tony&rodney

The manner in which I wrote the post you responded to was not clear. Sorry. To the last post - I too am very high on Graterol, but he is not going to throw too many innings this year. The Twins should put him out there though. I'm hoping for 125-140 innings this year.

Nothing major, especially between Gray and Alcantara. Things such as age, service time, innings pitched, baa and a few other things. There doesn't seem to be much reason for Arizona or Colorado to trade if they are going to compete. Alcantara is the youngest and seems to be possibly available (maybe not) and improving, while it would likely take more of the Twins top prospects to pry away Ray or Gray now. I have been thinking that July may be a time when trade options expand. I wonder what San Diego would ask for Paddock? Lewis and Larnach? Not likely. Two teams need to find a common goal and I don't know what that formula is. We already have a bunch of one year contracts. My thinking is that a major trade of prospects should bring a controlled player back.

Josh Donaldson is worth what he is asking for right now, if it is $100-110M. The Twins definitely have the money with only $21 million committed in 2021. Now the front office can put the ball right back in his court by that offer (above). Then we see if JD really objects to MN money and will only play for Atlanta. This seems rather simple.

Josh Donaldson is a risk. However, he is less of a risk than any of the other options discussed this winter. The Twins are only on the hook for slightly over $20 million for next year. The money is available. If JD doesn't want to play for Minnesota or the front office has him evaluated much lower for some reason, fine; we have to agree to disagree (unhappily) with their decision. If the front office believes Donaldson has value, then they need to force him to make the decision. The Twins should have the best offer. Price, Sale, Archer, Gray, Ray, and others are just not seeming to be very balanced decisions based upon multiple risk factors, such as price, injury, prospect cost, and statistical peripherals. I would not trade any of Lewis, Kirilloff, Larnach, Graterol, Balazovic, or Duran for that crew. If there are other combinations that work using lesser valued prospects, do it. In June or July there will be a new alignment of values for available pitchers and the prospects. This is looking like the time for a decision. Mitch Moreland for @$4M and Alex Wood for @$4M are my only remaining options. There is a good chance that some of the Twins young prospects will provide the performance and value we are hoping for this summer. They will be watched closely this Spring.

Most of the pitchers being touted are either too risky (Sale) or have poor peripherals (Archer, Ray, Gray). The Twins should be open to trading anyone if that acquisition is a tipping point. The Cubs giving up Gleybar Torres to run for the title was an extremely risky and still controversial trade, but an example. Most of the top pitchers are simply not available, at any price and others have the same present value in a game as players like Thorpe. Lewis and Kirilloff are or have been rated as top ten prospects and should bring back a haul or held. Looking through the names and numbers, only Alcantara looks promising and a possibility for picking up in a trade. I do not think Snell, Paddock, Castillo, Bieber, or E. Rod are available. Will Miami consider trading Alcantara? What would be fair? Larnach and Enlow? Some combinations of players maybe, but Miami has a good system and are not looking for numbers of prospects in place of quality. There is a better likelihood that the trading environment is improved in June or July.

There has to be somebody who can watch him and talk to him and determine if young Master Kirilloff is ready for a shot at The Show. Torii, Tony, Rod, the coaches and scouts. Alex wouldn't be the first player to arrive swinging. He wasn't my first choice for 1B in October, but it's January now.

Re: Garver and trade value. From a Cody Christie post 18 November - Posted 18 November 2019 - 12:24 PM "What would Garver bring back? Grandal, Avila, and others could be signed. Of course we love a contract controlled slugger like Garver, but what would other teams offer? Atlanta? Cincy? San Diego? If not FA signings the Twins must explore all trade ideas." I have wondered about Garver's value since October. I have no idea though and nobody seemed to think this noteworthy. My idea was to gamble early for an ace dangling Garver plus. I was curious to know what the market was at the time. Still am.

Rooker, Raley, and even younger - let us see what they can do. Gonzalez, Garver, etc. are there to back them up. With the solid core the Twins have in their lineup it is ok to trot out a rookie.

Bryant has had some great seasons thus far. He is in a dispute with the Cubs that he is expected to lose. I think he should win his grievance. Thus, he become a rental. Either way I am not a Bryant fan. Something unexplainable makes me think he could mirror Prior - quick start and too quickly becomes a highly thought of young coach. Donaldson is risky in two years and Bryant costs major prospects. JD - ok, KB - no.

... So What's The Plan Now?" I think this is the thread. We have a little bit of the working class people adoration for billionaire profits arguing with disgruntled fans who might have thought that something big should happen this offseason. Baseball is entertainment and we read this junk to keep abreast of trends, thoughts, and various ideas. There have been many - that's good. I want to refer back to the thread idea and suggest that this season could be a very exciting one for Twins fans. Garver has emerged as a strong MLB player and even with regression will see more time on the field and be productive. It is easy to see Arraez, Kepler, and Rosario having equal or improved seasons this year. Cruz is a professional and DH can be covered by many players. Gonzalez has to be better. I expect Buxton and Sano to bust out and be around for the entire season. That leaves Polanco, the AL starting SS last summer. Read that again. How did we get to complaining about an all star shortstop. Polanco is not Mark Belanger in the field, but neither is Buxton Paul Blair. The pitching staff could be middle of the pack and that should be pretty good as the Twins break in some young pitchers. I would argue that a 91-95 win season is doable with the current squad. I wanted to add Grandal at $20M, Cole at $38M, and a few adds like Pineda and Alex Wood. The only player they added on my list was Avila. Now we can move forward and hope the kids get their chance to play and do well with their opportunities. Who knows, maybe Donaldson wakes up tomorrow morning and has had dreams all night long about batting with Buxton and Kepler on base. Whatever ... the Twins front office has apparently encountered some difficulty and I am not enamored of that at all, but still that should not obscure what should be a rising, exciting, and competitive team. The kids are next, in full support of a solid core.

At this point the available starters are not looking any more likely to be successful than those already on the roster. Roll with what you have until July when a team that expected to compete has failed. Another conversation worth having is a query with Boston concerning Betts. They may actually have ideas other than all the Twins top prospects.

Betts? Anyone want that guy?

Kepler - Donaldson - Polanco - Cruz - Rosario - Sano - Arraez - Garver - Buxton. No JD. Betts - Kepler - JP - NC - ER - MS - LA - MG - BB. No MB. MK - JP - NC - ER - MS - LA - MG - Marwin Gonzalez - BB.

Bunting will always have a place in baseball. A player with elite speed, especially one without Troutlike hitting talents, should absolutely attempt to become skillful at bunting. In addition to breaking slumps, it helps slow the game down and brings the 3B in, opening up both the baseline and the 5-6 hole. Buxton, and hopefully Lewis soon, create havoc when on the bases. How many slow curveballs or sweeping sliders are thrown with Buxton on base? Bunting and speed are still valuable weapons in baseball in 2020.

I'm down with our kids filling in while Pineda and Hill are resting in a warm climate and getting prepared to be good from late May for Big Mike and after the All Star Game for Richy Rich. Forget Gray, Boyd, Archer. Think something better in July (unlikely). Meanwhile, get Donaldson, or as someone else suggested ... Betts. We still have three months more (thinking hopeful) of winter.

If you want Kepler go to 1B, then trade for Betts. Set in RF and covered for CF. Graterol and Celestino? Lineup goes, Betts, Kepler, ... we win. Think positive in 2020.

Nothing. However, it is possible, even if not based on past practices, that the Twins view 2020 as a year to change their stripes. Buxton, Sano, Berrios, and Rosario could all easily follow Cruz, Gonazalez, Odorizzi, and others out the door in a few years through free agency, refusal to sign, or demand. Sometimes there is a tipping point and I'm thinking that a failure to attempt strategies different than prior years will cause an unfortunate return to sub mediocrity. 2019 had a very positive vibe for the team and I thought the team enjoyed the games and each other. A push can occur. The question remains - will it happen?

The opportunity to sign a top pitcher has passed. I'm hoping that Bailey is a marked improvement throughout the season from Perez and am especially hopeful he gets off to a strong start in April and May, although not necessarily as strong as Perez was to June. A season of a 4.30 ERA and 180 IP would be a plus.

"You can probably ride this rotation as it stands to another title and move the impact pitching goal posts to a midseason trade." This is the current state of the Twins. Because there really isn't any reason right now for a team to trade away their best pitchers, a signing of Donaldson becomes even more important. In July, someone will be amenable to an offer. Maybe the Mets tank and Thor is available or perhaps San Diego realizes they can afford to trade pitching for hitting. July will come and an opportunity should be there for a rotation upgrade.

If Thorpe is just a little more effective this year than Gibson was last year, then he will have progressed nicely. Pitching takes time as we have seen from Berrios and others. Gibson and Perez had uneven results and the Twins just need a little more consistency and slight improvements from the pitchers who pitch in those two slots. I'm afraid that there will be some pressure on Berrios and Odorizzi to be stronger though. That was a reason to slot someone (a FA signing) above those two. I am optimistic about the depth of the Twins pitching but concerned about their ability to be consistent. If the pitchers keep the scores down, around four, the offense should produce. A most concerning issue for many is the lack of an arm above Berrios, or to slide in above Odorizzi. At some point this season a trade seems likely, but I doubt any team will part with a pitcher the Twins need before July.

There could be a little help from coaches and players maybe, but not that's not likely to swing the decision. Donaldson needs to be sold on hitting in the Twins lineup and convinced that he would enjoy playing at Target Field and fishing on Lake Minnetonka in the summer. The Falvines need to sell the Twins as a team that is really good and capable of adding talent in July. Finally, if this is serious, The Twins should have the high bid. Washington will defer a bunch of money and Atlanta has to think about Freeman soon. The Twins have only $20M something committed past this summer. The opportunity is there - make JD smile green or live with the knowledge that you were the clear high bid. I have to think that something like Arraez, Garver, and Buxton hitting at the end of the lineup would be really exciting to a guy like Donaldson who loves to hit with runners on base. He would look pretty good in the two hole, eh?

From: spycake "I think the Twins signing Donaldson would represent a pretty substantial break from history." Yes, true. January, 2020 is as good as any time to break from past history. 4/92 or 4/100, just do it.

All of the top FA pitchers Twins' fans wanted to see pitch for Minnesota are signed by other teams. The Twins have a solid core of players and some promising prospects a year or two away from prominence, if everything rolls nicely. It seems to me that there are only two paths from here to improve the roster, add a player or two or shift to a strategy of trading from their core, prospects, or some combination of the two. I'm not seeing where any of the current Twins players bring back a pitcher without diminishing the team and it also seems like only a drastic overpay of prospects would bring back a pitcher, and not an ace at that. The question that pops up frequently is what would it cost to trade for Bieber, Thor, Paddock, Castillo, or those who are really worthwhile. I can't see it happening. So, signing Donaldson or Moreland become the last FA options, in my view. This is why I would advocate for a Donaldson addition right now. Additionally, I have shifted my ceiling upwards for a potential offer to JD because he would be a player to allow the maximum development of prospects and overall positive experiences for the Twins. Finally, the summer will unfold to reveal whether the Twins must trade or add from their own system to be a more competitive team in the playoffs. The Twins must win the division first.

Very strange insistence being forwarded to not sign Josh Donaldson. He improves both defense and offense and has extended tough at bats. The Twins seem to want him to play for our favorite nine. He makes the 2020 Twins better and the front office wants him playing his home games at Target Field. Let all Twins fans hope these negotiations come to fruition. Certainly it is understandable why Atlanta fans would argue that the Twins should never sign JD, but we can let them worry about their own team. Yes, sign JD.

The development of Graterol, Balazovic, and Duran will be watched closely as will the further experiences of Rooker, Larnach, Kirilloff, and Lewis. The Twins are heavily invested in these seven players and a few more and the Twins first three months will determine whether trades or promotions are needed for August onward. Hopefully, Bailey can be solid from day one. Hopefully, two of Dobnak, Thorpe, and someone else provide competitive outings until Pineda and Hill are available. Signing Josh Donaldson just became even more important than before because a strong Twins team offensively will provide a boost to the hopes previously mentioned.