tony&rodney

I feel like this as well. However, I also stop and remember that this may just be a typical thought when one is a fan of a team. People tend to see stars emerging within the prospects .... on every team. The Twins are not ranked very highly in neutral or national sites for their farm system. I also wonder if it isn't worthwhile to see how other teams value players within the Twins system. There are potentially a few players with 4-6 years of control remaining who are worth acquiring for some of our prospects. I do agree that the Twins should not be looking to trade 3-4 good prospects for Juan Soto or a similar deal. I also didn't really think the Twins traded the farm away for Tyler Mahle, despite the fact that I never was interested in Mahle at all and really enjoyed watching CES hit. The Twins have been pretty conservative about trading prospects. There may be some examples, but I'm struggling to think of when the Twins traded off their best prospects for a disappointing return. I'm sure there must be some. There should be conversations with any number of teams searching for agreeable exchanges of players.

MLR, as much as one might agree with the general premise of your argument for building a sustainable decent roster, there seems to be one big over-riding question. The Twins seem to be in position to sign a top free agent pitcher (Nola, Snell, Monty, etc.) and a trade of Polanco for prospects would even allow for a signing to fit within a newly formed reduced budget. The question is whether you or others believe that the Twins will actually seriously sign one of the top guys? This question is based on a complete avoidance of entering that market. I'm not going to entertain a thought that the Twins were ever in on Wheeler or Darvish as some have argued because making a low offer that is never even looked over doesn't meet the mark of serious. So I (we/others) may be hoping or thinking and rationalizing that the Twins can add one of the top pitchers this offseason, but is it a realistic thought or fan rationalizing? If it is, go for it - I'm in. I just don't see it. What about another crack at a trade similar to the Lopez-Arraez deal? How about a trade of a solid pitcher with years of control for a guy with one year left like Burnes? How about a trade of a top prospects along with Polanco plus a few others for a solid #2-3 starting pitcher? Somehow it seems the options are narrow unless there is a venture into taking an outsized risk.

Welcome to Twins Daily. This has been discussed endlessly. Short version - after being asked/bugged a number of times about whether Royce Lewis would or could be used as a centerfielder in the future, Falvey and Baldelli pointedly stated that Lewis is a third baseman now, he will work in the offseason as a third baseman, and he will be a third baseman going forward next season and beyond. Take that for whatever you think. Additionally, Lewis prefers playing in the infield and his agent, Scott Boras, has specifically stated that Lewis is going to be a superstar .... "on the dirt" and the outfield is not in his future. Again, many will take that with a grain of salt. Just remember that too much salt is bad for your diet. FWIW, I don't care where he plays.

Do you think adding Kepler changes anything with Seattle?

Good catch on Julien. Thank you. I guess I can't correct that, but it is Julien because sadly I traded Polanco. Varland gets the start in the beginning of the year. I'm using Paddack in relief or until injury to save the innings on his arm as he returns from TJ. Cabrera is also used in relief as he works on both command and control. In a typical year there is a need for one or two more starters before mid May due to some type of injury. Cabrera is out of options or i don't think he would be available. He is a wild card because he can be really good. A failure to make a deal with Seattle puts Cabrera in the rotation, which is why I try to make that deal asap even it is an overpay. Miami is open for ideas. We don't know about Seattle.

I like Brantley quite a bit. He made $12M last season. What can the Twins offer? $7M?

Total: $119.67M from the blueprint. Take away Polanco = $109.17M. Take away Farmer and we are under $103M. It isn't a big deal and I agree that there is potentially still money to add someone if the payroll goes to $140M. The money may be closer to $125M. We just don't know. TheTwins have not been active in adding FA SP for money. Wacha? A return of Maeda? Something tells me that trades will happen.

The common thought that Royce Lewis should be shifted to CF to create an opening for Brooks Lee at 3B has been floated for over a year and re-booted consistently. In theory it seems like a good fix. In practice, all of Falvey, Baldelli, Boras, and Lewis believe that Royce is best suited to play third base. This creates a backup. The Twins have second basemen galore: Polanco, Julien, Farmer, Castro, and Gordon with MLB experience and Lee, Martin, Pratto, Helman, and Severino with AAA experience. If Julien has peaked or the feeling is that his defense and batting attributes are not that stellar, trade him if there is worth. The same goes for Lee. Both Julien and Lee are at peak value. A couple of years ago, Austin Martin and SWR brought Jose Berrios to Toronto. Is it possible that one of Kepler or Polanco, either Julien or Lee, plus a guy like SWR and Jovani Moran could return a very good pitcher? What does it take?

Twins calculus. Is that fair? Again, I'm not a fan of the Twins front offices or owners and never have been. I'm just a lowly baseball fan.

One could argue that the depth added last offseason was an integral part of the team's success in 2023. When a team cuts payroll by (potentially) $20+ million, depth will not be as strong. The two Twins I have enjoyed the most in the last five years (Jorge Polanco & Max Kepler) would ideally be centerpieces of a 2024 team. However, financial realities may interfere with their inclusion on next year's team. One or both may be traded. The Twins could use a veteran bat like Hoskins and a veteran outfielder like Kiermaier. Both would create depth. Both seem like remote possibilities if the budget shrinks to $125 million. That leaves a greater dependence on guys like Austin Martin, Willi Castro, Jose Miranda, Anthony Pratto, Michael Helman, and Yunior Severino. The odds are not in their favor over veterans, but this is what the Twins are looking at for 2024 potentially.

Well, many folks have thought Lewis in CF and Lee at 3B would strengthen the team. The Twins, or at least Falvey and Baldelli have firmly commented on this as has the agent, S. Boras. Oh, people can change their minds but I think that ship has sailed.

Again, i think we agree that this is a big disappointment. The way to improve is by adding solid players and allowing the prospects and young guys to develop in their careers without so many expectations, and those other things you say. The reality of corporate decision-making changes the calculus. "The Twins need to make a decision at second base going forward. Seattle is waiting for a phone call or visit. Some combination of Polanco, Kepler, Julien, Lee, and some minor league players lower in value will get their attention. NOT ALL - don't panic." This is what I wrote, copied just above. You may not agree but a decision at second base frees up either Julien or Lee to be added to Polanco or Kepler plus a few lottery types. In any event, perhaps other teams do not see any value in the Twins players enough to return anything worthwhile. That is an unknown to me. It just seems like there are still possible trades to make.

I try not to get too wound up about those things I cannot control. Yes, I agree with you about how this has put a dent in what the Twins could potentially accomplish in regards to fielding a better team next season. I'm very frustrated by all of this too and disagree with the direction. However, I'm a baseball fan and Twins fan and neither are likely to suddenly end. Also, the Pohlads have always run the Twins as a business, which is their prerogative and I felt this was predictable.

You do not believe that Seattle has any interest in any of Polanco, Kepler, Julien, Lee, Wallner, etc.? It is unknown whether any Twin has any value to another team, but Falvey has a job to determine how to fit pieces together which requires conversations with other teams.

To bring back a good pitcher will require, as I suggested, a combination of players. Yes, Polanco or/and Kepler would likely be just a part of the package. Brooks Lee or Julien have some value as well. Of course there is the alternative of just rolling out the roster that is current. It is under budget right now or less than $125 million. When one looks at those lineups many people have suggested, the teams listed are pretty much a return of the players already in the system plus a few free agent signings. Subtract the FA and there is your team for those who are opposed to trading.

I totally agree with this sentiment. However, unless one is to just abandon all hope or baseball altogether, an adjustment is needed. Tampa Bay doesn't have any secrets, they just work harder in my view to find ways to build a team that can compete.

The Twins are actually in pretty good shape. They have guys they pay: Correa, Buxton, Vazquez, Polanco, Kepler, Lopez, and Farmer (7 -$93M). They have guys who are still inexpensive: Castro, Paddack, Thielbar, Jeffers, and Kirilloff. Oh ... and Dobnak (5 -$15M). Then the rest are minimum or close: Julien, Lewis, Wallner, Duran, Jax, Stewart, Funderburk, Alcala, Ryan, Ober, Varland and guys to fill out team (14 -$11M). There are players near ready to contribute: Martin, Miranda, Camargo, Lee, Pratto, Helman, Severino, Kiersey Jr., and pitchers. The Twins need to make a decision at second base going forward. Seattle is waiting for a phone call or visit. Some combination of Polanco, Kepler, Julien, Lee, and some minor league players lower in value will get their attention. NOT ALL - don't panic. The Twins need to add a pitcher of value and that might sting a bit, but that is why Falvey makes the big bucks. The Twins could be better next year.

The idea is to compete and the Twins can compete with their current roster. I made a determination that the team would go in a direction at second base. The trades: 1. T. Larnach, J. Winder, T. Schobel for E. Cabrera (Miami). These are players looking for a change of scenery. 2. J. Polanco, B. Lee, K. Rosario, plus 1-2 minor leaguers for Logan Gilbert or (if possible) George Kirby. C: Christian Vazquez ($10.00M) 1B: Alex Kirilloff ($1.70M) 2B: Jorge Polanco ($0.75M) 3B: Royce Lewis ($0.75M) SS: Carlos Correa ($33.33M) LF: Matt Wallner ($0.75M) CF: Harrison Bader ($7.50M) RF: Max Kepler ($10.00M) DH: Byron Buxton ($15.17M) 4th OF: Willi Castro ($3.20M) Utility: Austin Martin ($0.75M) Utility: Kyle Farmer ($6.60M) Backup C: Ryan Jeffers ($2.30M) SP1: Pablo Lopez ($8.25M) SP2: Logan Gilbert ($5.00M) SP3: Joe Ryan ($0.75M) SP4: Bailey Ober ($0.75M) SP5: Louie Varland ($0.75M) RP: Jhoan Duran ($0.75M) RP: Brock Stewart ($0.75M) RP: Griffin Jax ($0.75M) RP: Jorge Alcala ($1.00M) RP: Caleb Thielbar ($3.20M) RP: Chris Paddack ($2.50M) RP: Edward Cabrera ($0.75M) RP: Kody Funderburk ($0.75M) Payroll is 20.83% under budget

Via MLBTradeRumors, the Twins will reset their payroll to former levels. The best guesses are $125-140 million. We can subtract the idea of Juan Soto, which was a 2% thought and likely subtract any trades for Corbin Burnes as well. This makes perfect sense. The blueprints that used $150 million are all in the trash bin now.

I might trade Ryan for Burnes but I'm sending Polanco with Lee and a couple of minor leaguers to Seattle for Kirby or Gilbert. BTV is interesting but just for kicks. Remember they had Pablo Lopez as twice as valuable as Luis Arraez. That trade worked for both teams. Speaking of Miami. Edward Cabrera is out of options and struggled this past year. The Marlins might see Trevor Larnach and Josh Winder as a fair exchange. Perhaps the Twins could sweeten the deal with a guy like T. Schobel.

We need to drop that dream of Cole and Judge. After living in NYC and interacting with the Gotham media for several years they might suffer heart attacks answering questions from our two reporters. That would be cruel. Culture shock is real.

No instead. Do both. If you want the Twins to improve a little movement is necessary. The trade for sure though.

What would the caps look like? 612 in the front with the TC on top?

I think Miranda has a big chain so he fits the city. Actually, if Miranda can see to switch his uniform number he has a chance to be a Twins Hall of Fame player in twelve years ... or so. I don't want to give up Vazquez either because I love how he moves. I can't wait to see the videos of him dancing after next year's World Series triumph.

Absolutely. However, the Mariners want someone for now or very soon, not a player who will be ready in a couple of years. Sigh, this means Brooks Lee.