tony&rodney

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

Thank you. That was nice of you. Happy Thanksgiving. After coaching and playing for three plus decades, I believe that the players drive the game of baseball. In basketball, a coach has far more effect on the play. I really do appreciate the posts. They take thought, research, and time. About twenty years ago i wrote sometimes for a friend's blog (Phillies). The comments on Twins Daily are mostly decent. We all have opinions and sometimes I think people see differences as an attack on their knowledge. In this post (Cortes) as in others, my initial thoughts are to look at both sides of a deal. Still, there are countless times my thinking is jumbled and way off base. It is easier to make judgments when one can see a player on numerous occasions live. Watching fielding drills, one can discern weaknesses and strengths. Lastly, sometimes we are too hard on athletes. Yes, they get paid well ,,,, now. I can remember when Dave Boswell painted garages to make a little money. There are a pile of guys waiting to take away your job in baseball and the preparation to remain relevant is tough. Skill, luck, and excellence are elusive. Young guys get bowled over on occasions and are unprepared for reactions from the public. MLB does a pretty good job of educating today.

This was already explained. Offseason versus trade deadline deals. Articles are sepaerate.

Well, you sure did a strong job of presenting Cortes as a possibility worth a conversation with the Yankees. I would think that the Yanks will be listening for a sweet deal on the one hand but holding him on the other hand. New York has Cole and are hopeful that Rodon rebounds effectively and that is about it. Both King and Schmidt are best as #5/6 starting pitchers, with King mostly having been used in relief. If Cortes has fully healed, the Yankees need him. If the Yanks are putting his name out there, it seems odd considering how desperate they are for pitching. The writeup is fine as is the idea of finding a hidden gem. Maybe we can trade Dobnak for Cortes. A common practice, seemingly, is to link the success of pitchers to a pitching coach or team philosophy. I'm more inclined to credit the athlete for 96% of their success. Pablo Lopez has always been a huge talent. His consistency, pitch selection, maturation, and weight were challenges. Lopez began to put that all together several years ago and the Twins benefited from having a guy that Miami coveted (Luis Arraez). Bingo, Miami is happy and the Twins get a guy they needed. Talent has to develop and injuries to pitchers are a constant. If Cortes has those skills the Yankees will not trade him for less than a robbery. I appreciate the work and effort that is put into writing these posts. Some good conversations develop in the string and all opinions and thoughts are worth reading and thinking about. Domingo German pitched a perfect game last summer and was released in early November. So many names out there.

Yah, I see all that and agree with you. Actually, I don't know exactly why I feel that Julien will get better and better despite the challenges. I liked watching his at bats as much as I enjoyed watching Luis Arraez hit. They are quite different, but both are a pain in the ass for pitchers. As a former pitcher I see Julien as a pest, one who can also hurt you with the long ball. We never know how the Twins will shake things out or whether a player can meet their potential. It's all part of the fun and frustration.

Always liked him, but the injuries.... Last summer he was supposedly healthy but topped out at 85 on the gun and was a couple below that usually. That was his fastball. Hard to understand what happened. i think he gets released and then the Twins could take a look. His spiral was confusing. Sixto, like Cabrera, is out of options. Cabrera will be with the MLB team if not traded. Sanchez will be dropped and sign a minor league deal. The reason I suggested a Larnach and Winder trade for Cabrera is because I think all three need a fresh start. Then again, maybe that is way off.

I would like both to be on the team next year. Then again, if the Twins can strengthen their team via trades, do it. Julien seems to be a polarizing player; some like him and others are down on him. Those who have etched within their brains his early stumbles in the field and/or threw their slippers at the Tv whenever he took a strike may have missed what was a pretty good season from a rather raw and inexperienced player. Julien runs like he is nursing a hamstring injury, which he actually had late in the season. His haircut and goofy look with the hat are notable. It would be interesting to hear what other organizations think about Julien. Seems pretty universal that fans are interested in seeing the Twins complete a trade and teams usually try to use areas of depth to acquire needs.

We know that Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler are good and in demand and true professional guys. Their past performances and friendly contracts make them in demand from many teams. The variables are their injuries, risk of future performance, and proximity to free agency. Some don't believe in these two Twins but I'm thinking the industry does. What do we know about Alek Manoah? In 2022, Manoah was really good. Then last year ...... he blew up. The Blue Jays tried pretty much everything and eventually sent him back to rookie ball where he imploded. Nobody seems to know what happened. The only report is that there was friction between Manoah and management. I have no idea based on looking over his stats and reading a half dozen articles whether Manoah is toast or just took a year off. I'll bet that nobody who has a chance of making a contribution to the Twins in 2024 will be sent to Toronto for him. The Sonny Gray trade was wonderful for the Twins. Remember that the Reds were getting rid of salaries and also felt that Gray was on the downside of his career. Gray had just had a 4.19 ERA in 2021 after a 3.70 ERA in 2020, which was preceded by a 2.70 ERA in 2019. Gray's salary was rising and the Reds were willing to trade Sonny for a hotshot prospect. This was a situation where the Twins managed to get in at the right time. So maybe a guy like Nick Gordon but a trade for Manoah would surprise me, even though this is a chance that could be a big plus. One thing is that Falvey and others have some notion of how Manoah fits in the clubhouse.

I agree with you. It could be possible to work with Miami as well.