tony&rodney

Yes, this may be true but it is not written specifically into his contract to my knowledge. I do believe there was an agreement and I brought this up some time ago. Another poster felt that a year on the IL might be sufficient reason to move Maeda back to the bullpen until such time as he proves himself superior and capable of throwing 100+ pitches in an outing. We won't know until Spring Training unless there is an unexpected announcement.

Yes, for sure. Though adding Rodon and possibly another really boosts the room for error, unexpected issues, and allows for flexibility. Houston has added guys like Cole, Greinke, and Verlander and then let them go because it gave time for Valdez, Urquiddy, Garcia, Javier, and now Brown to take root.

I doubt Milwaukee is looking to trade a player who provides offense. The Brewers are looking to add bats to their roster. Renfroe does not interest me as a potential roster pickup via trade.

I'm not sure why Urshela is the most difficult decision? The $9.2M figure is a sh**ton of money for many but almost a pedestrian number for a productive useful MLB player. Perhaps Urshela draws interest via a trade to bring back a needed relief pitcher but he should be aboard if the Twins envision him getting a similar number of plate appearances again next season. Pagan and Paddack are sentimental for Falvey but there is scant reason to have them on the roster in 2023. Maybe a team will consider those guys as a the end pieces of a trade. Pagan has displayed talent but is consistently below all reasonable expectations. Paddack has an enormous hill to climb as he attempts to come back from his second surgery. He may make it back in 2024 but will struggle and then maybe he manages to reach average status by 2025. I wish him well but the Twins should just move on. The other five are easy tender decisions. Yes. I would not look to extend any of the players currently in their arbitration years.

I wonder if Milwaukee might be looking for players to stick in the lineup now? Miranda, Thielbar or Mahle, and Paddack? Abreu would be a great pickup if the money works as would Jansen. I didn't see Larnach on the team. Can the Twins get Sean Murphy for Larnach, Ober, Miller, and Raya? The situation with Correa is critical to the direction of the team. i think he gets his $300 million. I hope we don't wait until February to make some trades.

This is the position that Falvey has taken and I agree that it hurts to sign a player and not get the expected production. I also agree that trades and development are the key to improvement in a pitching staff. I would love for the Twins to add Pablo Lopez. Burnes or Woodruff would be ideal but I'm not sure the Twins have the quality of player needed to acquire either Brewer starting pitcher. The Twins do have some emerging starting pitching which may either produce for the Twins or be used as assets to gain some needed position players via trade. Ober, Winder, SWR, and Varland are obvious guys in that group. Where we may disagree is with the percieved quality of the pitchers the Twins currently employ. In my observations, Gray is a decent #3 with Ryan and Mahle as good #4 starting pitchers. Maeda is returning from time off and likely is a better fit in the bullpen. Paddack may return in 2024 as a potential #5 guy, but he is fighting some serious odds of returning to any relevance as an MLB pitcher. I like these pitchers but they need to slide down in their spots. Thus, the Twins could acquire a #2 guy via trade (Lopez or Woodruff) and then it becomes necessary to sign someone to fill the top spot. The competition for a pitcher like Carlos Rodon will be pretty fierce but I'm aboard with a 5/$140M offer to have someone take the pressure off of those younger guys who the Twins hope will develop into the next Bieber or Burnes. Sign both Carlos guys.

We hope that Falvey has a series of conversations seeking some combination of players that would interest Miami to trade Pablo Lopez and/or maybe someone else to the Twins. Miami should sign Nimmo, but that is big bucks and he is often injured. Kepler and Arraez would be a fair return for Lopez. Haniger would be a great pickup after the team has settled c, ss, & sp. He would be decent as a DH/OF. It does seem like the Twins need to keep the DH spot open for Buxton and others in some rotation.

That is ok. Remember, memory is a funny thing. So now you know, no player contract has ever inhibited the Twins from a decision on whether they could or couldn't sign a free agent.

Just so we are all very clear on budgets, the Twins have never been restricted from signing a free agent due to any contracts that were carried on their financial books. If this were to happen, it would be a first and thus using the past as a useful lesson we simply don't have to worry about that concern. This offseason may determine whether the Twins can join those teams fighting for a league championship or whether the team may look to turn toward a new set of core players to be competitive looking several years down the road. The malaise towards the team, as exhibited by soft attendance and viewership numbers in 2022, needs a jolt because there is a significant interest in entertainment in this post Covid time. A fun team combined with the expected faster pace of play due to some new rules in play for 2023 could see a noteworthy rise in interest in the Twins across the region along with a major increase in attendance as well. The time is ripe to draw people towards the Twins. The Twins are not forced to sign Correa or any other specific star attraction but a significant move towards a better on field product is required for 2023. This can be accomplished through trades, the signing of free agents, the maturation of a few players, and/or some unexpected plus contributions from the younger less experienced players currently in the system. Waiting and hoping for a Happ or a Garlick to lead the Twins forward will not cut it and I'm quite positive that the front office is aware of this. I'm not interested in decent offers or "we had some conversations with a number of teams". The Twins need a new identity - more athletic, sound fundamentally, and aggressive.

Not at those salaries - no. It is always good to look around at who may be available and also useful and all of these athletes are good ball players, but the Twins have a set of priorities that moves these guys off of any wish list.

Not too keen on most of the RH bat choices, but Mitch Haniger is worth a shot on a higher one year salary ($14M). The free agent market has three shortstops and a few pitchers, unless one believes Judge can be signed by the Twins. Falvey needs to work the phones and see what is available via the trade route.

There isn't a slot in the cash registers for a $2 dollar bill. I have a small roll to donate. A few of them are old, but I'm not sure where they were hidden.

Yah, I would like to see Varland fill the #5 starting position slot with Winder in the bullpen alongside Maeda, which should help the team with long relief options. People are often forgetting Jovani Moran. He is really good. While i believe the Twins should jettison Pagan (the name is bad luck), Lopez should get another shot despite his late season meltdowns. Contreras, Correa, and Haniger would be a miracle; I like it. Haniger should get around $14 million though. Pollock, May, or Robertson don't seem necessary. Graveman and Singer would be great additions but I'm not sure how the Twins could acquire either guy from divisional rivals.

I agree with TopGun#22 that Larnach may be a key piece to move if his trade value is really as high as BTV seems to think. A move for the pitchers identified or even Murphy from Oakland may be possible (Larnach, Ober, Miller 4 Murphy). I would love to see any of Lopez, Woodruff, or Burnes added. Austin Martin may have had an inconsistent summer but he has the talent to fill multiple roles and could be an upgrade as a multiple position utility player getting 400+ at bats. The Twins need to move more quickly this offseason than they have in the last couple of years.

If 4.7 innings is all you are going to get from your starting staff .... the season is lost. Any collection of arms will break down if they are used too often. Pitchers have various assortments of pitches, with the starting staff usually having 3-5 pitches in their arsenals as opposed to the 1-3 pitches of a reliever. Often a pitcher will not have total command and control of all of their pitches and this is the source of problems for pitchers. A relief pitcher, having fewer pitches, will not be on their game all of the time and using 4-6 relief pitchers per game will eventually expose and weaken any bullpen. The Twins have some decent arms for the pen already on their roster: Duran, Lopez, Thielbar, Moran, Jax, Alcala, Maeda, Henriquez, Sands, Winder, and a few others potentially. They could certainly use an addition but big money for a reliever may not help. The better answer is to push the starters to around a 6 inning average. A free agent and maybe a couple of guys via trade will help the starting staff. Hopefully, our analytic crew has taken note of how Houston and Philadelphia used their starters this year.

The Twins have already trimmed many of the relievers who struggled in 2022. Smeltzer wasn't bad, but not so good as a reliever - gone. Cano, Smith, and Duffey - gone. Pagan - We hope he is dropped. I'm not sold on Fulmer - he is a free agent. Sanchez and Cotton (I liked him) - gone. Megill had ups and downs - likely a minor league (?) deal. That leaves us with Duran, Lopez, Alcala (coming back strong), Thielbar, Moran (underrated), Jax, Maeda (best used as a rp), Winder, Henriquez, Stashak, Sands, and some others from within the system provide more stability imho than what was available going into 2022. I would only look to add one guy and a few others on minor league deals. Focus on starters, shortstop, catcher, and a RH of bat.

I watched Julien hit quite often this past year and he has improved tremendously. i think he will be a better bat than Miranda was this past year for Minnesota. Julien can also steal a base and is a savvy base-runner. Of every minot league bat I watched this summer, Julien was the most impressive. He has begun to hunt his pitch even if it comes early in the at bat and fouls off a ton of very tough pitches. Yes, he will strike out but he hits the ball hard and works over a pitcher about as good as anyone. Julien could be ready soon. His glove is not horrid just not above average.

Interesting idea for Lopez. Can we also get Edward Cabrera if we send Arraez and sub in Mahle for Varland?

Nice article. Good luck to this young man. One thing we saw in the playoffs - command and control of your pitches is the ticket.

Last season was somewhat unusual in the usage of starting pitchers, which put a strain on the bullpen. If that strategy is the new norm or even repeated in 2023, then the Twins will likely need to use finances for relief pitchers that should be allocated elsewhere. A decent starting staff stretched out means the current options only need to be buttressed with a number of guys picked up for minimum dollars. Duran and Lopez are fair options on the back end of a bullpen. Jax and Thielbar will be joined by a healthy return from Jorge Alcala and Kenta Maeda, who I believe will be best in a relief role especially early in the year. Jovani Moran is ready for important innings and Guys like Ronnie Henriquez and Josh Winder will be useful in the bullpen too. We might see an effective return of Cody Stashak as well. I'm pretty optimistic about the current arms in the Twins system slated for roles in a bullpen. A few guys out there, like David Robertson, Matt Moore, and Rafael Montero, look interesting but I'm more keen to see improvements at catcher (Murphy) and starting pitcher along with a right handed bat like Haniger.

Gray getting his option picked up was a no brainer. I wouldn't extend him though.

Accepted. I see more or less the same figures yet we really do not have exact numbers. The Twins face somewhat of a challenge due to declining attendance and a general loss of interest in their product. While I'm willing to see what happens at a payroll below $120 million, a jump this year to around $155M that may create interest and improve numbers in seats would be offset by a decrease in payroll in the next 2-3 years as players come off the rolls (Kepler, Gray, Urshela). The main issue is that the team looks stagnant to some extent and I'm hoping for some movement to see a more watchable game from the Twins. FWIW, I don't ever turn away, but maybe I should.

While I agree that trying to win with just free agents doesn't really work, there are reasonable expectations for a salary budget that include a $!60 million number. The Twins are at an interesting point where there are players near ready even as there are others players nearing the end of their time in Minnesota. Players like Jeffers, Kirilloff, Julien, Miranda, Lewis, Larnach, Celestino, Gordon, Martin, Wallner, Lee, Ryan, Ober, Winder, Varland, SWR, Duran, Alcala, Moran, Jax, Henriquez, and maybe more are controlled and inexpensive. Guys like Polanco, Urshela, Kepler, Gray, Maeda, Lopez, and Mahle are potentially in their final year with the Twins. Arraez is inexpensive and could be around for several more years. Only Buxton and Dobnak are signed for more than next season if one declines options. This is an opportunity to explore a few free agents and look at possible trades. I'm ok with a direction that may see budgets decline toward $100 million if the talent level and athleticism is increased along with pushing a more exciting brand of baseball (fundamentals, willingness to advance more than one base at a time, etc.). The Twins could sign a pitcher like Rodon and also add Haniger as well as Correa due to the flexible nature of the next 2-4 years. It will be interesting to see what direction the team takes in the next month.

The Twins are not going to fall into a discount from Carlos Correa. However, there is a chance that Correa signs early and bypasses what may be a frenzy if the Twins offer 8/$300 now.

World Series has ended, offseason begins. Budget: $155-160 million (within reason) Trade for Sean Murphy (OAK) - guessing = Larnach, Ober, Miller, and Festa or Raya Trade for Pablo Lopez (MIA) - unsure = Arraez, Kepler, Mahle, and Cavaco Trades can be tweaked but seem fair. Sign free agents Carlos Correa 8/$300M, Carlos Rodon 5/$135M, Mitch Haniger 1/$10.50M Needs filled: catcher (SM); shortstop (CC); RH of bat (MH); starters (PL & CR); relief (JA & KM return) While I would like Jacob deGrom and Edwin Diaz for $60M, I’ll take Correa and Rodon. Aim high. C: Sean Murphy ($3.90M) 1B: Alex Kirilloff ($0.70M) 2B: Jorge Polanco ($7.50M) 3B: Jose Miranda ($0.75M) SS: Carlos Correa ($35.20M) LF: Nick Gordon ($0.75M) CF: Byron Buxton ($15.15M) RF: Matt Wallner ($0.70M) DH: Mitch Haniger ($10.50M) 4th OF: Gilberto Celestino ($0.70M) Utility: Gio Urshela ($9.20M) Utility: Edouard Julien ($0.70M) Backup C: Ryan Jeffers ($0.70M) SP1: Carlos Rodon ($27.00M) SP2: Pablo Lopez ($5.75M) SP3: Sonny Gray ($12.00M) SP4: Joe Ryan ($0.80M) SP5: Louie Varland ($0.70M) RP: Jhoan Duran ($0.80M) RP: Jorge Lopez ($3.50M) RP: Griffin Jax ($0.70M) RP: Jorge Alcala ($0.90M) RP: Caleb Thielbar ($2.50M) RP: Jovani Moran ($0.70M) RP: Josh Winder ($0.70M) RP: Kenta Maeda ($3.50M) Payroll is 4.11% over budget