tony&rodney

Correa (#1) or Seager (#2) would be nice but shocking and I have no expectations there will even be any conversations with their agents. Semein (#4), Ray (#10), and Stroman (#11) will be contacted and one of these would be sweet. Stroman might be possible. Similarly, Baez (#12), Marte (#16), and Iglesias (#19) are fits for the Twins and would be excellent signings. The players that seem more likely to be courted are: Rodriguez (#18), Canha (#36), Pineda (#39), and the relief pitchers ( Knebel (#42), Graveman (#43), McHugh (#46)). The free agents I hope to see in a Twins uniform (within reasonable budget) are Marte, Galvis, Adrianza, Rodriguez, Pineda, Iglesias, and Yates. Stroman would be a sleek pickup at the cost of others.

Yes, we have been annoyingly consistent in proposing trades. My initial target, Alcantara, may have outgrown our resources unless Lewis is included in a deal and that doesn't seem likely. I follow and watch the minor leagues too much for my own good and do like the Twins farm system. Prospects are enticing but the reality is that only so many make a difference in MLB. Additionally, I am in favor of improving the athleticism of the roster. I was pumped that the Twins took Kirilloff and Larnach but believe Larnach could bring the Twins pitching which would be more favorable than his own potential contributions. For the same reasons, I targeted Montas for Arraez, Duffey, and a couple more players. I have wondered about a Sano for Lauer trade. Milwaukee and readers may say Sano isn't worth it, but I backed off of that because I can see a real resurgence for Sano despite the frustrations of many Twins fans. Stroman and Ray are delicious ideas, but Rodriguez and Pineda along with two starters gained in trades may be more efficient and effective. So far, I haven't seen any good reasons to believe that some decent trades cannot work. Nevertheless, all of this is dependent on a budget above $115 million and that isn't clear either. This Winter has the potential for one of the most uplifting or deflating off seasons in recent memory because the Twins are at a crucial point between a core in place and a core on the way mixed with a starting pitching lineup that includes exactly zero pitchers with experience. The cherry on top of this enigmatic roster is Byron Buxton. What will happen? Falvey has scribbles on multiple sheets of paper.

The Twins only lose their Round 2 pick by signing a top pick. Any changes to the CBA will likely not be immediate in regards to free agency. For example, if a decision is made to change the years necessary to become a free agent from six to five, those players at five will not suddenly become free agents. The idea of trading for pitching remains important. Miami, Oakland, and Milwaukee are three teams to call, but there are others worth a text too. Miami is trying to sign Alcantara long term and increasingly unlikely to deal him. They want catchers and outfielders. They are set at 2B and 3B. The idea is correct however. Maybe a spin for Meyer would work. I had suggested a trade of Larnach, Jeffers, Sands, Celestino, and Lewis for Alcantara and Meyer. Miami says no, so try to pry away Meyer and Cabrera for TL, RJ, GC, Vallimont, and Cavaco. This may not work, but there should be trades available in time. Maybe the Reds are willing too. I like the idea of Ray, Stroman, Gray, and Rodriguez. It may be very difficult to outbid other teams. I expect Stroman to get $22-25, and Rodriguez to get $15. Ray may get $27, and Gray $15. This will all be hard for budgets. We shall see. The Braves (Liberty) published their Quarter 3 numbers and it is an interesting glance into baseball economics.

I guess what one does with Josh Donaldson depends on their specific goals. JD had a good year and we can speculate plenty about his age and calves. He is getting older every day and there are legitimate concerns about his legs too. By the way, we can say the exact same thing about Luis Arraez. In any case, JD is among the top three batters for the Twins and expecting that production to be replaced is not very easy, simple, or guaranteed. I'm happy the Twins signed Josh Donaldson and look forward to him playing for the team again next year because I like to watch good baseball players.

The only people who do not consider Joe Mauer a lock for the HoF are Twins fans who had a misunderstanding of his contract and felt betrayed by the concussions. **** happens and Mauer was about as tough as they come in sports. If I had a dollar for every time I read a comment from baseball fans across the country making derisive statements about the Twins fans lack of appreciation for Mauer, I could buy the most expensive truck on the market. Mauer, Posey, and Molina should all be members in the HoF by the end of the decade.

Miley may have had some injury issues. His season ended with some tough outings. Did the Twins have a chance to gain medical knowledge concerning Miley? A trade of someone like Lewis Thorpe might have been possible. We will never know. The Cotton pick is decent and normal activity this time of year. Hopefully, he does not block others. Teams look to "hit" on one claim each year.

This does seem like a reason to be cautious when discussing who the Twins might sign as free agents. When one builds a roster for $120-150 million, there appears to be room for a high dollar signing. Yet the past practices of the team has been to seek out "bargains". Often there are reports that the Twins are interested in a player and made an offer, but said player signs with a different team and then we read about various and sundry reasons, etc. We shall see if this habit continues.

Yes, both Joe Mauer and Buster Posey belong in the Baseball Hall of Fame. They dominated their position more than players such as Derek Jeter and many others ruled over their spots for their careers. I don't even think it should be close or a long discussion either; Mauer and Posey were clearly outstanding catchers for a significant time Catching cannot be compared to any other position in value. The rigors of the position and the enormous toll on the body are intense. Anyone who has caught one hundred games in a year can attest to the damage. The standards for longevity clearly are separate for a catcher. Yadier Molina has had a miraculous career and will also likely go into the Baseball Hall of Fame at some point. As amazing as Molina has been, both Mauer and Posey rank above him in lists of the great catchers. Jay Jaffe, who writes for Fangraphs, has a number of articles on Mauer and one on Posey just this week. The Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins and the New York/San Francisco Giants franchises have been around for a long, long time. Mauer and Posey stand on top in those histories at their position. The fans were extremely lucky to have been witnesses to their careers.

This would be rare. I wonder if a team would allow the Twins to negotiate with a player with only one year left and attempt to gain additional years before completing a trade. It does happen from time to time and that may be one avenue to pursue. It can't hurt to ask. Oakland doesn't seem interested in extending their expensive players, so this may be a rational route.

I'm not sure if the idea is silly. Wallner crushes the ball but projects as a DH mostly with decent possibilities in RF. Canterino and Enlow are solid prospects but appear to be behind a slew of other prospects and the Twins may make trades to bring in others as well. I wouldn't make this trade because i would use these players plus others to shoot higher, Frankie Montas. That may be silly too. In any event the Twins need some pitchers and all ideas need to be considered.

This was a surprise to me. I get that the Reds needed to trim costs but Miley was pretty good last year. Is it possible there was an injury that looked worse than we knew? He did miss some time late in the season and didn't finish strong. The Reds are confusing.

Miley would have been good as would Gray. This is a interesting post. I prefer to dangle Larnach and Jeffers to Miami and Arraez plus others to Oakland, but Falvey has options this year. We shall see...

You are correct and i do not worry at all about how people rank a team's prospects. I cannot find the quote (sorry), but a Marlins official specifically stated that Perez is their most highly thought of prospect, one they will keep. Either way, I love the suggestion by Mahlke and have wanted the Twins to take a chance on a trade with the Marlins for two years. Alcatara was my goal, but I'm good to shift to other pitchers. Any one or better two of Meyer, Perez, or Cabrera would look good at Target Field.

Seth, thank you for these interviews. You did a really good job of making your young guest comfortable and kept your discussion friendly and appropriate in time. The players are sure to love the exposure. Simeon Woods-Richardson was a hoot; loved it.

Agree, except BA and the Marlins have him as their number one prospect. I thought about how the Marlins might part with Perez but the Twins don't have enough to get him. Meyer is possibly available for Jeffers and Larnach. Excellent job by Andrew Mahlke to make the suggestion.

Sad. Done.

The explanations are solid and you also do a fine job of telling us how this plays out going forward. Rodon is a beast if he can stay healthy and I believe he will. My only concern is how Buxton will manage to cover the outfield with Larnach and Rooker watching. Embree is an interesting add; good.

This is a decent one year option perhaps. Miley is a solid pitcher. The Reds may want more, but I don't have any idea what they want right now. My focus in trades has been to overpay for arms that still have a few years left before free agency. The CBA really needs to be worked out before 2022 or baseball will be in a pickle.

Nearly every plan mentioned thus far is a retool, not a rebuild. You seem to focus on a 2-3 year path and this may be what Falvey has planned as well. The conversations on TD are mostly aimed for just 2022 at @$120-135 million as a budget, but do consider that the rosters are reasonable going past next year as well. I have yet to see a plan that goes all in for just 2022, largely because we are constricted from a budget of $170 million or so. Your stance is fine but pushes a new direction. Most of us actually like most of the Twins players and prospects but I, for one, believe there is too much redundancy and also would like to see an improvement in defense and speed (athleticism). Thus, some people would advocate for trades for pitchers who still have 2-4 years left of contract control, according to the current CBA ( a potential boondoggle). Ryan and Ober are ok and Winder, Duran, Balozavic should also see some time at the MLB level next season. I like the prospects but they are not as highly ranked nationally as some other organizations' young pitchers (Detroit, KC). We would be very pleased to get 50-75 starts from our group and I advocate to use some of these guys in relief initially. This leaves nearly 100 starts to fill. A free agent, maybe two could be signed. Trades seem a reasonable course of action as well.

Stroman makes the most sense because of his durability and athleticism at 5/$20 million, but the Twins may be reluctant to go that high and it is likely another team is willing to go considerably higher. Rodon or Syndergaard are risky and would likely cost our Round 2 draft pick in addition to a pile of cash. The Twins are in a tough place and will lose 90 or more games with a rotation of FA, Pineda/Cobb, Dobnak, Ryan, and Ober. This, in turn, may cost any chance of signing Buxton - who knows. At that point we are developing starters at the MLB level and going into a rebuilding phase. This may be one idea. I'm not sure what tolerance Minnesota fans have for another rebuild. That leaves trading, if the Twins plan on a season of competitive baseball. Risks need to be taken in trades and a few teams stand out as fair partners for possible trades: Miami, Oakland, and Milwaukee. There are other opportunities as well. The targets should be pitchers who have three years or more left before free agency and these trades will costs the Twins some prospects and current roster players. Falvey does seem risk adverse but he will look to avenues where there is a solid chance for improving the on field baseball team for 2022. Cobb or Pineda are solid choices to add as #4 starters and may even be pushed as #3 starters with two really good pitchers both above and below them.

Tom, I like the work you do both with your videos and writing about the Twins and thank you. Alex Cobb may have a few good years left in him, but he is almost a #4 pitcher, similar to Michael Pineda. Perhaps the Twins can live with a bottom of the rotation pitcher sitting in the middle, but I will pass unless it is for less than $8 million. There are several trade opportunities out there and other free agents that would look better in a Twins uniform. Falvey has an interesting few months ahead of him.

The Twins and Cardinals don't seem to match up. It seems like the goal was to use BTV to find a good starting pitcher, thus the LA for JF swap idea. As such I think the trade idea was sound. BTV has very limited usefulness. It is worth a look for comparison sake. I'm a Twins fan and there is no way that the Cardinals accept that trade, although it sure would be sweet for the Twins.

Yes, I agree theoretically. My thinking is that the top shortstops are out of reach for the Twins, although i do have a plan with either Correa or Seager. Mondesi is a stretch and I would not give up too much for him. Galvis or a similar defensive-minded shortstop are more likely possible. Marte allows for a much tighter outfield defense, which I believe to be increasingly important, and this is a reason to also pick up Mark Canha. Buxton is the key and then some trades, but defense and athleticism needs to be improved in my opinion. We are also trying to keep close to $130 million as a budget.

Good question - so sign Starling Marte and Ehire Adrianza as insurance, with Marte in LF initially.

Stewart, Gordon, and Jay were all poor picks as was the recent pick of Cavaco. Nevertheless, the MLB draft is a difficult gamble and I wouldn't lose too much sleep over the fails. Every team has some luck. The Angels had two picks together late in the first round and their second choice was Mike Trout.