tony&rodney

Celestino had to be crushed at his brutal initiation to MLB. As noted, he was pushed to that tough experience after very little prior exposure to high level pitching. What is really impressive is how resilient Celestino was when he played for the Saints. He had an excellent finish to the year and baseball is all about confidence, adjustments, and dealing with failure to proceed to success. The Twins are likely quite pleased with his progress.

Thank you for the interesting interview. Varland, like all young pitchers, will need to improve command and control of all of his pitches to continue moving forward with success. The huge season he just had gives him a leg up because his stuff played and he built confidence that his work will pay off in the games. Confidence can be a huge boost to an athlete and getting accolades acknowledges that a player has been on top of their game. I hope he can be just as good in AA and AAA next season. The ice fishing comment cracked me up.

Yes, I agree the A's are not interested in a catcher. They want infielders and sluggers. I'm not sure what to add to Arraez and Rooker, but would give Duffey, maybe Dobnak and a minor leaguer like Steer or Cavaco. The idea we agree on - add pitching. I looked at the trade value site months ago but while it has some value the GM's almost certainly have totally different views on players. Garver is the perfect example. While I really think Jeffers will improve, Garver is clearly a better player for now and the next two to three years. The Twins could strike early with a few trades like what we hope to see and even overpay if necessary to complete the deals. Buxton's contract, however, is a key and may put a hold on things. I'm afraid if the Twins need to trade Byron that they might find it difficult to return the value they need from losing his talent. The Twins would need to allow teams an opportunity to talk contract with BB to increase his value. Hopefully the Twins are on this right now because getting resolution is not too important for the player but is crucial for the team.

The decision to pay big bucks for a free agent is arguably more difficult for a team on a budget below $160 million. The Twins do have significant dollars into Donaldson and must settle their Buxton conundrum. However, I will suggest that making a few aggressive trades for pitchers like Sandy Alcantara, who we will need to overpay for, creates some room to delve into the shortstop market. While Donaldson, Buxton, Correa, Kepler, Sano, Polanco, and Rogers tip out at near $105 million, the Twins could field a team at less than $150 million with some savvy trades. Signing a shortstop can be done and there is not a true shortstop in sight at this point. If the Twins cannot sign Byron Buxton, perhaps a trade could return a shortstop. We shall see, but I'm good with a good shortstop.

We are picking teams ... you can pick Simmons, I'll take Correa. We can just agree that our preferences are different.

This all depends on the Buxton situation, so we can all relax until then. Hopefully, the Twins can still make some trades though.

The $27 million per year on Seager sounds close but the years might escalate to six, seven, eight. Correa and Seager are elite players. The Twins must solve the Buxton contract situation before November because it determines where the budget and team go this offseason. I'm down for Correa at 7/$210 in the right roster build.

Garver is the best of the three and I would hazard a guess that other teams put a higher value on Garver than Jeffers. The hope is that the Twins are better next year, at least above .500 and hopefully in a dead heat for the AL Central lead. In order to improve the team needs starting pitching. Miami and Oakland seem to be two possible trade partners and I'm looking at Alcantar and Meyers from Miami and Montas or Bassitt from Oakland. The question is what do the other teams need and want. Garver, Larnach, Sands, + for Alcantara and Meyers? If the Twins can settle the Buxton contract, then Celestino or others to sweeten the deal? Miami fans are suggesting Lopez for Abrams and Campusino from San Diego. It all gets a little crazy as we play with who would benefit our Twins and what players would be attractive to another team from the Twins roster. Garver is a good player and worth keeping, but at some point the Twins need to attempt to gain a pitcher. If Miami prefers Jeffers, who I believe will improve next year and beyond, then substitute Jeffers in the trade. Lastly, Rortvedt is the best defensive catcher of the three and he can make some adjustments at the plate. He is a mighty strong dude and seems to want to crush everything. A little experience, manage the swing, and he can become a decent hitter, in my opinion.

Story would be a good "get", but Correa is the best shortstop. I loved Simmons as a shortstop ... three years ago. There is no comparison between Simmons of 2021 and Correa of 2021, defensively. Simmons had a terrific career -it is over for him. The Twins need to make a decision whether to go after a shortstop or not.

chpettit19 has solid arguments regarding how the Twins could move towards their next roster. It seems, to most people, that a resolution to a contract for Byron Buxton takes precedence over the offseason and this seems both necessary and unfortunate at the same time. Unless the Twins meet Buxton's price there won't be a quick decision and this may slow down the other moves needed to rectify an unbalanced roster. Another factor is the budget. A $100 million roster will look quite a bit different than a $135-145 million team. At some point the Twins need to push Duran, Winder, Balazovic, SWR, and Canterino forward, although I do agree their developments have been handled well thus far. We can hope that these pitchers fill in next year where Thorpe and others were to help this past season. The Twins can make two or three trades for decent starting pitchers and sign a free agent, maybe even Pineda, as well as find a solid reliever. The trick will be in finding a trading partner. The Twins need a shortstop and while I do not expect they will be in on the top players (Correa, Seager, Semien, Baez, Story), they can if they choose. This is where I agree, sign a shorstop with Polanco and Buxtonthe Twins are strong in the middle. To support a big signing the Twins need good pitchers and this is where the trades come into play. I'm dangling Garver (because he is desirable), Arraez, Larnach, Sano, Kepler, Rooker, Duffey, and even perhaps a promising prospect such as Lewis, Martin, Miranda, and Celestino. In no way I am suggesting trading nearly all of these players but want to discover what teams have an interest in our players to return some starting pitching. The free agent pitchers will not be as good of a value as a Correa. There are many variables and pieces to move around to fit within a fair budget - say @$140 million.

Chargois is a good example of the struggles of a pitcher with velocity. Injuries and command issues can lead to doubt and it is tough to pitch without confidence. Managers need to pick their spots in how they show faith in a player, which is complicated.

I'm a Twins fan and have supported the team since they came to Minnesota. I do not have many criticisms of the current management team. They all have baseball backgrounds and knowledge. It is not understandable to me that anyone who believes themselves a baseball fan could take such a misplaced view of baseball acumen in criticism of Molitor. He is generally regarded by baseball players and insiders as among the most knowledgable persons in the sport in the last half century. Terry Ryan is still regarded as a top baseball man. I'm not suggesting that Ryan and Molitor should still be in their former positions but they had way more experience and knowledge than our current management folk. Change happens and it is fine, but the denigration of the former guys isn't just unnecessary, it is not accurate. It comes off as angry ill-informed opinion. Baldelli does a decent job and the Falvine duo get another opportunity this offseason to build a better baseball team. I think they will try hard to accomplish this feat and will listen and watch as next season plays out. I too am rooting for our current decision-makers to succeed.

This is the exact truth. I was happy to see the Twins get Odorizzi, but it doesn't seem to be the best strategy to hope for good luck. The Twins need to be aggressive and perhaps even overpay if they want strong pitchers in a trade or free agency. Buxton would be the only huge loss and he has missed so many games it can be argued that the team already plays without him. The Twins should sign Buxton and Polanco is the team's MVP and Donaldson has a big contract, but any move that makes the team better needs to be completed. Trades will determine whether the Twins can turn the corner because they do not have enough right now.

So it seems there is agreement that keeping the team's roster static is not an option, but there are many variations of how to add and subtract for next year. In my opinion, management has to decide on Byron Buxton as soon as possible. The Twins need pitching pretty badly. I'm thinking two trades and at least one free agent for the starting staff and a couple of relief pitchers as well. In order to accomplish a goal of rebuilding for next year as Falvey has stated every Twin in their system is available to be traded. A few Twins could be wearing new threads next year. I don't believe there is an untouchable player in the system.

I don't think competing in 2022 is an achievable goal Does Falvey and Pohlad believe that competing in 2022 is doable - those are the guys who need to believe. All we can do is think about the possibilities and wait until the decisions are made. The Twins have a chance to compete but action will need to occur on both the trading front and within the free agent market.

A good pitcher is the single most important need for the Twins. In fact, they need three starters and likely two relievers. The shocking reality is that this offseason there is a real opportunity to actually complete those necessary additions. What is going to hurt is the pieces given up in a few trades, but as Linus has already stated, "you have to give something valuable up."

The development of Jorge Alcala was a pleasant part of the 2021 season; there are always some positives in a disappointing year. Alcala should be in ink for the bullpen going into next season.

Garver or Jeffers, Larnach, Celestino, Sands, and Dobnak for Alcantara and Meyer. A ton to give, but pitching - well, the Twins need pitching.

Hmm? Odd timing seemingly which leads to further speculation. Was the move necessary this week?

Winning? The Twins need three starting pitchers better than Michael Pineda, a couple of relief pitchers, a shortstop, and a leftfielder. While I would welcome Big Mike back, there is a ton of more pressing trades/signings needed if the Twins want to be above .500.

Fine post. One quibble is that past milb players within the Twins system have also received great attention and high marks by fans. Willie Banks anyone? Going way back -Willie Norwood. Prospects are exciting but each 5-10 year stretch seems to forget that the road to the The Show is strewn with high velocity arms and can't miss sluggers (Michael Restovich). Baseball is a tough business from the players' side.

I'm a big fan of Big Mike and do not miss his starts. Like i said previously, I love his quirks and how effective he often is as a pitcher. However, I respectfully disagree with your assessment and feel Pineda is best seen as a #4. I would love to see him return next year in that role.

Rooker hits the ball hard and I'm hoping another team feels they would like him in their lineup. Rooker is pretty rough in the outfield and may be most valuable as a third or fourth piece in a trade for a pitcher. Still, Brent Rooker is a player that is worth a roster position and certainly should be on a 40 man list. He is still developing and gaining experience and his past indicates improvement over time.

Nick, thank you.

The Twins finished on a positive note - that is a good thing.