tony&rodney

Toronto put runs on the board. The must have some good hitting coaches. Judge didn't go down quietly. Two really good teams.

I do like Larnach but my 2026 team is 100% not happening because I'm suggesting major changes in order to improve defense, team speed, and hitting (hopefully). I have repeatedly put Larnach back on the roster because I actually believe he can improve as a hitter. If he cannot return what I want he works as my DH. We'll see. In other areas people will not like players I'm ready to move away from, partly because I believe that there are teams that are a better match for them and mutually beneficial trades should be available: Jeffers and Wallner.

I love Caballero but he is a utility player himself, although he can be good for 4-500+ PA a year. The Yankees are going to be very difficult to deal with in order to acquire Caballero, but I hope they can add him.

Ok, Naylor for 4 years / $80-100M. Do it. Just no more vets where we say they did pretty good considering ..... The Twins can do that move and it still come in around $90-110M for payroll. The front office needs to get to work.

Well, he isn't on my 2026 Twins team, but there is an argument that he was the Twins second best bat. There is a big pile below him in the barrel.

Is that the same Bert Blyleven who finished his career with 60 shutouts? The guy who had 23 shutouts in his age 33-38 seasons? I'll take 5 of those please.

Joe Ryan is a really good pitcher. If anything he might be underrated because he has pitched for a team with a very porous defense and the offense is not to be trusted for runs on a consistent basis. The decision is whether to use him for the next two seasons and recover a draft pick when he leaves, sign him to a contract extension which will be rich, or trade him this offseason. Those are the three choices. The extension option seems the most unlikely. Ryan will not be signing for less than $120M at this time. I would suggest the Twins sign Joe Ryan to a 4/$120M contract that begins in 2027. I also don't believe Ryan will take that deal. Crochet signed a 6/$170M deal with escalators based on Cy Young votes. Which option would people on Twins Daily choose?

First off the Twins do not need to reduce payroll. It currently sits below $90M. The need is for adding talent and balancing the roster. The Twins have too many DH type guys. Trevor Larnach is a DH. Larnach definitely has value. What team needs a DH that can hit? There will be interest in him. Possibly the Twins trade 3-4 of their other DH types and keep Larnach. The Twins should definitely tender a contract to Larnach but gage interest in him from across the league.

The key component here is whether other teams value specific Twins players combined with the front office competently identifying players from other teams. Joe Ryan is a pitcher that several teams should see as the guy needed to get their squads into the next round of the playoffs. Boston and Detroit come to mind. The return should be high and these teams should be willing to gamble as well. The benefit of keeping Ryan is familiarity more than anything. The worst case is injury. I don't see how the Twins can keep Joe Ryan and he is the pitcher I most enjoy. The team needs better talent. Nick has envisioned a selloff but doesn't account for the returns and stays well away from wild speculation. These fan blogs are nothing more than speculative guesses at their best so why not throw out ideas. We are seeing more and more of these doomsday articles precisely because the selloff in July left the Twins as a struggling roster that is likely looking up at the White Sox. How can that change? Gleeman and Bonnes seem to think a $140-160M payroll is an answer. I would like a $180M payroll. I'm not sure where the Twins payroll will land but $80-110M seems like a number in line with past practices and current reality. I do believe or maybe it is just hope for several strong trades to be completed. There will be many opportunities. Nick mentions Tampa Bay and Ryan Jeffers. Ok, I would like to see that trade return Brody Hopkins and/or Tre' Morgan. Perhaps the Twins need to add a Travis Adams or lower level guy from A ball. Nick doesn't think Ober has much value but maybe Arizona is beyond frustrated by Jordan Lawler, whose value has also sunk. There are bound to be several mutually beneficial trades that can be completed. The key is how other teams view the Twins players. I don't see rolling it back as an option.

Something to think about but it seems more important to get best value. When people suggest keeping Ryan and extending him, my thoughts go to numbers and probability of the Twins actually signing Ryan for a 5/$150M extension. I wonder how many people think there is a chance to keep Ryan? And then there is the specter of injury. The Twins need to get this right. So best value becomes most important and we deal with facing Ryan in games.

Detroit is finding out that they could use a really good starting pitcher. They have a strong system. Is it possible that Detroit would part with Max Clark for Joe Ryan? While it seems unlikely the Tigers would agree with such a query, I'm hoping the Twins are poking every team to find opportunity.

This seems about right to me. Now the Twins need to forward offers to certain teams to pry loose players they could use, even if it seems like an overpay. My choice for most improved would be either Austin Martin or Simeon Woods Richardson, although I can see choosing Varland or Clemens.

I'm not seeing any similarity between Keaschall and either of Julien or Miranda. My only concern with Keaschall is whether or not he can become a good defensive player. He has the quickness and speed to be rangy and became quicker with his release in his short time this year. Hopefully he finds time to build arm strength and practices his fielding. He doesn't seem injury prone with IL stints all being different.

Everyone will have their favorite sites for prospects. I like Fangraphs as much or more than others. The only Cubs guys I'm interested in are Kevin Alcantara (50-high risk) and Jaxon Wiggins (50). Maybe my preference for Wiggins is due to my love for Mark Harris' trilogy whose main character was Henry Wiggins (The Southpaw, Bang The Drum Slowly, and Ticket For A Seamstitch). Easily the best written baseball books ever; actual literature.

Johan?

Jimmy Crooks is close, a good glove, but plenty of swing and miss. Main question is which teams will talk and what do they accept for a guy we want.

Cabrera didn't bother me because the team was lost already. He has some decent stuff but is not consistent. He is not reliable. Genesis is an easy non tender but a minor league offer that includes a ST invite seems fair. I'm not sure how many more teams will bite on Cabrera for a 40 person roster spot. He is gambling if he passes on any offer, even a minor league one.

That's the dream. I'm still hoping for Jeferson Quero (MIL) and/or Harry Ford (SEA). Heck get both of them and have Vazquez serve as their mentor. Ford can be used on the odd occasion in the outfield.

A Kyler Fedko/Hendry Mendez experience would be a better idea than adding another slow declining body like Hoskins. I, too, doubt the Twins add any substantial free agent. I put a link to all free agents out yesterday. It is a pile mostly made up of declining players whose skills are questionable at best. There are names like J.T. Realmuto, Alonso, Naylor, Torres, Polanco, Bichette, Story, Bregman, Bellinger, and Tucker. That is about it. Is there anyone who thinks the Twins will sign any of the above players? The rest of the crowd are just earning your 24'-25' team records over and over again. The rebuild was begun in July. We didn't anticipate or ask for it, but it happened. Now, it is time to complete the rebuild. Anything short of a commitment to revamping the roster will only draw out the misery of 90 loss seasons.

Bellinger will get 3-5+ years and the price will start at $25M. I can't remember where I saw it but there was a guess he gets 5/$150M. Bellinger is really good in the field, hits tons of extra base hits, can run, and can hit left-handed pitchers too. His versatility is attractive. I would like Bellinger as our first baseman, but settle for Naylor or Alonso too. Does anyone think the Twins will fork out a nine figure deal? What is the free agent spending ceiling?

Ryan is a fun pitcher to watch. My guess is most fans want Ryan to return next year. Me too. The money is not important with Ryan. The Twins lack talent though, needing improvement/help everywhere but wherever Byron Buxton plays. Perhaps I'm mistaken but I see all conversation surrounding trades as finding paths to balance the roster. A slow, defensively challenged team that also struggles to hit needs changes to occur. We have seen what happens with the current roster in August and September. I believe the Twins need to consider everything. The challenge is to find a team needing one of our corner outfielders or other guys. What is the return? Gamble trades are worth the chance. Not every trade will work but several should occur. We should expect the bar to be high for Ryan. Can management pull off solid trades? I sure hope so, and if the Twins can retain Ryan and Lopez ..... even better. Still, I'm looking for about four trades. The post is about payroll. I see it below $90M if nothing changes but I could easily see a $110M roster. That is about $22M above the current list.

I'm holding out hope for a few fantastic trades. If nothing is done Brooks Lee is what we have at shortstop. Oh well. He could still improve.

The Twins could lose 90 games again, but they could be a fun team to watch. That depends on the moves made this offseason. They will be a major league team though. There is quite a difference. I do not expect a significant lockout in 2027. Worst case, MLB loses April. The sides will come to an agreement. Depending on the trades made this winter, the Twins could be pretty good in 2027.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/08/2025-26-mlb-free-agents.html The above link will take you to those players expected to be available as free agents. Whenever I hear about adding middle of the order bats (much less two or three) and also adding 2-3 good relief pitchers, I wonder who exactly are people talking about. Who would sign with the Twins? Are the Twins going to shift their financial practices? I remember the cry to add Jordan Montgomery and Rhys Hoskins a couple of years ago, which seemed so far off for improving the team. I begged for several trades instead, but alas a couple of those guys will now be released and one other might get one last shot. When Bonnes puts down the money spent with a grade and the expected outcome, I'm confused. The Twins have been leading the ALC in money spent. If money is such a great predictor, where are those ALC crowns the last two years. I agree that teams paying above $200M for 26 person payroll have a higher correlation to winning over time, but it takes talent and good management to win. I wish someone would put out a list of bats and arms that can be realistically signed as a proposal. Until such time the Twins must gather all information possible to complete some trades. The results should have the potential to vastly improve the club's fortunes. The next year or two are bound to be rough but with the right combination of players the team could at least be interesting.

What might be interesting to people is to see the financial numbers for ALCentral teams for 2026. Fangraphs estimated payroll and estimated luxury tax payroll: Twins: $72.4M $91M Royals: $88.2M. $124.2M White Sox: $41.3M. $61.3M Tigers: $50.7M. $71.2M Guardians: $60.7M. $81.4M Those who are interested could look up the average age of the teams, MLB experience, and other factors such as talent level which all help determine level of success. People will come to their own conclusions. Detroit is in the driver's seat at this time. The Twins have a minor league system that is ranked favorably. The one note consistent across rankings is that the Twins have fewer high end prospects but more prospects who could eventually reach MLB. In other words, a somewhat conflicting report on the viability of leaning on the farm to produce what is needed going forward. Ultimately, teams need talent to compete. After that talent puts a team in contention, the financial wherewithal is needed to hold the most valuable players. I believe the Twins need to make a push for talent this winter which requires trades. The original article suggests spending will bring success. Yes, spending is correlated to success in many cases. The problem is in identifying and successfully adding players. When I see suggestions to add Rhys Hoskins and Jordan Montgomery, for example, I cringe. Who are the guys who will sign with the Twins? Finally, the history of the Pohlad ownership doesn't portend spending $160M. Is that even a consideration? Let's fix the talent on the roster first.