins. There are also good teams in 1988 and 1992. I think that is 11 and doesn't count 1977, which was a better team than the 2023 Twins, not to mention the good teams from 2003-5 and teams from 2006, 2008-2010, or 2019. I'm hoping some of the good play from the second half of last year results in a full year of excellence in 2024 and maybe Falvey finds time to get some work done before the season as well. I did enjoy the improvement in the team in the second half last year.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/12/diamondbacks-to-sign-lourdes-gurriel-jr.html A number of people believed that Gurriel Jr. would be a decent player for the Twins, especially if Max Kepler was traded. I don't see any other bats worth signing for less than $15 million per year. Are the Twins content with the lineup as is?

Wrong term, yes. I wasn't a fan of his pitching style, but wish him luck. I was thinking that it was good that he signed with another team and not sure how that wound up - stupid two words. Sorry.

It looks like a couple more ideas have gone, with Glasnow to LAD and Flaherty to Detroit via MLBTradeRumors.com

Wait, I wanted to know how many times you have seen Winokur or Emm-Rod actually play. Have you?

Yah, Mahle trade is right up there with the worst trades ever. The Twins were desperate and took a real leap; hurts. Glad he is gone elsewhere. Good riddance and good luck to him.

I have not seen Winokur play in games, just a few highlight videos of a single pitch here and there. Have you seen him play? I'm curious what people say who have seen him play. I'm excited to see him play and love what I have read about Winokur. Are you referencing Emmanuel or Jose Rodriguez? I have not seen Jose Rod play but read solid reports on him. I have seen Emm-Rod and while he is still young (immature), the talent jumps out when you watch him. He controls the game when he wants to do so. He can run, field, throw, hit, and hit for power - that is a five tool player. His knowledge/eye for the strike zone matches or even surpasses that of Edouard Julien. No one else in the Twins system and hardly anyone else in all of baseball has a feel for the strike zone as clearly as Emm-Rod. The wart is a red flag; he can wander in his concentration and often just swings wildly and misses at pitches, even those right down the middle or just stands at the plate and takes pitches right down the middle. Thus it is hard to know where he is headed. This year should reveal how much determination Emm-Rod has towards the grind of professional baseball. I would not question the talent at all. If you saw his at bat where he just decided to hit a grand slam in the playoffs ..... it was electric. The ball was gone, poof. When people go to watch a prospect, a wide outcome is possible. Sometimes a writer/scout will see a guy strike out in four at bats without swinging and nobody hits a ball to the player in the field either. Then there are times a player will show off everything they have. I think that Keith Law had a pretty good write up on Emm-Rod last Spring. He could be top ten in all of baseball or not ranked at all. If I'm picking teams, I'm gambling on the talent.

Yes, much worse. Awkward swings, demotion, more bad swings, IL, and finally surgery. The details are somewhat murky but the swing was affected immediately.

If the Twins can return a pitcher like Gilbert or Kirby by trading Julien in combination with others, do it, providing the others do not cripple the team. i would expect both teams to benefit from such a trade. The important part is how another team views the Twins players. I would think that Julien would flourish hitting behind Julio Rodriguez and in front of Cal Raleigh. Either Rodriguez steals 80 bases or Julien gets a ton of fastballs in the zone; either way pitchers are going to suffer. Julien has not peaked. He has just scratched the surface of his potential. He is going to improve dramatically as a fielder, but never be close to a Robero Alomar. Julien will be slightly above average like all true Minnesotans. He will only gain strength which is bound to increase his extra base hits. Additionally, if the ABS challenge system ever is adopted his triple slash lines will go up and his k-rate will go down. The Twins can find at bats for everyone without a trade this year. A trade just seems inevitable due to the surplus of infielders. If the Twins feel that the team is in stronger position to win with Lewis and Lee than with Lewis and Julien or Lee and Julien, it makes sense to make Julien available for the right price. A reason I feel bullish on Julien is because runners on base are opportunities to score runs. Julien is the best we have at that skill and he can hit the snot out of the ball as well. Lee, Julien, Lewis, these are questions.