tony&rodney

My thoughts exactly. I put my crazy ideas in the Offseason Live Replay: Twins Offseason Blueprints comments section. Despite having Rosario lined up fourth on the list of Eddie or Miguel or Byron or Max, I kept Eddie Rosario.

Love the ideas and different iterations of the 2021 Twins team. I run through my own, especially as a means to stay away from the political morass and Covid downers. It is a form of entertainment to look through the stat columns and team needs and wonder where deals can or cannot be made. My craziest ideas involved a series of trades, losing some of my favorite Twins. I traded Max Kepler plus a few minor leaguers for Brandon Woodruff from Milwaukee; Miguel Sano for Max Meyer from Miami; and Jose Berrios, Mitch Garver, Lewis Thorpe, Cole Sands, and Jack Cave for Luis Patino and MacKenzie Gore from San Diego. Finally, I liked the trade for Ketel Marte suggested on a previous Offseason Live. My budget comes in just below $130 million. SP = Kenta Maeda, Brandon Woodruff, Michael Pineda, Luis Pineda and a rookie. The rookie can be either one of Mackenzie Gore or/and Jhoan Duran. RP = Liam Hendriks, Rogers, Duffey, Wisler, Alcala, Stashak, Theilbar, and Colina. C = Realmuto; 1B = Kirilloff; 2B = Arraez; 3B = Donaldson; SS = Polanco, LF = Rosario; CF = Buxton; RF = Larnach, DH = Rooker; bc = Jeffers; utility1 = Marte; utility2 = Lewis; 13th player = ?/Astudillo. Total is near $125 million. I signed two free agents: Liam Hendriks is my first choice for 3/$42 m. and then my unlikely signing is J.T. Realmuto for 5/$125 m. I also want Tyler Clippard to return. I, too, had fun listening to the podcast. Thank you for doing these and keeping our moods light.

"It is fun to see this ranking and I will look for other outsider views this off season. But my take away from this is that we have a good team with a lot of players ranked in the middle at their position, but other than Cruz and potential Donaldson we do not have the superstars that the great teams have. We have no one on a HOF track." from mikelink45 First, this might be a strong argument for inserting at least one (or two) of the youth into the lineup next season. Secondly, this can also be an argument for signing a significant FA, which would require some shifting of personnel to accommodate the budget. Finally, do the Twins make a couple of dramatic trades in an attempt to jump past their obstacle of first round playoff losses?

Remember these all quite clearly. Debates raged about college players and flame throwing high school pitchers. The one that really hurt, because it seemed the available information was present, was choosing Tyler Jay. From my couch I preferred Buehler and then Benintendi. My third choice was McKenzie. Still, what did I know? A little video, game reports, watching a few games, and blogs were my only sources. Terry Ryan spoke at a coaches' clinic at St. Olaf's College every winter and it was understood that anything he said was kept among us. He also brought along a young player each year. The most cocky, and funny, but also well spoken was A.J Pierzsinski. Ryan was always real direct. His baseball knowledge was beyond compare as was his integrity. Terry Ryan is a gentleman in all respects; the consummate baseball man, respected by all across the league. Something about the baseball draft swings wildly for many teams, back and forth, from success to failure. The 2012 draft brought Byron Buxton and every single team in baseball would have taken him that year. Lately, the Twins have taken a number of DH/!B/corner OF types. Once again, only the future will exonerate or refute these decisions. One thing I am confident of - Ryan and Falvine and their team of scouts and talent evaluators are more knowledgable than me.

We are looking for a shoehorn. Cruz, Sano, Rosario, Buxton, Kepler, Rooker, Kirilloff, and Larnach. Cave is a viable OF too. The Twins have five positions to allocate, a budget to consider, and two players too many. The idea of stashing Rooker, Kirilloff, and Larnach in the minor leagues no longer seems like a structurally sound plan. While only the Twins internal talent evaluations count, we have seen both Rooker and Kirilloff swing a bat already and Larnach is not a secret. Eddie Rosario has been a clear contributor for the Twins and I have not seen any dramatic changes to his talent. A three year offer to Eddie is a path forward for the Twins, as is a consideration of using him more often as a DH. This will be a tough winter for Falvine as they work through all of the roster possibilities. No matter what direction the team goes, we will miss the two players left standing when the music stops and the chairs are claimed.

This past season was such an outlier and no minor league games made for a situation which meant that any strong determinations about player development knowledge was kept in house. Was there any way for teams to evaluate the alternate site or fall instructional camp players? I am not aware of that this was happening. One year can be huge in the development of a young player. The excellent interview (thank you Seth) with Brent Rooker hints at some of the opportunities presented at the alternate site. While Rooker was clearly being a gentleman and throwing nods to a number of his fellow youth, his description of the value in seeing multiple reps every day against players who are all considered potential call-ups and have the talent to effectively compete at the MLB level was instructive. This does clearly contrast with a typical minor league experience where there are many players who fill the roster at A, AA, and AAA. One can see this gap any time you go to a minor league baseball game. I can attest to this personally (in the past) having played against players in amateur ball who were recently released from rosters at all levels, including MLB. Some of these guys were sent by their wives/girlfriends to go join a local team just weeks after their release because they were just hanging out too much around the house. My gut instinct leaned toward the Twins choices based on reading Twins Daily and the mlb.com reports. A player like Ober being protected is a sign that the team sees projection now and that there is a reason to suspect that the brain trusts of their competitors have some degree of information to choose Ober in the Rule 5 draft. The Twins likely made their decisions about who would be protected back in October, pending an unexpected trade or other addition. The real action starts on December 2, when teams decide who gets tendered contracts, released, or traded. Despite the prediction of a slow off-season, teams will need to formulate a plan soon and their direction will be a combination of gambles based on projected monies available versus the emerging player markets. The number of Twins players who are in their prime plus those ready to contribute for the first time sets a scenario for a winter of speculation. I'm pretty pleased with the potential of the young guns and am particularly happy that Rortvedt was added now, for exactly the reason that AceWrigley noted above.

Seth, I appreciated the pace and quality of questions. Thank you.

Atlanta is not trading Anderson or Fried, the Dodgers are not trading Buehler, Cleveland isn't trading Bieber, and that means the Twins aren't trading Buxton. If the Indians will swap SB for BB, sure, do it. Otherwise, the Twins are all in on Byron this year.

Odorizzi looks pretty good on Monday afternoon, now that Smily signed for $11 million. Still, it might be prudent to attempt a few free agent signings of the bigger fish first. Quick now may uncover a gem later. Then again, after today the players may be rethinking their worth in the market.

Drew Smily signs with ATL for $11 million and the board gets more interesting. Here are some wandering thoughts on the possibilities of trades and other nonesense. For no particular reason, I am hoarding Kirilloff and Larnach because they are both true bats. Then, in consideration of Nash Walker's industrious proposals, the Ketel Marte trade looks good. Additions to make it happen are possible in my view, including Cave, and ARI may benefit from an infusion of new looks. What is the market for Sano? Whenever the Twins hit, he and Buxton are my two can't miss at bats. Sano is fearsome. Miami might be interested though. Can we pry away Max Meyer? Talk with Rich Hill and Cory Kluber. The Twins need to be careful. Waiting too long may boost the prices of both free agents and trades. Marte gives the Twins great flexibility on both offense and defense. If he might be available there is a definite need. The trade for Woodruff sounds promising but I'm hesitant to deliver Larnach and the Brewers may actually want more players. Profar may be easier to sign but I believe Walker is on to something with Marte.

If Odorizzi is going to cost $12+ million and the Twins are going to stay below $130 million, then a trade or a flyer on a Kluber/Hill combo might make more sense. Totally agree with Odorizzi at $10 million but I believe someone will offer him more money and multiple years. The Twins could use the money towards acquiring a bullpen piece.

Yes, it would be really interesting to see Trevor Larnach line up next summer for the Twins. I think he would mash. Only the Twins brain trust knows the answer to whether these two are ready but watching Larnach swing a bat delivers confidence in his hit tool. One of my iterations includes TL batting 8th, ahead of MG, and following LA-JD-AK-NC-MK-BB-JP. Maybe, just maybe, a gamble on youth but through the years there are players who manage themselves well when tossed into the fray of mlb action. The deciding factor may be how the Twins manage resources in building a better bullpen and add to their starting staff. That and how committed Falvine are to Cruz might well determine if Trevor Larnach gets a shot, waits, or is traded. If we must bid goodbye to Rosario, I'm ready to see Larnach shine. Maybe he will even agree to shave his sorry goatee, or at least add further facial hair.

The suggestions for trades are pretty decent because they each aim to improve the local squad. I like that. It is what i want to see from Falvine; two heads better than one. No matter how we turn this winter the budget will ultimately drive all trades and free agent signings. Like many of the readers, I play with ideas that range from a reduced financial state to an idea of largesse towards contracts. In all scenarios there are good options and the one thing that pains me is to see and hear so much discussion of moving on from those bombs from 2019 in some form or another. Garver, Sano, Cruz, Rosario, and Kepler all took pitchers deep and now more than a few of these players may not wear the Twins colors next summer. The post suggests Story but his contract would push aside several others and reduce our options for the bullpen and starting pitching. Ketel is intriguing but his salary commitment is significant in an area we may have other options. The Woodruff trade seems to be the most likely to fill a real need for MN. I'm not sure the Brewers are interested, however. What if we sent sent Garver instead of Larnach and dropped Hader from the deal? Woodruff would fit in nicely as a #3 pitcher for us. I'm also wondering what is needed to pry Snell away from TB.

Lindor is really good and the Mets do match up well in a trade. Interesting that both Peterson, Rosario, and another (or two) could be the price Cleveland sets, which means that the players the post identifies as of interest to the Twins are now in the other dugout for 19 games a year. Garver is an anomaly right now. In 2019 he was nearly a Mike Piazza who could actually catch, but then came 2020. The Twins have some wealth at catcher and only a real deal will make them listen.

A strong bullpen is important and wouldn't it be nice to have some combo of two of Hendriks/Hand/Rosenthal/May? The post references potential starters, however, and Kluber on an incentive contract makes sense as does the same for Hill. Pass on Paxton (price) or Archer (questions). Either way, it looks like three pitchers are needed. Who will it be?

Count me as an Eddie fan. Good job with the comparisons here and keeping it simple too. I would guess that a detailed look from every possible angle would return similar rankings. The one item that jumps out is games played. Rosario is almost always available. I have nothing to back this up but he seems to play through injuries better than others, and i am not advocating for playing while injured at all. Sometimes Eddie played when the other options didn't exist. I am wondering, like everyone else, how the team will handle roster decisions this winter. It does seem like one spot should be available for the youth, but any number of shifts can take place from trades to inability to resign Cruz. Eddie Rosario is an exciting ballplayer and I would love to see him rake again next summer.

Speaking solely for myself-I'm just a baseball fan. There may well be significant obstacles that present themselves next Spring, but for now I'm a hopeless optimist making that leap of faith. The only reasoning behind any of my simple suggestions is towards improving the Twins roster. Additionally, I do believe that management can see some potential in reaching high. One year ago, nearly everyone protested any consideration of Josh Donaldson. The Twins signed JD. Then Covid happened to mess up the entire year. As this year draws to a close there is a distinct possibility of next summer being a good one for baseball fans and owners. The Twins have bank, as much as any team, and their careful negotiations over the years have placed them in a positive position to act aggressively this winter. The money is there and we get to speculate whether the purse will be tightened or loosened. Baseball keeps their books totally private and all attempts by bloggers to assign values are mere guesses. The formula for making money remains producing a product that many will want to consume. There are bound to be a few owners who see the pent-up demand for baseball next summer as an opportunity. I'm hoping one of those owners is a Pohlad.

We all seem to agree that the uncertainty of the schedule will affect the bottom line. For sure there will need to be some sort of negotiated agreement between MLB and MLBPA. If not, all of our thoughts are out the door. The key will be how the owner approach the players. Other leagues manage to meet percentage-based agreements. Why not baseball? In the spirit of positive negotiations and an expected pent-up demand next summer for baseball, my hoped for budget for the Twins is in the $130-140 million range. This number will be lowered through shared loss agreements involving both players and owners if the Covid barriers remain high. If restrictions are lifted by June, then summer baseball will be a cash bonanza. My best guess is that contracts will contain some language related to opportunity to earn based on attendance possibilities and games scheduled. I totally agree with the need to carefully construct a solid bullpen. The pen was pretty strong last year and a strong pen is necessary again in 2021.

Both of the Mets players are interesting to think about and a sicko like myself, following too many minor leaguers, is quite familiar with them. The catch is how to match up on a trade. The Mets have been burned a few times recently and it isn't clear if a utility player and a possible 5th SP are worth much versus the Twins assets. If Garver has value from 2019 the trade options should be better, but as is he has value to the home squad. Still. I enjoyed the write-up and speculative thought; a good read.

I like May and Clippard, but we would almost certainly see statistical improvement from having Hendriks and Hand on our roster. Still, a return of Clippard and May sounds acceptable, sure.

These are all good arguments for many years in Twins history. However, this coming season will be pivotal for the Twins because of the core foundation in their system. If the Twins are not ready to compete with Berrios, Maeda, Rogers, Duffey, Garver, Sano, Polanco, Buxton, Kepler and so forth ... then let them be free agents and field a team at $20 million this year. This winter will be anxiously exciting with the Yankees stewing because they didn't win, the Mets looking to blow wads of cash stupidly, and among the viable teams for the 2021 World Series are the Twins. Decisions about who to fill their roster should be solely based on what makes the team better. The manipulation done with young players will go away with the next CBA because of the shenanigans of the last decade. Kirilloff, Larnach, Rooker, Duran, and others should or should not make the team based solely on if they make the Twins a better team. Same with trades or free agent signings. The window is open now.

Then again, wouldn't Hendriks and Hand nicely complement Rogers and Duffey? The money is there.

Blankenhorn is an athletic guy with a fair stick and will be average defensively. I would like to see him stick. The decision for a player to use as a reserve shortstop comes down to Polanco's recovery from ankle surgery. If the Twins are worried I wonder if Simmons is an option. The return of Adrianza is also a fair plan. Neither of those decisions should get in the way of rostering Blankenhorn. I hope he sticks. The one really important consideration is the timetable or team view on Royce Lewis. The next CBA should dismantle the abuse of holding rookies down and maybe we see Lewis from Day 1 next year, playing 5-6 days per week all across the field. That may hurt the utility role waiting for Travis.

I'm in on a couple of relievers. The Twins need to look hard at Liam Hendriks, Brad Hand, Trevor Rosenthal, and others. Why not? These players will make the team better and that is all i want Twins management to consider. The window for this core is here now and I wonder, how can the brain trust make that happen in 2021?

Liam Hendriks-3/$33. Do it.