tony&rodney

Proposed trade - Arraez, Duffey, Strotman, Rooker to Oakland for Frankie Montas. Oakland gets a leadoff hitter, near MLB SP, an established RP, and a swing DH/1B/OF.

Good post. This is a potentially rich and divisive discussion. I'm open to any trades and signings that result in a competitive team for next year. I'll use 10 games over .500 as a marker for competitive. Rortvedt looked pretty lost at the plate last season but rebounded in St. Paul and he is clearly superior right now to both Garver and Jeffers with a glove. There are catchers out there to sign if necessary. The post highlights the pitching needs on the team and TopGunn#22 is spot on with our need to get four starting pitchers. Perhaps by May or June, the needs could narrow to three with Winder/Duran filling one spot. Every option needs consideration. Falvey has just stated that he likes both Garver and Jeffers. We all do to some extent. Pitching is a need.

Stroman will sign for 4/$100 million. Will the Twins have an interest? I'm not sure pitch to contact is an issue but the salary may be a problem.

Base of $14 million per year for 7 years. 125 games = $16 million, $135 games = $22 million, adding $2 million for gold glove, $3 million for All Star game starter, and $8 million for MVP. Something along these lines. I really have no idea how the Twins value Byron right now and would offer Starling Marte 3/$20 with 4th year player option at $8 million for $68 million potentially to buttress the team against the loss of Buxton. Additionally, it is difficult to judge what Byron Buxton would return in a trade this winter. He may be more valuable to other teams in June or July if he has not signed yet, the Twins are heading towards 90+ losses, and Buxton is playing well.

If you were Kershaw or Verlander would you consider the Twins? At any price? Under what conditions would Verlander answer a call from the Twins? Kershaw is at a point where he plays for the Dodgers or retires. No contract, not $40 million per year would bring Kershaw to the AL Central and I do not mean that in a negative way. He has different priorities in his life right now. Kershaw = 0%. Verlander = .001 %, so there is a chance.

Open to all ideas .... so what specific trade(s) do you have in mind?

What specifically (names of players) does this mean? A number of comments have stated a fear of losing prospects and the responses are always, without exception, quite vague. A very specific list of names is needed to support this point. I may agree if I knew what someone meant by "gut the farm system" or even an example of some sort, but really I am interested in exactly what Twins prospects or players are untouchable or some semblance of what that means for my understanding of the thought process of those who are fearful of throwing the future away by trading prospects or young rostered players. This would help me understand those who are reticent for change.

Agree with you. I was thinking dugout and field wisdom/utility option reunion with Ehire Adrianza specifically. The CBA could create a logjam, for sure. Still, and everyone keeps saying this - decide what to do about Buxton.

This is exactly correct. Those who produce (the workers) gain the rewards, not management. Marx would be proud. JK. The owners hold the reins (money purse) in baseball but Brock is correct that management ranks below the players. Falvey does not earn a salary near what Buxton or Sano make and the dugout managers and coaches are well below the players in salary. How many TD readers have worked at jobs where those who produce make more than management? Tingler had connections through his time in Texas. I hope he is welcomed by the players. I found Buster Posey's retirement press conference interesting as he explained the trust and connection between the players and coaches, especially the very young first year coaches the Giants hired this year.

Not a surprise. The Twins have similar relievers.

The Twins would be smart to attempt one or two quick signings.

Falvey works for Pohlad and they will do whatever - we just goof around, thus our logic is scattered. Fans in every market do the same and you can see some proposed trades that take Buxton (kind of them) for someone like Urshela (NYY). That's crazy and maybe we are too.

Another ... and put Galvis or someone inexpensive in place of Lewis ....

You can quickly throw ideas together:

A little surprised by QO and agree that pushes Twins away.

I guess what you are saying is that everyone should focus on trades and look to sign some players that are in the #30-?? range. Is this fair? Do you have any ideas for trades or viable free agents?

Would Oakland send us Frankie Montas for these two (Arraez & Kepler) plus one of Dobnak/Strotman/Duffey or do we need to sweeten the deal .... or does Oakland not listen on Montas? Who thought the Twins would trade Berrios? Most of TD accepts that trade despite not being happy to see Jose in Toronto.

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.

If Ortiz gets elected, Bonds should be the unanimous pick. The entire steroid debate is sticky. How can one of those players get in but not Bonds. Bonds was superior to all, complicated, and nearly the universal bad boy to seemingly everyone. I always felt Bonds was dragged into the whole messy steroids debacle by his massive ego, when Mark McGuire received so much acclaim. Bonds, apparently, made poor choices and is still paying the price. Ortiz has a welcoming personality but is just as guilty, making his redemption odd. Joe Nathan should get a few votes as might Morneau and Pierzynski. I agree that one and done seems harsh, yet most would also agree that these players, as good as they were, do not meet the mark for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

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.