tony&rodney

Maybe. Drury hits for extra bases, but he has a low OBP and strikes out a ton. The Twins are pretty saturated at second base too. Still, it is a fair idea to ponder.

The reports before surgery indicated that there were many outcomes possible from exploring and seeking the source of Kirilloff's pain. A procedure on shoulders can mean either a long recovery of months to a year plus and even end a career. I had rotator cuff surgery and can at least use my shoulder for normal activities. I'm not familiar with the removal of the bursa sac. Just throwing out a thought that AK will be fully healed and finished with rehab before Spring Training and can go full bore. A complete March for Kirilloff has the possibility to uncover the bat of his 2018 minor league season before he started his string of injuries. That would be like adding a big bat in a trade. Let's hope so.

Solano was a real gem this past season. He had personal records in nearly every single category within counting stats. No doubt, Donny Barrels had a good year. Can he repeat himself at the plate and will he get as many at bats? All of Polanco, Farmer, and Solano are good players to have on the team, but I wonder if the good news concerning Alex Kirilloff pushes a reunion with Solano off the list of guys to bring back.

Imagine Kirilloff replicating his 2018 year in 2024 at the MLB level.

This is potentially great news. Once again the Twins (and their fans) will hope and see if AK can become the line drive high average extra base hit machine to anchor the middle of an effective scoring offense. One wonders how this news affects the Twins search for bats.

Through the end of May, in 8 starts, Varland was a quality starter. After 3 substandard starts in June, Varland was sent to St. Paul and never made another start for the Twins. When called back to the Twins team in September, Varland was good in relief. Varland wants to be a starter and he had a strong start to 2023 before the Twins lost faith in him due to the failed starts. A decision will need to be made before Spring Training on how best to utilize the inexperienced Varland. If the Twins replay the Lopez-Arraez trade again this offseason to bring in a very good starting pitcher, Varland may need to begin in St. Paul or be used as a relief pitcher. Without a signing or trade for a very good starting pitcher, The Twins should cast their lot with Varland. He has quite a bit of upside and it is real likely he is adding to and refining his pitches during the offseason. I'm perfectly fine with trusting Louie to be inked into the rotation for 2024.

Yes Ray is signed through 2026, but it comes at a cost of $73 million plus a $1 mil if traded ($74M) and he is returning from injury in 2024 which makes the contract effectively larger. I like Robbie Ray and would welcome his addition to the Twin. I just don't see it happening. Sonny Gray, Jordan Montgomery, or Aaron Nola at 3/$81 are likely better values. Not saying each gets that annual number but the totals are all probably way low. What Seattle wants is unknown at this point and speculation is just guesses, which some of us do. Seattle wants a RF, 2B, maybe 1B, and prefers guys who are more difficult to strike out. I have no idea how Seattle views players in the Twins system, but a call is worthwhile. I will remind you that last year Pablo Lopez carried twice the value of Luis Arraez. Teams are looking for ways to improve their team. So are the Twins.

The Twins will be looking for a pitcher who has a few years left before free agency and has upside. Robbie Ray has been a good pitcher but has neither of these qualities. I would be very surprised to see Ray become a Twins. We don't know where Seattle casts their eyes for talent to improve their team. We do know they have stated a desire to reduce their strikeouts. I'm thinking the Twins want to hold Polanco and Kepler next season but perhaps those two plus money and a good prospect nets a Seattle pitcher of note. It is really hard to determine/guess what direction either Minnesota or Seattle is headed right now. A major trade for one of Kirby, Gilbert, or Miller is possible but the cost would be high. Perhaps the Twins like Varland enough to hold. I do think Miami is still a possibility and also Milwaukee. Milwaukee only happens if something else occurs first though.

The addition of players like Goldschmidt, Alonso, and Soto possibilities are doable financially, which is the point of the post. I agree that adding a big contract seems unlikely, although I'm not opposed to adding a pitcher like Montgomery. The trick for this offseason is how can the Twins acquire players without hurting the team for the next few years. There are going to be options and while rolling with the current talent plus a couple of depth pieces can work, it will be interesting to follow whether Falvey makes some larger moves. The competition for one year deals may be pretty crowded. Solano worked out well. The trades for Farmer and Taylor were important for 2023. Picking up Willi Castro turned out better than expected. I think Farmer may have more worth than he has ever had in his career. Pitchers like Montas or Severino could either totally bomb or prove to be valuable. Teams may be willing to pay more than $10 million for that lottery ticket. There is value out there. The Twins signed Jeff Hoffman last March, released him, and then he had a good year for Philadelphia. I wouldn't say that was a mistake but it is an example that there are players who can help a team. I'm thinking that three teams are potential trade partners for the Twins: Seattle, Milwaukee, and Miami. Falvey has his eyes on much more. The key, as always, is to make a discussion revolve around mutual benefit. The unknown is how other teams value the players in the Twins system. Whenever I think of a possible trade I try to imagine that the other team can see their team improving with the transaction. Last offseason I had the Twins trading Arraez and Larnach for Luzardo and Cabrera. I didn't think Lopez would be available. Can the Twins pull off another similar trade, which would return a salaried controllable starting pitcher? This is one way to keep the roster money down. The Twins are likely looking to keep below $150 million for 2024. This makes it difficult to add an expensive free agent.

Baseball isn't random. The teams that survive a 162 game season to qualify for the playoffs are all good. Any of the teams are capable of having combinations of players perform throughout the grind of the postseason leading them to the World Series. All teams use analytics similarly to an extent. The makeup of the teams differ and success is a result of the athletes performances. I think you object to the three true outcomes plan for offense which is more a function of strategy suited to personel than just analytics. Yes, I prefer using all options and more contact than a parade of strike outs by the offense but it isn't so simple as just hit the ball as we have seen this postseason.

Pretty exciting to have two teams that have worked so hard to turn around their records in just two years playing in the World Series. The playoffs this year have shown how important getting a place at the table can be for any team. When someone has desires that the Twins need to do much more than just win the AL Central, it is good to remember that a historically great team like Atlanta can lose in their first round of games. Baseball has such a small difference between most teams that whomever peaks or gets hot has a shot at reaching the World Series. Arizona has the third worst record of any team to ever make it to the World Series. The competition is fierce in the playoffs and while some teams seem to ooze talent and have superior tough players, the reality is that any team can go on a run. Just a month or so ago, both Texas and Arizona looked very beatable to a number of teams. The Twins swept the Diamondbacks and defeated the Rangers in 5 out of 7 games. Now the World Series features two exciting teams who have bounced back from their failures of two years past. It could be a really fun series to watch.

Running should be used more often as situations present themselves. The Twins definitely rn more this season. Of course, a more athletic and faster team will be more likely to run. The team also needs to consider the occasional sacrifice bunt. There are times this is a sound plan for scoring runs. Finally, scoring runs by shortening the swing when a runner is on third base with less than two outs adds wins. Sacrifice flies, ground outs, or via a safety squeeze, the Twins can still find ways to improve their offense. Stealing bases is just one way.

There are probably some players that could be acquired via trade that would help the Twins but I'm having a hard time finding ones that are actually available. Lars Nootbar would be a nice addition but unlikely to be moved. Free agent signings are nice but Cody Bellinger is really it besides the DH market. Do the Twins add a guy like Bellinger? Does anyone see the Twins signing an expensive DH or Teoscar Hernandez? I'm not sure that happens. The Twins did fair in the postseason. The biggest disappointments for me were Jeffers and Wallner. I like them both though. They are still gaining experience and learning. So answering the post, I'm not adding much offense to what is already on the roster. Yes, the roster is good enough. Juan Soto would be a nice addition, right?

Every time I look over these lists I keep landing on Montgomery as the only guy to add for big money and Montas or Severino as guys on a one year prove-it deal. The playoffs have changed the numbers perhaps. I would be surprised if Snell, Nola, and Montgomery aren't looking for $25M per year and 6 years too. The month of November should set in motion what the current market will bear. The idea of adding a top starting pitcher is so appealing but the numbers may be prohibitive for the Twins.

The Twins have position player depth, which is good, and they would like to keep that depth. Thing is, starting pitching prices will be high and there is a pretty dire lack of position players available via free agency or trade. The Twins will check in on some starting pitchers and find the bidding too steep. This leaves the Twins looking for teams that find value in their position players. All of Jeffers, Kirilloff, Julien, Lewis, Wallner will draw some interest as will veterans Kepler, Polanco, and Farmer. Additionally, a few teams may see Brooks Lee or another couple of prospects worthy of a conversation. Conversely, the Twins could essentially stand pat and count on solid returns from injured players, a rebound or two from players that were disappointing this year, and increased production from the young guys who led the team in the second half of the year. The Twins may also feel that their AA and AAA players may step in and help as needed. Two directions are possible for Falvey. Fans (me/others) may be asking for additions to the roster but the pickings are slim unless they wade into the deep end. I'm not at all sure what to think about the cost or baseball value of guys like Maeda, Severino, Montas, or a couple of others. Trades or ride the current talent seems to be the play. We could all make two rosters: one that just uses what is available and another includes individual ideas for trades.

David Festa needs another year of experience in AAA, but he isn't a depth piece. If he can make similar improvement next year as he has in the last couple of years, Festa can fit right into the middle of a rotation. Marco Raya is likely two years away. The Twins need to listen to all offers. I believe that only Jenkins and Lewis are off limits. There are options and similar to last winter the Twins only need to find a partner to pull off a worthwhile trade.

I don't know if this is a bot, but the comment certainly lacks any knowledge of baseball as a base. I believe the phrase "old-time manager" is a reference to Dusty Baker, in which case one should understand this is easily one of the most respected people in MLB today. "Eye-for--an-eye" has been so rare that I cannot recall the last clear retaliation in baseball; it's nearly gone.

Duran is always going to be one pitch away from an elbow or shoulder injury, which is concerning for him and the Twins. Relief pitchers are getting paid handsomely and it might take another handful of millions to get ink from Duran. A $5 million signing bonus might be one way to keep the yearly salaries in the range you suggest. Relievers are risky but Duran is a good one. Move the guarantee to $40 million and I believe it can be done. Whether this is a good idea or not is up to Falvey. The fans mostly say yes to using someone else's money. Duran at the back end of games is a big deal though. Do it.

There is quite a bit of mutual respect common in baseball today. The field coaches and managers as well as players know they could be on a different team next year. If you look around the game today you can see a number of major superstars who were traded or left their former teams via free agency. But, yes I agree with you as do the players.

Abreu is a young pitcher. There are few players in baseball today who care at all about how a player celebrates, unless they specifically and aggressively address another player in an attempt to ridicule.

Luplow does not get a 40 spot, Alcala does. Gordon may be placed on the 40 person now but dropped later.

Good work Nick. Do we make our guesses a week after the World Series? Small detail - minimum for 2024 is $740,000.

Maybe a loose analogy is needed here. Camargo is serviceable as a catcher to be used in case of injury in the same manner that Simeon Woods Richardson or Cole Sands are serviceable as starting pitchers in case of injury. Christian Vazquez is a clear MLB catcher in the same manner in which Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober are clear MLB starting pitchers. A team can do better but a team can do much worse too. The Twins are lucky to have two good MLB catchers.

There is an assumption that Baker knew he had already been ejected and if he actually did know, he wanted to direct a little more wisdom towards the umpire chief. It seems highly unlikely that Baker was putting LeClerc in the freezer. Only Abreu and Maldonado know if that pitch was meant to hit Garcia. It seems doubtful from a baseball strategy perspective. MLB reacted with a little bit of venom perhaps. It is unclear right now whether an appeal will be filed on the two game suspension. If there is any proof that Abreu threw at Garcia with intent to hit him, then the suspension should have been more serious than just two games. Maybe something unfolds over the offseason but I doubt it. I'm a Twins fan first and then an American League fan, but really just a baseball fan. The nonsense about the Astros cheating is as tired as the blame Barry Bonds for everything craziness while ignoring everyone else who began, were involved in ,a nd carried on the entire steroids debacle. I understand the nonsense and cheating undertaken by the Astros and didn't like it. I also believe numerous teams were involved in similar shenanigans and that MLB was privy to all of it and just turned their backs until reporters returned definitive evidence and corroboration. Let's face it, Manfred is a stain on the game far worse than others.

Catcher discussion #2 comes to the same conclusion - the Twins are lucky to have two decent catchers. Additionally, Falvey needs to make sure Camargo signs another contract. Pitchers like decent catchers. Not much else to say.