tony&rodney

A rotation of many players in the DH position would work. However, we do need to consider whether Cruz still has life. If the answer is yes, sign him back into his slot and if he falls off the Earth there should still be players to rotate in his absence. Signing Cruz is more than just a gesture of thanks for his last two years, but rather a bet on 2021. Sometimes you need to push in.

Yes to a budget that is equal to last Spring, before Covid overtook our world. The demand for entertainment will be high this summer and people will fill the stadium from July to October with a strong team to support. Nash, you proposed a trade for Ketel Marte at one point and I still wonder what this would demand from the Twin's side. I'm guessing that Nelson Cruz would agree to 2/$26, but what do I know. Another item of interest for me is the availability of Royce Lewis as a player to use 5-6 days per week. This year the team really should use a young pitcher as a #5 starting pitcher. I propose Duran or Dobnak with the other in the bullpen. Is there a way to get Lance Lynn for lesser prospects? Many on this site think Lynn is a waste, but he seems to have another year of bullets. I'm fine with Kluber and/or Hill and think Walker might be a bargain, if not a difficult signing. The player I would target above all others is Liam Hendriks; velocity and control is a solid combination. The idea of a budget around $140 million is very feasible and my hope is that the Twins agree, sign and trade for the right players, and make a bundle of profit in 2021 winning it all.

This is a very reasonable take for the next Twins roster. You come in pretty low and favor the owner's pockets and there isn't anything wrong with that position. The analysis of the Atlanta Braves' finances and a few of the contracts handed out thus far indicate there are monies to continue baseball on a financial basis similar to last year before the truncated season. I would expect a budget closer to $135-145 million for the Twins this coming season. Whatever the outcome, I support the Twins and this plan is eminently reasonable.

Mesmerized. We watched Kluber pitch so many games and are entranced, thinking he could be just what the Twins need at less than he was with Cleveland; a signing worth the gamble. I like Kluber. Trevor Rosenthal and Kirby Yates seem like excellent fits but I just love the power/control feature that Hendriks brings to the mound. I'm all in there. A number of options are appealing among swing utility players, but I find myself wondering if a young player like Royce Lewis might thrive playing four or five days per week. One of the struggles of mlb is the length of the season for rookies and having a chance to be sifted into a semi-regular position might be beneficial, especially if there aren't the demands or pressures that accompany the role of a starter.

If someone is among the top ten at their position in the history of the game .... how are they not a sure-fire first-ballot hall of famer? I'm going to defer to Jaffe to argue this one for me. I get really confused why Joe Mauer doesn't get the proper recognition he deserves for his career. No matter what your age, it is unlikely the Twins ever have another catcher in your lifetime that matches his skills and performance level.

Tony Oliva was really my only real hero in life. Thus, zero chance at rational thought about the man. He and Rod Carew came to my school in 1967 and talked with everyone as if we were family; an hour of milling around, pictures, cards handed out, and a two five minute talks. I still remember their genuine kindness and joy of visiting with us kids. Tony is one of those people who anyone can approach and visit. His passion for baseball and more specifically life is a lesson for all. I'm not sure I have ever met or talked with anyone as sweet or kind to the random public who stopped to say hello to him in the days where he sat just below the concourse in the top rows behind home plate at the Metrodome. I sold beer and saw countless people stop and say hello to Tony O. On a number of occasions through the years I asked pitchers who faced Tony Oliva on many occasions in competitive action for their assessment of him as a peer. Without hesitation, each stated that Oliva was easily among the top ten hitters of their era. When I remember the state of medicine in the 1960s and early 1970s, I recall how knee operations differed from the current years. Knees surgery meant being filleted and spending six weeks in bed and a year before reasonable mobility in those times. My trio of knee surgeries in the twenty-first century allowed me to limp home and start rehab in a few days. The accomplishments of Tony Oliva are legendary and the fact of his omission from the Hall of Fame is unfortunate for baseball. Ask Sandy Koufax or any American League pitcher from 1964-1974. I will never forget watching him hit a wicked line drive off of the center field fence at Metropolitan Stadium in his last year and seeing him land on first base, stop, and look to the dugout for the expected pinch runner, and then limp off of the field. Nobody in Twins history has ever hit line drives like Tony O. Nobody.

Jaffe presents the case for anyone to understand and see - Mauer is a first ballot HOF player. Jaffe and Jaws aside, Mauer is a first ballot Hall of Fame inductee. Phenomenal athlete and baseball player, he was underrated by too many.

It would be tough to lose both Rosario and Cruz. I expect Rosario to be tendered, perhaps against the grain of public opinion. My issue with either of the two newly available bats, Renfroe and Nunez, is their Ks and OBP. The Twins have the money and the flexibility to aim higher.

Cool video and you do a good job of stating your cases. My number one choice is Liam Hendriks. 3/$30 million seems a little low but I'll pay it. Bauer is a strong temptation because of how tough he pitches and a team will get innings from him every time out. A few pieces need to move to fit Bauer. If the payroll sits at $145 million, Bauer becomes a match. Walker is a good choice at the named contract. Some interesting ideas and thoughts for discussion.

Maeda is already signed long term. Berrios is not signed long term. The Twins are not looking to sign a player to a long term contract who already has one. There are too many other contracts to consider.

Buxton and Sano for Story and Marquez? Wow. I'm not sure about the Rockies parting with Marquez. Maybe add Dobnak and Thorpe? It would be a big trade, for sure. Maybe a week from now we will all see some crazy trades and signings.

The Twins have options. The Rangers might take a package of 2-3 prospects that do not include our top 6 if we include some decent useful pitchers like Dobnak and Thorpe. We want a stable pitcher on a decent salary and Lynn, Hill, or Kluber could be enough. I want to see Duran or Balazovic in the last SP slot. A key, for me, is an additional reliever. I think Hendriks is worth a chance. Nash Walker's idea of trying to get a deal for Ketel Marte is a potential bonus. If I had one concern for next season it is Polanco's ankle. Athletes often rebound from bad ankle injuries, but those who cannot have recurring issues that diminish their skills. Polanco, when healthy, is underrated in my view. He plays every day and is tough. If he doesn't rebound, the Twins will need to turn to Lewis. Adrianza is a strong defender to fill in once a week, not a starter. Mix the vets with some kids and add a player or two via trades. The Twins do not need an ace but they do need to make the right changes. Next season will be more competitive in the Central Division.

One consideration - a new CBA may reduce the years of service before free agency and/or have specific salaries tied to performance in those years where a team holds control over a player. Quite a bit could change and, as such, any negotiations would need to increase their offer from past practices. The Twins have quite a bit on their plate right now and are unlikely to advance a longterm contract. If they did, I believe we should look at 8/$80 million.

Signing Bauer would be tough because it would mean pinching monies spent on a relief pitcher or two and a decent utility player. Signing Bauer would also push either Cruz or/and Rosario out the door as well. The financial decisions are up to the Twins but a payroll of $140 works for them. Don't underestimate the financial abilities or acumen of the Pohlads. They made a sound call on Donaldson. Covid happens.

Yes, we should extend Berrios, as most state above. However, it is possible that Jose wants to play out his contract to see what is available in free agency. He has all the money he needs for life right now, he works really hard, he wants to win, and is likely to be interested in going big at some point. If the Twins are serious about keeping Berrios for a few more years beyond the two left until free agency, they should try 4/$56-60 million. That gives Jose some time to build huge value, make cash, and the Twins are not overburdened with a long term contract. For sure the Twins should be feeling out the market for their star pitcher this winter though. It can be surprising how much one player can bring in a trade with a team overly eager to win now. The Twins have a nice complement of players and any trades that can make them better next summer should be pursued. We can go year to year with Jose. Hopefully Berrios wins a World Series for the Twins next fall.

The Twins will not be signing Kirilloff this winter to a long term contract. The budget is pinched and any extra money will be directed toward pitchers and filling in current needs for next season. An extension now would need to include two years of minimum salary for Kirilloff, because of choices needed elsewhere on the roster, and it would be unprecedented to accept a long term deal that keeps a player at the minimum for a couple of years. By this time next year, a conversation could happen.

The lack of direction by MLB on a DH decision is also pertinent to this post. Cruz and Rosario are linked as moderate payroll tickets. The Twins might have enviable depth in corner outfielders/dh/1B, but the team wants to win next summer as well. The loss of both Rosario and Cruz would be stiff because neither would return an asset. Free agent signings return quality without loss of current players. This is attractive. The Twins should be looking for three or four pitchers and a couple of utility players. My best guess is that this is a busy week of discussing FA, trades, and rosters spots. The market is real slow right now and that December 2 deadline to tender is close. Unless the team makes some moves in the next week, I expect Rosario to be tendered a contract. The loss of both Eddie and Nelson would too tough right now.

There are so many scenarios where Eddie is still a Twin next summer. In addition to using the young corner outfielders as potential links to pitching, the current signed players, Sano and Kepler, may bring back a pitcher. In 2019, five Twins hit 30 home-runs and it is plausible that only one is retained for 2021. Certainly, the finances and team needs will dictate that a minimum of one of the Bomba Squad is moved. Rosario for less than $10 million is an option that must be considered. At the very least, December 2 is day one for the dominoes.

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.