tony&rodney

This depends on the trade. I think it is fair to say that we don't really know the Twins plans or what other teams desire in any trade. A couple of players mentioned are worth a quick kick though. Mondesi for Duffey might be amenable or maybe the Twins add a prospect in the 40-50 range. Walls for Duffey and Woods-Richardson hurts enough. DeJong for Cavaco? These are examples, not necessarily recommendations, but the trade market is out there, especially for pitchers. You are correct, the Twins would need to give up something to get something.

Nick, you have written a post well worth consideration and you also presented the reasons for such a decision. It seemed clear to me that you also like Polanco at second base, but are suggesting that if the Twins are not moving on trades and set with their lineup, then Polanco back to shortstop is an option. This doesn't sound too controversial really because it uses the current roster resources to field the best team. Currently, about a third of plate appearances result in a walk or a strikeout. The average team hits line drives about 20% of the time when the ball is hit and the best ratio of fly balls to ground balls is about even. Thus, a shortstop today, while still clearly a very important position, does not influence the outcome of a game as much as they once did in the past. Why won't the Twins sign Correa or Story? I guess we know the answer. Most agree that Polanco seems more comfortable at second base. What position does Jorge prefer? Is it clear from a medical perspective that his ankle issues were due to playing shortstop? These might be important considerations in determining whether to move Polanco back to shortstop. I think most people agree that Jorge is better at second base than Luis and that a really good shortstop option not currently on the roster would be preferable. Nevertheless, the reduced number of chances from a traditional shortstop fielding position due to shifts and greater fly ball rates and increased strike out rates make the move reasonable. The opinions differ on what to do, naturally. There aren't that many options really. Correa, Story - not likely. Gordon, Palacios - risky proposition to consider, but maybe. Trades - likely the best option but tricky. The trade route may bring DeJong, Walls, or Mondesi. Simmons, Inglesias, other tired vets - the worst options. The Twins backed themselves into this position and when all things are considered it is not the worst option to return Polanco to shortstop although I do not advocate this nor want it to happen. But, what do I know? I had proposed last Fall that the Twins needed to upgrade their defense in left field with Starling Marte as well as bringing in a new shortstop and believed that a $140 million budget was possible. I also wanted to trade for starting pitchers (Montas). Now I'm searching to complete the team at around $100-115 million. If Polaco prefers shortstop and the doctors are on board with the move as not an issue for injuries and the Twins aren't going to trade players then moving Polanco to short and Arraez back to second could work because they would hit enough to obscure their less than stellar defense. The post is realistic despite our other wishes.

Tovar has passed away.

Pressly has been good for the Astros. There is no guarantee that he would have pitched as well with the Twins. Alcala looked really tough in the last part of 2021 and seems poised to step forward to lead the bullpen. Finally, despite a difficult introduction to MLB last year, Celestino showed resilience and talent in St. Paul. The Twins only need him to be a pesky 4th outfielder, not a starter. I feel good about this trade.

Well, there many options and different directions for the Twins to go coming out of the lockout. Perhaps the team is short on money and wants to keep the rostered squad around $100 million. I have no idea. c) Ryan Jeffers & Ben Rortvedt 1B) Alex Kirilloff 2B) Jorge Polanco 3B) Josh Donaldson SS) Taylor Walls LF) Joc Pederson CF) Byron Buxton RF) Max Kepler DH) Miguel Sano Others) Jose Miranda, Nick Gordon, and Kyle Garlick SP) Chris Bassitt, Frankie Montas, Edward Cabrera, Bailey Ober, Joe Ryan, and Kenta Maeda (IL) RP) Rogers, Bundy, Thielbar, Jharel Cotton, Moran, Alcala, Jax, Thorpe, Colome (option declined) Is this my preferred team? No. But it comes in below $100 million and is better than the current roster. Prospects still in milb: Lewis, Martin, Wallner, Urbina, Miller, Rodriguez, Sabato, Palacios and Balazovic, Canterino, Winder, Sands, Petty, Enlow, Raya, Varland, Povich, Hajier. A budget of $140 million changes the calculus quite a bit, but this keeps prospects and saves Pohlad $SS.

Even me, I want Kepler to make some adjustments to become the AL All Star RF. Nevertheless, Max is a really good player for the Twins. If you watch every at bat and every play you will suffer through the frustration of feeling that he could make a few changes to be a more effective offensive force. Then you watch him run the bases and play in the outfield and you wonder who could be an improvement. Kepler is underrated in my opinion.

A few points to make: 1. Arraez is a really good mlb hitter; 2. Arraez is not a DH, SS, or LF by any stretch; 3. It is ok to have Arraez to back up Polanco, Donaldson, and Miranda; 4. Please, never compare anyone to Rod Carew; 5. Appreciate all attempts to fix the Twins.

The suggestions for additions to the team are always interesting to read. My underlying question concerns the real payroll for 2022. A payroll of $135 million leaves the Twins with about $45+ million to allocate. This leaves room for trades and free agents. However, a final payroll of $90-100 million is certainly plausible. A budget below $110 million limits both trade opportunities and free agent additions. It would be interesting to see what the rosters of people here on TD put together for $100 million. The payroll question goes with the expectations for the 2022 season. It seems that trades, including the pitchers suggested in this post, are subject to the payroll and expectations for next season as currently being planned out by Falvey.

Jeffers has talent and the Twins do have three decent catchers really. I believe Rortvedt is somewhat underrated as a catcher and also think he has some future with a bat as well. It may be best if the Twins cash in the current high value of Jeffers to help acquire some pitching. Jeffers should be a fine MLB player though. Is he a good exchange for someone like Edward Cabrera or Max Meyer? That is what i wonder.

Any stop of play will adversely affect the game and people should remember that most young prospects are not allowed to gain any experience in the minor leagues if they are on the 40 person rosters. The owners want to show power and the PA is misguided in their ideas with raising the luxury tax limits. It is, frankly, shocking that the PA does not focus more on expansion and set wages in years 1-3 at a much higher increased rate of pay than is currently used.

Arraez may interest Miami because Jazz Chisholm would likely be a good CF. San Diego could use a decent leadoff hitter and move Cronenworth to !B. Oakland needs a 2B and leadoff hitter. There are options. I'm ok if Arraez is a utility player (who doesn't play much defense) for the Twins, but the team still needs to add a minimum of two experienced starting pitchers and a shortstop.

Arraez is a very good OBP machine and he doesn't hurt too much playing infield. Rooker has unrealized power potential. They both look about the same in left field and the pitchers aren't happy to see their names penciled in there. Remember that mistakes in the infield are usually one base while two bases is the charge for a miscue in the outfield. Pretty much everyone loves to watch Arraez bat. The issue is that he does not have a position with the Twins. This is a tough situation and why this post has many comments.

Congratulations on completing the minor league report for the Twins current system. The videos and posts were absolutely terrific. The videos put a human touch to the names and one can feel the excitement and energy these prospects direct toward their craft. Many of us spend too much time on our addiction to baseball but you must be really driven to feed us these excellent posts. Finally, I sense that these young players can identify with and respect your love of the game because they have enormous commitment and love for the game as shown by their massive efforts to reach their goals and thus they enjoy the interviews and mentions they receive from your posts. Excellent series and wrap - a big thank you for the content.

Unfortunately, this is the crux of every discussion so far in building a team for 2022 and beyond. They have to rebuild the entire rotation from Opening Day 2021 and while the task is difficult it can still be accomplished through a free agent signing and two trades. I'm not yet prepared for 2-3 seasons of 90+ losses.

Simmons has an interesting past with some spectacular defensive seasons. Walls has a bright future and will never be compared to Simmons as a defensive shortstop. There isn't a single team in baseball today that would choose Simmons over Walls for their 2022 team.

Arraez is a great batsman and he does well enough against lefties too. His tenacity at the plate is awesome and may certainly benefit those who follow him in the batting order. The problem with Arraez is not an issue with his skills but rather the lack of a position right now for him in the lineup. This makes him a prime player to consider when looking to trade with another team. It is unlikely that the Twins would put Polanco out as an option in a trade and Donaldson is not very tradable right now. An aside, Donaldson was really good last year and remains a veritable star player. Maybe the Twins find a way to fill their holes in the pitching staff and then Arraez becomes a good offensive utility player.

Cold weather and we are all making our own hot stoves; it's all good. Nothing has changed, but we did learn something .... maybe. The Twins eschewed pretty much all free agent players. They may be waiting for a better value on a couple of players. We also did not see any trades or even read any real rumors concerning the Twins. Perhaps this is closely tied to the CBA. It is pretty clear that the Twins need pitching. Oh, they also need a shortstop and possibly an outfielder. At this point there still are a few free agents worth signing: Carlos Rodon, Trevor Story, and Michael Conforto. There are a ton of players worth trading for and this is why this post is popular. Luis Arraez leads a host of rostered players that can be used to upgrade the team. Donaldson and Sano can still contribute but it is quite unlikely they return anything in a trade right now. All options need to be on the table, including a few of the pitching prospects. The Miami option as submitted above is a positive move. Bassitt or Manaia are solid options and Montas is a great goal. It is unfortunate that Arraez does not have a clear position with the Twins. Polanco needs to stay at 2B and Miranda covers Donaldson at 3B. Arraez is not a DH or an outfielder. San Diego could use Arraez as could Oakland or Miami, but the bottom line is that the Twins must add at least two pitchers.

Aaron played his first dozen years in Milwaukee and was a beloved player for baseball fans in the Midwest, especially Wisconsin and Milwaukee. This is the obvious explanation but I get your point. The Braves may have moved to Atlanta but Milwaukee never left Aaron.

I always thought it would be cool if the Twins had their own Hall of Fame (like they do), put those numbers up around the stadium (they do), but did not retire the numbers. Maybe then fans could watch player X wearing #6 and patrolling the outfield at Target Field and trying to live up to the number. Nothing real against #82, but I can't relate to that number. I also think former players would like to see someone doing their number proud. Always loved Jim Kaat and very happy for him. Joe Nathan sure did the #36 proud playing for the Twins though too.

Polanco as a comparison is a wonderful compliment. Jorge is underrated imho. It is amazing to think about the journey these Latin players face on their efforts to reach the major leagues.

I'm not sure what you are trying to point out or respond to. The players, numbers, and who are all easily looked up and I am aware of each. I wonder if I could have been more clear in what caution I was attempting to convey. Prospect lists are constantly evolving and when someone is reluctant to use any prospects as members in trade for current MLB players because of the potential value of the prospects, there needs to be some understanding of the difficulty of finding success in The Show. Currently, the Twins have a number of pitching prospects and the posts on Twins Daily are overwhelmingly opposed to trading any of these prospects for current MLB pitchers on expiring or two years left contracts. My original comment was just an fyi that there needs to be an awareness and caution to the value of pitching prospects. Prospects that play the field are a different discussion. One can look at a number of years to see the past valuations of pitching prospects. The link you provided is one good example. This was a particularly strong prospect list and delivered a star, Jose Berrios. The Twins also had very high hopes for Tyler Jay, Kohl Stewart, Stephen Gonsalves, Alex Meyer, and Lewis Thorpe to be in their rotation for years and the relief pitching prospects were especially highly thought of and many are still pitching. This particular year was filled with high end prospects, arguably the best of any recent prospect lists. I have wondered whether it is best practice to place so much future planning on just the pitching prospects and wonder if the Twins might consider the use of some of these prospects to trade for current MLB players. An example where this was done was the trade of Brusdar Graterol for Kenta Maeda. Along the same lines, while I have followed the Twins pitching prospects closely and am excited to see a few of them get experience this year, I am in favor of attempting to trade for two experienced MLB pitchers such as Chris Bassit and Frankie Montas. Of course there are other experienced names to consider. This would necessitate a decision on trading two or three pitching prospects. While none of the Twins current prospects are currently rated as highly as Jose Berrios and others were from the 2016 list, a few of them will be good MLB pitchers. The reality is that all of them will not be stars and it seems prudent to use the strength of the current system to help the Twins current roster with just a couple of trades. It is always a risk to trade prospects but when one considers the value in 2016 of the Twins pitching prospects it seems that taking a few risks then may have paid off handsomely. It could now too or it may not; it is a risk for sure.

.... was only referring to past pitching prospects. This was just a note to mention that the Twins have had many pitching prospects through the years, but it is a tough road to be a MLB pitcher. We can look at past lists and see which pitchers made it and then be hopeful yet realistic concerning the current set of prospects.

Great story. Both Taylor and Tyler are fun to watch pitch. I hope they can keep their success going this season.

Sano, Kirilloff, Donaldson, Arraez, Garver, Miranda, Rooker - it's pretty crowded at DH and the corner infield spots. The DH in the NL may create an interest in Sano and there should certainly be some conversations taking place, but Sano is likely to be at first base on Opening Day. That is, he will be if a CBA gets signed. It sure seems like just yesterday the Twins were excited by a power hitting shortstop who might need to move to third base, but would crush home runs and hit for average. Now it's down to the last time or one more chance for the big guy. I'm still hopeful.

This is not about money for the owners, it is about power. Any owner can produce a budget that reflects income minus costs to leave the bottom line reasonably close to their desired line. If certain owners feel that the business of baseball ownership is not worth their investment they could sell their position in a heartbeat. If the owners feel as a group that there needs to be some sharing of economic resources for a common purpose, they need to work those details out within their consortium of MLB owners. The PA has a concern for those players whose careers are still worthy due to production who are set aside for players working at the minimum salary. The idea of a franchise tanking does not sit well with the PA even as it offers economic benefits and a chance to regroup to an owner. The minimum wage players also offer a chance for improved production in the future, but this comes at a short term cost of less competitive baseball, in some views. Their other concerns are mostly undefined. A shortened time, perhaps small, before arbitration and a year less of control should create some movement in bargaining. I wonder if the PA might consider a significant raise in the initial three years of team control as a benefit for their members. A prolonged work stoppage and the interruption of the MLB season will cost both sides, but be particularly difficult for those players whose careers are short. The system currently in place cannot just be blown up and looking to other professional leagues is problematic at best. The PA should be focused on the average salary rising at a commensurate level with baseball's growth in revenues and owners should be focused on the growth of their investment through attendance and fan participation (media). Currently, it seems, both sides are looking past each other and seem short-sighted in regards to growing baseball as a product. As just one example, I would think that the PA would be interested in seeing MLB expand by two teams in the near future. Two additional markets would also benefit the owners. In any event, if the two sides are actually interested in a quick resolution there is ample time for discussion and a host of ideas to exchange to resolve the current chasm. The importance of peace seems particularly important in light of 2020 and the lost participation of fans due to Covid. Any significant further loss of games will find a wider public populace increasingly comfortable with their own summer activities that do not include MLB. It is much easier to find something to do on a beautiful summer evening than during the cold darkness of a January night.